screen blanking out & crash

[poisonpill]

Lately when I hold my Thinkpad around the lower left hand corner by the arrow:



the screen blanks out. Sometimes if I smack it a bit on the bottom it will come back fine and sometimes I will come back with a distorted screen. Sometimes it won't come back at all and I'll have to shut it down and bring it back with the power button.

Is there some weakness in that area? Maybe some connection that gets pushed? I know a simple solution is not to hold it there, but over the course of carrying around a laptop one might accidentally hold it there and I'd rather not lose everything I was working on over that small mistake.

Anybody have some tips?

[EOMtp]

The PC Card Slot cage is the only thing in the area you indicate. It plugs into the motherboard's socket via a 2-inch card edge connector.

Remove the keyboard, then the palmrest, and then the PC Card Slot (2 screws on bottom, 1 inside). Then reseat the PC Card Slot by plugging it firmly back into the motherboard.

From what you describe, there is probably something going on with the socket, and removing/reinserting the edge connector may solve your problem.

Good luck!

[JHEM]

Lately when I hold my Thinkpad around the lower left hand corner by the arrow

Still under warranty? Known problem with the MB developing stress fractures in that area which affect the GPU, which is socketed directly to the right of the area circled.

Requires a MB change.

Regards,

James

[poisonpill]

Thanks, that makes sense. I'll look into a mobo change.