T40 ..... freeze and die ......

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multivariate · #1 Post by **multivariate** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:17 am

My T40 died just hours ago, strangely....
At first, the screen just froze (not blue screen, not black screen), no mouse response, no keyboard response. After I turned down the computer, things went crazy...

At first, I could

1) log in to Windows and then got frozen screen. Yet, after a while, the screen could become black. If I moved the screen to some other angler, the frozen screen came back
2) just got black screen and went not where (not even the IBM logo)....

Then I detached the harddisk, CD-ROM. I could come to the BIOS setup, but after a short while, the screen would froze. It might become black and come back to the frozen screen as described before.

Now, when boosting, it just gives one long beep and two short beeps and does nothing with a black screen....

Anyone knows what the problem is?
Do I need a motherboard change?

Thank you in advance.

danage · #2 Post by **danage** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:44 am

the beep codes are listed in the hardware maintenance manual, which you can download on the lenovo website. that way you can be sure which problem it is.

i am suspecting the common GPU failure (do a forum search), but if you are very lucky it's just the ram.

rxtech27 · #3 Post by **rxtech27** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:03 am

Welcome to the club . . I have 2 T40s that crapped out on me earlier this month. Glad to see a local over in Stanford. If you ever get a chance to fix it, let me know!! GL!

rxtech27 · #4 Post by **rxtech27** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:11 am

I will be opening one of them up later today with a few cans of air. Let me give you a jist of where I am sitting at.

T40 #1: Worked really well after I re-formatted it and so forth. One day I plugged in a USB drive and it shut off the computer. It' hasnt turned on since. When I turn the power switch, I see a flicker in the light panel .. . nothing else.

T40 #2: 50/50 I get an image of the Windows Startup. When it does start up and all that jazz . .it freezes 15 mins into using the comp. (warranty ended jan 2007, and it worked fine before that)

As of now, IBM/Lenovo has sure done its deed in my pocket. I will spend the next month's weekends trying to figure out how to get it working or to salvage what's left. Otherwise, I'll jump over to some cheapo deal with Compaq/HP or dare I say . . .Dell. Warranty seems to be a big issue and Dell has probably the advantage in that category.

Have a good weekend and good luck in your T40 revivial journey.

#5 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:41 pm

well, come-ON..
its not entirely the faule of IBM/Lenovo if your thinkpad dies after 3 + years..
it could be anything from tin "hairs" growing on the traces to component failure..
all of which could be caused by environmental conditions the thinkpad has been subjected to to just age..
which is why IBM had 3 year warranties on all thinkpads until a few years ago when 1 year warranties became available on the cheaper models..

when you guys make price your first consideration you ask for trouble..
sometimes the answer is no and sometimes the answer is a dead thinkpad..

if you think DELL is any better, well, same rules apply but their support is pure crap..
i know this for a fact, i have been there..

the same can not be said of h/p but again, if you cheap out you will get a box full of compromises..
i know THIS for a fact, too..
i have been THERE as well..

this is not intended to be a slap at impecunious students or others in similar circuimstances, it is merely the way things work..
the sooner this fact is learned, the better off one will eventually be..
(usually)

there is no free lunch..

spend some of the beer $$ for a warranty extension and sleep well..

for the failing T40 of multivariate it MIGHT have something to do with the top cable..

i would look through ebay for parts..
i would think there are far more system boards available, used, than displays..
of course, you might be buying the same problems..
remember, no free lunch..

multivariate · #6 Post by **multivariate** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:49 pm

Not that lucky.
I detached additional Kingston RAM I added, got nothing but
the beeps (2 long ,1 short) ......

danage wrote:the beep codes are listed in the hardware maintenance manual, which you can download on the lenovo website. that way you can be sure which problem it is.

i am suspecting the common GPU failure (do a forum search), but if you are very lucky it's just the ram.

pianowizard · #7 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:37 pm

multivariate and rxtech27, do you guys often pick up your T40's by grabbing their corners?

multivariate · #8 Post by **multivariate** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:25 am

sometimes, but not often I would say...

pianowizard wrote:multivariate and rxtech27, do you guys often pick up your T40's by grabbing their corners?

#9 Post by **K. Eng** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:52 am

BillMorrow wrote:well, come-ON..
its not entirely the faule of IBM/Lenovo if your thinkpad dies after 3 + years..
it could be anything from tin "hairs" growing on the traces to component failure..
all of which could be caused by environmental conditions the thinkpad has been subjected to to just age..

In most cases, I agree with Bill. However, I do blame IBM/Lenovo for the system board failures, as I believe the failures are a design defect.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 504#236504

T40 ..... freeze and die ......

T40 ..... freeze and die ......

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