Help with new T61p

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tjm001 · #1 Post by **tjm001** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 12:46 pm

I'm totally disgusted with this T61p wide screen computer and Lenovo's quality and technical support so far. I thought I was buying a top of the line laptop, but have ended up with the most unstable computer I have ever used or owned. I have done three customized factory restores since I received this computer just over a month ago thinking it was the Norton stuff or some of the other bloatware that came with the machine. I'm down the the bare bones but it still gives me the BSOD almost eveyrtime I try to write to a DVD. And using the internet with the wireless is a joke as it hangs up about every 5 minutes. This happens on every wireless network where I have tried it in Europe (Bremen, Nuremburg, Munich and Innsbruck).

I am running XP Pro with 2 GB of memory with the NVIDIA Quadro 256 graphics stuff.

Any ideas? I'm about ready to put this thing up on Ebay just to get rid of it. I'm stationed in Germany so tech support from the US is about worthless once I tell them where I am. They don't even want to talk to me.

SHoTTa35 · #2 Post by **SHoTTa35** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 1:16 pm

well did you check the event viewer to see what's causing the BSODs? It lists it right there to say if it's the graphics drivers or some other software that caused the system to crash.

control panel - administrative tools - event viewer.

tjm001 · #3 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:50 am

Yes. I've done that a dozen times, but it does not tell me a thing other than that it did in fact crash or hang at a particular moment.

The viewer just says the CATEGORY was either (102) or None.
The EVENT ID was either 1003 or 1001.
The filename was Faultrep.dll.
The SOURCE was either Systems error or App. hang.
The operating system is XP Pro 5.1.2600.2180.

I'm sorry, but this information is meaningless to me. Hopefully it means something to someone on this forum.

The thing just crashed a few minutes ago again while attempting to "safely remove" the DVD unit.

SHoTTa35 · #4 Post by **SHoTTa35** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:44 am

faultrep.dll as the name suggest is probably part of the error reporting service from Windows XP. Everything the system goes to report something it crashes cuz of the currupt DLL. If you installed software to block that or tweak settings that might have caused it also.

to repair you can try putting in your Windows disc in the PC, going to the command prompt and typing - sfc /scannow. That'll repair your system and replace all Windows files with original ones.

tjm001 · #5 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:24 am

Thanks, but I don't have the Windows disks. I only have what's on the preload partition. And I've reloaded that three times now.

However, what I have just done was a "scan" off of the Microsoft site which I was linked to through the error viewing procedure. It found 547 registry errors and supposedly repaired them. I hope this helps, but I am quite sceptical since I can't understand why there could be so many errors on a clean install with no software other than ZoneAlarm Security Suite on the machine.

I have my fingers crossed and will report what happens next.

tjm001 · #6 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:31 am

Well, I didn't have to wait too long! Windows Explorer hung again about three seconds after I sent the last post.

tjm001 · #7 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:08 am

Sorry. I meant to say "Windows Internet Explorer" hung again.

tjm001 · #8 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:09 am

Now after Sonic DLA "Make compatible" message for the DVD I was creating, I received another BSOD!

This is crazy! This thing is a piece of junk that I was stupid enough to spend almost $2,200 for!

Brad · #9 Post by **Brad** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:18 am

Sorry for your trouble.

Have you tried scaning the hard drive or memory for errors.

Brad

tjm001 · #10 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:38 am

How should I go about doing that please?

bebzif · #11 Post by **bebzif** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:37 pm

tjm001 wrote:This is crazy! This thing is a piece of junk that I was stupid enough to spend almost $2,200 for!

I understand the frustration very well, as mine arrived with a broken wireless card and a bad screen. A call to support and it was fixed the next day onsite. Those things unfortunately happen, and this is what warranty is about. I think your computer must be serviced. Mine is working perfectly and I do what you do on a daily basis.

#12 Post by **Harryc** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:44 pm

Run the full suite of PC-Doctor tests on the machine. It should be part of the pre-load, but if it's not here is a link to create a bootable CD.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 56222.html

For extended memory test, run memtest86.

http://www.memtest86.com

tjm001 · #13 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:37 pm

Thanks, but I ran this twice and all checked out the first few days that I had the machine.

tjm001 · #14 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:10 pm

This is crazy. This thing hangs about every two to five minutes. What is wrong here !!

#15 Post by **Harryc** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:19 pm

What was the result of memtest86? Personally I'd try to run a Live Linux CD to see if the wireless and system freezes are windows or hardware related.

CZOLG · #16 Post by **CZOLG** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:27 pm

Personally, I would stop trying to solve or even trace the problem on my own and send the machine in for the repair.
Let Lenovo do it.

tjm001 · #17 Post by **tjm001** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:54 am

OK. I give up. I've tried everything I know of. All the updates including the BIOS and it still hangs every 5 minutes or so when using Internet Explorer in wireless. And it frequently freezes or BSOD when trying to burn or copy a DVD.

The problem is obviously way above my head and I want Lenovo to repair it. But the next problem is where? I bought the machine through Lenovo USA and had it shipped here to my military APO address, and that in itself was a nearly two month nightmare. If I have to send this thing back to the USA again I won't see it for months. I'm in Bremen, Germany. Does anyone know if I can take this thing in for repair somewhere near Bremen, Germany?

I can't even dial Lenovo USA support from here. I had someone patch me through to them twice. The first time they would not talk to me and the second time she eventually hung up on me.

Hopefully there's a "German Shepard" on this forum that can lead me to a place to get this thing repaired before I go nuts!

Marin85 · #18 Post by **Marin85** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:23 am

Hi,
sry to hear about your probs. If you have an international warrenty, it won´t be any problem to let your TP be repaired here in Germany. Just call 01805 253 558, that´s the number of IBM/Lenovo support here, explain your probs to them and they´ll tell you what to do next.

Good luck!

Marin

tjm001 · #19 Post by **tjm001** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:16 am

Thanks. I'll give them a call, but I don't know if I have an "international warranty" or not. I sure hope I do! I just have whatever is standard on a Lenovo TP purchased through Lenovo USA. I've got my fingers crossed.

#20 Post by **ryengineer** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:17 pm

tjm001 wrote:Thanks. I'll give them a call, but I don't know if I have an "international warranty" or not. I sure hope I do! I just have whatever is standard on a Lenovo TP purchased through Lenovo USA. I've got my fingers crossed.

You can determine it yourself:

International warranty service (IWS).

Be sure to check with lenovo also because the above tool gives inaccurate results at times too.

Crunch · #21 Post by **Crunch** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:43 pm

tjm001 wrote:I'm totally disgusted with this T61p wide screen computer and Lenovo's quality and technical support so far.

Sorry to hear about that. Where and WHEN did you purchase it? Is it too late to return it? It may be just a bad unit. Please don't misunderstand. I am not trying to defend Lenovo here...at all!

Definitely check if you have the international warranty service, so you can send it in. By the way, the people at tech support are usually pretty friendly. Even though you may want to rip them apart, because you've complained about the same thing ten times, and to have to say it one more time just makes your blood boil...right? ...I know that if you're angry like that, it's frustrating, but try to be as polite as you can, and don't become too aggressive. Rep. #11 doesn't know you've talked to reps #1 through #10. Remain assertive, not aggressive. My .02.

tjm001 · #22 Post by **tjm001** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:49 pm

Good news! Lenovo in Germany says they will repair the machine if I send it to the German IBM Repair Center. I've been issued a case number and will try to send it off tommorow. They were very, very pleasent and professional. Quite unlike what I experienced in my contacts with Lenovo in the USA.

Thanks for the sympathy and help.

I'll keep you posted (literally).

tjm001 · #23 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:33 pm

Well here I am again with bad news after sending it in for repair about two weeks ago. I just got the machine back from the Lenovo German repair center and it does exactly the same thing it was sent in to be repaired for. The packing documents show that they did not find anything wrong with it. But I've been fooling with it most of the day and I've had over 20 application hangs in Internet explorer within the last hour or so! I haven't even had a chance to see if it still BSODs when using the DVD burner. I'm sure it does.

I am quite infuriated and disgusted right now. The hang pattern seems to be after I open up another link from within a web page.

I don't know what to do at this point. Any ideas?

#24 Post by **Harryc** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:37 pm

Unless I missed it, I don't see where you replied to my advice to run a memory diagnostic (memtest86). Did you run it? Results? Did you run a Linux Live CD? Results?

tjm001 · #25 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:47 pm

I ran all of the PC-Doctor tests as you suggested, but I misread your last post and I did not run the memtest86 test cause I don't have it. It's starting to look like the memory is the problem. I was hoping the repair center would have had the sense to run this type of test on the memory given the symptoms I gave to them.

Looks like they're just as dumb as I am.

#26 Post by **Harryc** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:54 pm

http://www.memtest86.com

Click on free download

tjm001 · #27 Post by **tjm001** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:41 pm

Thanks I'm trying to do that. But here's an interesting aside. In trying to do that I clicked on the link for the memtest86. I tried it three times and each time Internet Explorer hung! What I don't understand is each time I viewed the Windows Task Manager after it hung it showed two instances of thinkpads.com support not responding and two instances of the memtest86 site not responding.

Why is this? I only had one instance of each open.

Merc · #28 Post by **Merc** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:04 pm

Download Firefox and use that. This may tell you if it is an Internet Explorer issue or not. If Firefox works, download memtest86. The problem is that to thoroughly test the memory you need to make a bootable CD. Do you have access to another PC to burn form an ISO?

Memory sounds like a probable but Lenovo should've found that. There is also a possibility that the internal power supply is faulty. The thing is, if Lenovo did any tests at all, they should obviously have seen what you are seeing. They didn't, so I am wondering if the network you are hooking up to is infecting your PC as soon as you connect. Far fetched but I am assuming here that Lenovo ran some tests on the unit and found nothing so where else do you go.

One thing you can try is reinstall the OS from the partition and then patch windows using a different network or even better an ethernet connection.

Is there any way you can ask the repair cenetr exactly what they did ti test your laptop? That would help immensely in finding the problem.

mdblanton · #29 Post by **mdblanton** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:48 pm

A friend's T61p had the same problem of hanging up in Internet Explorer (haven't had that problem with my T61p). After searching the error code I found a solution (don't remember where) but it said to go to Tools>Internet Options>Advanced and un-check the box under Browsing that says 'Enable third party browser extensions'. He hasn't had any problems with IE locking up since then.

Crunch · #30 Post by **Crunch** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:53 am

tjm001, sorry to hear that, man. How long did it take them to send it back to you after apparently not doing a XXXXXXXXXXX thing to fix it??? Did you ever bring up the prospect of just exchanging it for a new one?? Man, you have way more patience than I do.I'm currently down in Munich. Where in Germany is this place?

Note from Moderator: Very cute attempt to disguise it, but watch your language.

Help with new T61p

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