Few questions on G40

[dakolo]

Hi,

I have just found this amazing forum and have few questions.

I have TP G40, 2.4 GHz, 768 MB RAM, 40 GB disk.

1) When I turn it on it does the RAM check or something like this (xx MB Extented RAM Passed ...) If I am on AC power it is fast, but if I am on batteries it takes about 3 or more minutes to pass it (I have no 768 MB of RAM). Is there any solution for this? I have this nb for 2-3 years and it has this issue since the beginning, so I don't suppose it is a failure???

2) I have been just on AC power up to now, except of about 5 days out on batteries, but I think my battery is quite good - it lasted for 2:30 till it hibernated automatically (just browsing the net all time). Now I will make use of the TP at university but there is not a free socket... What can I expect if I buy a new battery and change them? How long can it last?

3) There are 2 buttons next to the cursor keys used to move in history (back, forward) while browsing... is it possible to change their function?

4) I'd like to know whether it is possible to change the default HD for another one whis has 7200 RPM? Is it worth doing, I'm afraid the motherboard would not use it?

5) And one more thing. Is it possible (and worth doing) to lower the frequence of processor? What I will need in near future is just simple class-work, just making notes in MS Word or OneNote or surfing the net so I don't need full 2.4 GHz I suppose.

Thanks for your help indeed. I am very happy I have found this forum.

[GomJabbar]

1. When you turn on your G40, at the beginning of the boot sequence while you still see the IBM logo, press the F1 key. This will take you to the BIOS setup menu. Under Memory > Extended Memory Test, choose Disabled. Save changes and exit.

2. Probably 2:30 hours is normal. I am not that familiar with the G40 model. Here is where you can order accessories from your home country: http://www.pc.ibm.com/cz/home.html . I don't speak Czech, so I'll have to refer to the US site. ThinkPad G40 Series Li-Ion Battery

3. Maybe Key Tweak? I don't know.

4. You shouldn't have any problem with that. Just get a 2.5 inch PATA notebook drive.

5. Launch Battery MaxiMiser Wizard (Start > All Programs > Access IBM > Battery Maximiser Wizard). Set up a profile with CPU speed set to Slow on Battery.

[dakolo]

5) When I open the Create New Power Scheme dialogue there is not an option to set the CPU speed, just Maximum fan speed (fast, medium, slow). I have to say I didn't see any change after I set it to slow, or anything else, respectively.

I found NHC programme, but don't know what I should write as the multiplier etc... to CPU Voltage... (I have just created another thread on this topic, sorry)

as to the battery, I found another one on ebay.com for 69 dollars, is it a good idea to buy it from there? (it is declared as a new item)

Thank you very much for your help

[GomJabbar]

5) When I open the Create New Power Scheme dialogue there is not an option to set the CPU speed, just Maximum fan speed (fast, medium, slow). I have to say I didn't see any change after I set it to slow, or anything else, respectively.

I don't know where you see fan speed options. Battery Maximiser Wizard does not have that, that I have seen.

If you do not have the Intel Chipset Utility, ACPI Power Management, and Battery MaxiMiser and Power Management Features installed, then all features may not be available.

Software and Device Drivers - ThinkPad G40, G41

I have not used NHC, so I can't tell you about that. See the ThinkPad Utility Work Area forum for more info on that.

You take chances buying batteries on eBay. You may do OK, but you may just get a refurbished battery that is put together with "good" used cells from discarded batteries. I do not have any personal experience with batteries bought on eBay.

[dakolo]

Ok, I will look at that forum for NHC, may be it is another version of Battery Maximiser...

Now I restarted my nb and set the Ext. RAM check to disabled, actually it was set to Disabled before... but it does the same thing.

While on AC line it's very fast, while on battery very slowly (about 2 MB checked / second)

When I put the cable to the socket while checking RAM, it turns fast and even if I take the cable out of the socket it continues counting almost as fast as with the socket...

I found a solution - I accidentally pressed the space button and it skipped that process, so I can go by solution for this but it is interesting, anyway.

Thanks for your time!

[GomJabbar]

You may be right about Battery MaxiMiser. I know it works a little different between the T40 and the T42 (which is what I have). I am not familiar with the G40.

I decided to look at the summary of changes for the BIOS updates. It does mention fan speed control. This is not an option for the T42. You may want to check and see if your BIOS is up-to-date to the latest version.

Symptoms corrected by the latest BIOS update - ThinkPad G40

In fact, if you run Software Installer while online, it will check to see that all of your software is up-to-date to the latest versions. Software Installer for Windows 2000/XP

[dakolo]

Hi,

so I downloaded the System Updater and Software Installer which found about 100 megs of stuff, I downloaded and installed all

I tried to download a bios update, because I have a version 1.03b.
Unfortunately, I didn't manage to install it, after the reboot it said:

Code: Select all

ERROR
0210: Stuck Key FF

Press F1 to Setup

I got to bios, then I did nothing but F10 and saved changes (nothing changed). It is ok now.
I hardly remember that I had an error like this (don't know the text but some error with the same behavior some time ago, maybe when reinstalling the soft...)

Do you know what could cause that? I am a little bit afraid of doing something because it is out of warranty but I could do st. to update it if possible.

Thanks for your time!

[GomJabbar]

That is saying that one of your keyboard keys is stuck. If your not sure which key it is, run PC Doctor and maybe it will find it. PC Doctor should be one of the installed programs. If not, download it from the Software and Drivers link I provided previously.

[dakolo]

Finally, I flashed the bios on the newest version! There was an issue with bios updater under Win XP, so I used the bootable disk and it is ok!

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: And now I restarted pc and the issue with slow ram checking is sorted out. The old bios had some problems because there was no change in either enabled or disabled option.

Thanks again, David!