T60p simply shuts down

[scottbike10]

I have had an intermittent problem with my T60p (200793H, Vista, BIOS 2.19, 3,069.81MB physical memories, 180.78GB/7200rpm drive). From time to time it just shuts down. Occasionally it goes to sleep, but usually it just shuts down. For some time I have been looking for patterns:

Heat: I thought it might be that the computer is running to hot. Monitoring the heat it does get very hot. Generally the system seems to run between 56-95c. I thought the high end was too hot and maybe it was shutting down when it reached 95 or so. I then opened the machine and vacuumed out the fan. I also used Notebook Hardware Control to lower the voltage levels so that the CPU never goes above 1.1125 volts. I have tried running the computer for long periods on power saver mode. I also got a cooling pad which helps keep it cooler. All of these things seem to lower the temperature, but the system still occasionally shuts down.

Location: it seems only to happen when I am at home. At home I connect an external monitor BenQ 241WZ with 1920x1200desktop VGA connection, am connected to the network via Ethernet and have assort other USB devices connected (USB hub, printer, scanner, external drives, memory key set up for ReadyBoost, webcam). This might be coincidence as at home I have long working sessions in one place while when traveling it tends to be an hour or two at a time.

Applications: it seems to crash while I have some of the following running: Webcams (several windows), Windows Media Player, Windows Photo Gallery, Outlook and Azureus. It also seems it does this if I am running many webcam windows, am sequencing rapidly though lots of pictures or am watching a video and repeatedly skipping ahead, all on the external monitor.

I have looked in the logs and don’t find anything useful. when I restart I get the messages about Windows having not shut down properly and often error messages in Outlook and Azureus about the files being damaged.

It also seems that if it goes to sleep and I immediately wake it and go back to working, it is likely to shut down altogether shortly. If it does shut down and I try to restart it immediately, it seems that the fingerprint reader becomes unreliable and it is likely to shut down again soon. This suggests heat is the problem and it is better to wait for things to cool. The other day it was behaving this way and I tried disconnecting they external monitor and it did not shut down again.

At the moment I have been working for a number of hours everything connected but no video or pics and the system is chugging along at a cool 61c and no crashes today.

So my sense now is that it has something to do with heat, but it is heat affecting video.

Anyone else have this problem?

[scottbike10]

Wow so many views but no ideas. Well I noticed that Azureus seems always to be running when Vista shuts down. Could be coincidence. I know that it uses Java and sometimes it does not play nice with Windows. So I went to the Sun website and updated Java on my system. It has now been several days and no shut downs.

I am probably tempting fait but it seems better. Fingers crossed!

[caseyse]

Well, if you want to rule out a software issue, consider picking-up a Linux magazine that contains a live CD. You can have some fun playing with KDE or Gnome X Windows, browse the Net with Firefox, and explore open source applications. If you don't experience the problem, then you're probably experiencing the joys of Vista.

[andrey]

I would also suggest running tests on your har drive to ensure it is working properly and doesn't contain any bad sectors. I would suggest using Hitachi/Toshiba utility, depending on the hard drive you have.

-- Andrey

[scottbike10]

Thanks Andrew. In fact I recently changed hard drives to a 7200rpm 200g drive. It is unlikely to be the drive as I had the problem while using both drives.

It has been a few more days since I i updated Java and still no crashes. Fingers still crossed.

[kchung]

Try removing the palm rest and keyboard, and shine a light from the fan side out through both the vents on the rear and left side of the laptop. I just posted today about issues with T60p's with clogged heat sinks - one of the issues seen was random crashes.

Does your CPU Fan never seem to stop even under light load? If so, I'd check the heat sink.

[scottbike10]

Thanks kchung, I do think that there is something wrong with the cooling. I did in fact open up the keyboard and vacum out the fan. I can feel hot air coming out of the vents so it is doing something. The fan does seem to be on most of the time. It seems to have two modes: loud and louder. I suspect that that the fan is dying. I am wondering if I should bring it in to Lenovo to fix.

In any event my computer has not crashed since I replaced Jave. It has in the past gone for several weeks without crashing, and then crashed 3 times in one day. Fingers crossed....

[rpguy4]

I have a T60p as well, Windows XP Pro-2002,wSP2.
T2600@2.16GHz;2GB of RAM, BIOS version: 2.14 (79ETD4WW)
BIOS date : 2007-06-07
Embedded controller version: 1.07

Problem has only happened at work, where the T60p is docked.
I do have a USB hub connected to the T60p directly and a
external monitor and network connection to the docking station.

The shutdown problem has happened twice in the last 2 weeks, and once again about 4 weeks ago. I may of had the following applications opened at the time, Outlook-2003SP2, MS-WORD, SecureCRT and Sametime. I have NO video or graphics applications opened at the time the shutdown occurs.

There is nothing in the logs that seems to correspond to the time the T60p shutdown. After reading scottbike10's post I was originally thinking it was MS-WORD problem, but now I am thinking this is probably a heat related issue. I have noticed the bottom of the Thinkpad seems to get very warm.

When the problem occurs, the monitor goes blank, and the T60p shutsdown. No warnings, no blue-screens, nada. The T60p still has the battery and plug light illuminated green when the PC shutsdown.

Thanks

[scottbike10]

Hi rpguy4,

Sounds like a similar problem the way your computer shuts down. After replacing Java I had no shut downs for a while. Then I had one, again while using graphics applications. I after the shut downs I do notice that the LCD/cover hinge on the left is very, very hot.

I also have that desk top gadget that shows CPU utilization. Almost always before shutting down the graph goes 100% and red on both CPUs. I am guessing that, in my case, the graphics applications are fully utilizing the CPUs, RAM and the graphics processor, generating maximum heat while the fan is partially blocked. Or then again, maybe not…..

Anyway, gollowing kchung’s advice I did open up the machine and vacuum out the fan. It had quite a bit of dust built up, but still looked functional. Anyway since then, about 20 days, I have not had a shut down.

Maybe your docking station is providing just enough insulation to raise the temprature under high loads. I also think that it does not happen in Battery saver mode.

Let’s see.

[ebr]

I have been using my T60p for about 1.5 yrs so far and I have never had a laptop that is so unreliable. (I had a T20 and a T42 before and they were real workhorses.)

I while back I had noticed it getting very hot. Yesterday I followed kchungs advice and blew the dust out of the fan and heat sink. No more temperature problems - in fact, it runs really cool now.

But, I still get regular freezes and crashes, although it hasn't been as bad as before. If anyone has any ideas why the T60p seem to hang and/or crash so often I would be very interested in a solution. There are others in my dept who have had similar problems with T6os, as well.

(I had downloaded all the latest ThinkPad updates and I also updated the BIOS recently, none of which has helped.)

[BillMorrow]

reading this thread i feel i must add my two cents..

i have had a T60p running XP and vista for nearly 2 years..

i don't think it has ever just shut down..

its a pretty solid thinkpad..
FYI: 200794U model..
which translated means it is the 15 inch UXGA model..

also please note that the vista install has very few of the lenovo drivers..
only enough to make it functional..

it appears, so far, that the consensus believe vacuuming the heat sinks and fan will stop the system crashes..

get the fan control utility and see what it reports for fan speed..

OH!, my T60p is very quiet..
much quieter than its predecessor, a T43p..

[scottbike10]

following my last message, there were no shutdowns until last Friday. It shut down twice. It also was showing volitle temprature changes, reaching mind 90s.

On Saturday I brought the machine into the Thinkipad service center. They kept the machine for about 2 hours, noting that the fan was "not smooth", replaicng the fan and cleaning the maching.

Following this there have been no further crashes, the machine was much quieter and runs cooler. It had been reporting tempratures in the mid 60s consistantly, though today is showing mid 70s for some reason.

[lithium726]

I'm betting your video chip was overheating, given your activity (webcams, pictures, videos) when it would shut off.

That plus the fact that the lid is closed (more heat building up in the chassis)... yeah, I'm guessing video chip..