770E - Can I upgrade the motherboard to a better one?

[genci88]

Hello. I have been lurking on this forum these past few days ,

A week ago I won a second hand Thinkpad 770E on eBay for $50.

When I load it up, it shows (on the black screen) that I have 161 and 163 errors, and then it asks for a password (the power-on password I assume). I just press Enter there and it shows OK (I don't know the password).

After that I am presented with this error screen that that lists the 161 and 163 errors and has an OK and Cancel button. The cursor is a flying bird:

Photo: http://img446.imageshack.us/img446/2293/error1fo1.jpg

When I click either OK or Cancel a new error screen comes up (with an arrow pointing to a manual) and the system hangs COMPLETELY. All I can do is restart the system.

Photo: http://img446.imageshack.us/img446/986/error2we5.jpg

According to what I have read here these errors mean that I should replace the CMOS battery. Well, I just did. And those errors still keep coming up.

I also cannot enter into the BIOS either (F1+power switch).

So I am assuming the motherboard is the culprit here (I COULD BE WRONG ).

Now that I have to upgrade the mobo anyway, can I upgrade it to a better version? One that can, for example, accept Mobile Pentium III? Can you give me any suggestions of mobos from other TP models that can fit easily into the 770E chassis?

Thanks in advance.

[vanaya]

You need the password to get to the next screen. Then it will ask you to set the date and time for the bios to accept. After that it will not give those errors.

[rkawakami]

Welcome to the forum!

First, please avoid placing in-line photos if you can. A link to the photo works better for those people who access the board on dial-up or cell phone.

(edit: I just noticed your photos are slightly under 50K each but I believe the limit in the FAQ is 50k total. A warning in the subject line is still needed too.)

From your description of the power up sequence you either have a power-on password or supervisor (BIOS) password. The first is relatively easy to remove. The second one is not.

A copy of the Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) for the 770 can be found here:

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... 7l5152.pdf

It details the steps needed to remove the power-on password.

You are correct to replace the CMOS battery in trying to get rid of the 161/163 boot errors. However, since it appears you have a supervisor password, the system is not letting you into the BIOS to update the date and time. The second picture is telling you to consult the users manual on what to do next.

Unfortunately, due to board rules you will not get much assistance with removing the supervisor password. Please see item #12 in this FAQ:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=1689

Your best bet at the moment is to contact the previous owner and see if they remember what it is.

[AlphaKilo470]

As is, you won't be able to upgrade to a Pentium III because the 770E, ED and 770 used an older style connector that the Pentium III never supported. Only the 770X and 770Z can be upgraded to a Pentium III and even then, cache support is limited.

I'm pretty sure that the 14" 770s used the same chassis but I'm not totally sure on this so hopefully there will be someone else you can consult on the matter. If I'm right though, you'll want to get ahold of a 770X or 770Z motherboard if you want to move up to a Pentium III.

[genci88]

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks

I also just changed the pictures to links.


As for the errors. I am assuming that I have the supervisor password too. This is why I have decided to replace the board.
I really don't want to get into soldering EEPROMs just to get the password.
Plus its expensive buying all the equipment to do that. Its cheaper to just buy a new board (or a Parts system).

As is, you won't be able to upgrade to a Pentium III because the 770E, ED and 770 used an older style connector that the Pentium III never supported. Only the 770X and 770Z can be upgraded to a Pentium III and even then, cache support is limited.

I'm pretty sure that the 14" 770s used the same chassis but I'm not totally sure on this so hopefully there will be someone else you can consult on the matter. If I'm right though, you'll want to get ahold of a 770X or 770Z motherboard if you want to move up to a Pentium III.

Thanks. I hope someone confirms that I can use a 770Z board on a 770E chasis.
Out of curiosity, does the 770E board use MMC-1 or MMC-2 Pentium II CPUs?

[pkiff]

I hope someone confirms that I can use a 770Z board on a 770E chasis.

I think so, but can't confirm for sure.

Out of curiosity, does the 770E board use MMC-1 or MMC-2 Pentium II CPUs?

The 770E/770ED uses MMC-1 CPU boards and therefore the max CPU upgrade for those models is to an Intel PII 400MHz (the fastest MMC-1 made by Intel - there is a 450 or 500 Celeron, but with cache problems that slow it down). The 770X/770Z use MMC-2 boards and shipped with PII's but can be upgraded to PIIIs if you are ready to edit your BIOS and add a software cache enabler.

Phil.