T60 chirps, clock resets, BSOD, fingerprint annoys, warranty

[kookoobird]

Got my T60 in late January. My work computer is a T42 that I've never had a problem with so just wanted to replicate the experience for my personal computer. Five questions:


1. The thing chirps at me for reasons I haven't determined. In terms of known sounds and noises, this is not the "beep" which you get when pressing two keys at once accidentally. I've heard that and seen posts on how to disable that. And it's not the "whine" from the fan or processor whatever it is people mention frequently here.

This sounds like a mechanical bird chirp from a 1980s video game. Sounds like it comes out of the speakers. It's very quick and startling. Ends at a slightly lower pitch than it starts. Haven't found a sound file anywhere on the computer that sounds like it. Nothing happens on screen when it happens, and it's not associated with any deliberate action on my part.

I've started keeping a log now of when it happens and it's random, though the last four times have been after about 6 minutes within starting up. Several times it has happened when I open the thing back up after having closed it and it having locked or hibernated (but this usually doesn't happen then). But other times it's just when I'm typing, or even when I'm just doing nothing, just sitting there not touching the computer at all. I never use it on battery so it's not a power state change. I've started writing down what was running when it does it and at least the past 4 times I've had Firefox running. Couldn't say about all the previous times, and other times when I run Firefox, I get no sound.

What the hell is it?! And how can I get it to stop? Startles me every time and vexes me because it seems to happen for no reason.


2. Clock Resets - At least once a week the clock resets itself to exactly three hours earlier. So it's not UMT, and I guess it's therefore not that special battery that sometimes dies, because it resets to Pacific Time instead. I fix it and it lasts a while and then does it again. Any ideas?


3. Blue Screen of Death with "memory parity error" message. I have gotten this twice. I've run a Microsoft memory diagnostic startup CD on it for several rounds and it finds no errors. Once it happened when I was running Firefox, Second Life, and the GIMP simultaneously. Didn't record what was running the first time it happened. Any idea what this is or if Lenovo will fix it? Googling suggests that it can be caused by just about anything, often not even related to the memory. Speaking of RAM, I've got two gigs installed by Lenovo in a custom built rig off their website. I've never opened it up or put other memory in there myself.


4. Fingerprint Madness - On my T42 at work, when I boot up, I have the option of entering a password OR doing the fingerprint. I wanted my T60 to work the same way. Upon first setting it up, I enabled fingerprints and enrolled and all. But upon restarting, it only let me do fingerprint, no password option since I'm enrolled.

I periodically get contact dermatitis on my fingertips and so they peel some, which the fingerprint reader doesn't like. So I needed to set it up so it would offer me the password option if I needed it, just like at work.

So I tried un-enrolling from the fingerprint thing and (I thought) turning it off. But when I went to boot up again and tried to choose the password option, it said I was enrolled in the fingerprint system, so I couldn't have the password option. So I fingerprinted in and checked the settings again. It tells me I'm not enrolled and to start here to enroll. Grrr!

So I try other solutions by pressing the Thinkpad button at startup and messing with settings there regarding passwords and the 6 or 8 different security items and security chip and all that. After various permutations, some of which would give me error messages after logging in, I got to a point where it now looks like XP Home when I boot up. Whatever, that's fine. Even though up in the top left it tells me to swipe my finger, down in the main area it tells me to enter a password. I enter a password and get in. Then it tells me to swipe my finger, so I X out of that, and I get some kind of error message window related to that, which I X out of. Then it gives me another swipe prompt, which I X out of and get no error message. Sometimes I'll swipe both times just to see what difference it would make, but I see none. If I leave the prompt alone for long enough, it tells me something has timed out. Computer still operates the same. When I first set it up, I only had to swipe once.

At this point, if I can't sign on totally with a single swipe and have the option to instead sign on with a single password and get no swipe prompts, I want to just go totally password. Do you know if/how I can do the former? Do you know if/how I can do the latter? Really I no longer want any secure drive partition, security chip, password security manager or any of the rest of that crap. Just let me log in!


5. Fixes/Warranty - Lastly, I get maintenance coverage for a year from purchase, right? And I have that full year to decide whether I want to buy an extended warranty, right? With all of these problems, I'm thinking I better buy some kind of coverage for at least 2 or 3 years. Your thoughts? Could I get items 1-3 above fixed now without extended warranty? If not, could I buy the extended, and THEN call them about these issues and get them fixed, hopefully at their expense?


Thanks and sorry for the length.

By the way, a comment - I bought the fancy screen because that unlocked the option on the Lenovo site to get the fancier graphics card. I must say, the screen picture is not as nice as the one on my plain T42 screen. It's ever so slightly blurry. I was expecting the opposite.

[sb37]

are you using the sxga screen at native (1400x1050) resolution? If you're not, that would explain the blurriness.

[mitchellst]

I can't speak for your T60, but mine offers the option... either swipe finger or press ctrl-alt-delete to enter password.

Check your private messages.

[house kitten]

My T-60 has a lot of the same problems. My clock also resets and the start and taskbar revert back to Xp style (I have it configured for classic). This is very annoying as I have my desktop enlarged and once it goes back to Xp style I loose my settings. Very annoying. Another thing I noticed it that this thing takes about 4.5 minutes to boot. I have gone in to msconfig and have turned off all but what I feel is necessary. Still takes a VERY long time (I am using Kaspersky AV which does scan at bootup). Once I get rid of the welcom screen I have only the start button on the screen for almost 1 minute (I have 2GB ram installed and have the T-7200).

My T-42 was also flawless ans I must say I am somewhat disappointed.

[ZPrime]

This sounds like a mechanical bird chirp from a 1980s video game. Sounds like it comes out of the speakers. It's very quick and startling. Ends at a slightly lower pitch than it starts. Haven't found a sound file anywhere on the computer that sounds like it. Nothing happens on screen when it happens, and it's not associated with any deliberate action on my part.

Any chance you have a key stuck, or you're repeatedly pressing shift or something? This sounds like the noise that Windows makes when it enables one of the "Accessibility" features like stickykeys or one of the others. It makes an odd "rising" chirp-like noise that is generated by the PC speaker. Look through the accessibility settings to find the hotkeys, and then try deliberately hitting one to see if it gives you the same noise.

Re: the memory - grab the Windows Memory Diagnostic from Microsoft and throw it on a floppy or CD, and run your system through a few loops of the test. If you get any errors at all, call Lenovo/IBM and get the ram replaced.

Re: fancier screen - what do you mean, you upgraded to the 1400x1050? what was the screen on your T42, and what size? I do feel that the viewing angles on my T42p were better than my new T60p... but my T42p had the 1600x1200 "IPS" screen that is known to be pretty good. Other than the angles, my T60's 14" looks OK. I do run at native resolution (1400x1050) though.

[kookoobird]

Any chance you have a key stuck, or you're repeatedly pressing shift or something? This sounds like the noise that Windows makes when it enables one of the "Accessibility" features like stickykeys or one of the others. It makes an odd "rising" chirp-like noise that is generated by the PC speaker. Look through the accessibility settings to find the hotkeys, and then try deliberately hitting one to see if it gives you the same noise.

Ahhhh! Sticky Keys! I now remember getting that noise on the first day when holding a button down too long. It made the noise and popped up the Sticky Keys window. Upchirp when activating and downchirp when deactivating. I disabled it and haven't gotten the messages since, but for some reason the noise still happens, even when I'm not touching anything, or sometimes just when coming out of hibernation. Must be something StickyKey-related happening behind the scenes. Just checked my Accessibility Options on my T42 here at work and see that there are some checkboxes for noises. I'll try those on the T60 at home tonight. Pleeeeease work. Thanks! [EDIT: That seems to have done the trick! Crossing my fingers. Thanks again]

Re: the memory - grab the Windows Memory Diagnostic from Microsoft and throw it on a floppy or CD, and run your system through a few loops of the test. If you get any errors at all, call Lenovo/IBM and get the ram replaced.

Did this a while back and let it run for three cycles. It never found any errors. So I can't prove what's wrong, but I worry that this will be an ongoing problem and don't know how to address it.

Re: fancier screen - what do you mean, you upgraded to the 1400x1050? what was the screen on your T42, and what size? I do feel that the viewing angles on my T42p were better than my new T60p... but my T42p had the 1600x1200 "IPS" screen that is known to be pretty good. Other than the angles, my T60's 14" looks OK. I do run at native resolution (1400x1050) though.

By "fancy" I mean that I had the option on the Lenovo site to choose between the "14.1 XGA TFT" or the "14.1 SXGA+ TFT" for $75 extra. I chose the latter because choosing it unlocked an option to get the ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 128MB instead of just the ATI 64mb version or the Intel 950. So SXGA+ = 1400 × 1050 as @sb37 says upthread. [EDIT - I'm running it at 1024 x 768. Does indeed look crisper at 1400 x 1050 but everything is so ridiculously tiny]. My T42 at work has a 14.1 screen which appears to have a max resolution of 1280 x 1024 (which I think means SXGA, as opposed to SXGA+). If it matters, the T42 has an ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 (32mb).

Anybody got any ideas on the clock resetting three hours behind?

Ideas on how to get rid of all the security crap and just have single password login?

Anybody know if the clock and Screen o' Death would be problems that Lenovo would have to fix for free under warranty?

Thanks everyone

[andyP]

kookoobird wrote:

Ideas on how to get rid of all the security crap and just have single password login?

I experienced similar problems once with the fingerprint software, the solution was as follows:
a) in the fingerprint sofware control centre, delete the user passport and in the settings ensure that ctrl-alt-del is not selected as do not show. (if that makes sense?)
b) shut down the ThinkPad.
c) on starting the ThinkPad, press F1 to enter BIOS.
d) in security / fingerprint - erase internal fingerprint data. Deleting in windows isn't enough alone, the chip still has them.
e) F10 save and exit.
f) you may get fingerprint messages, but will be able to log on without any problems.
g) de-install the fingerprint software.

(this bit is pure speculation - there is a remote possibility that this might solve the chirping problem, if the software doesn't get a fingerprint - it beeps. This can also be deselected in the fingerprint control centre ??)

AndyP