T22 passes out after 30mins, then 5mins, then near instantly

[T7TrainingSystems]

I have a T22 which has developed a problem where it dies. Important information is:

- Runs okay for 15 to 30 mins (effectively idling) then just dies "passes out". Turn it back on and it will last for about 5 minutes if that. Then it might last a minute, then it hardly lasts a moment. I held it once like a sick puppy while it turned on-off-on-off-on-off restarting constantly once or twice a second...

- Let it rest for a while and it goes back to running for 15 to 30 mins.

- All that makes it sound like an overheating problem, but when I turn it on the fan runs full without a problem. I took it apart and blew all the dust and such out, there wasn't much dust in there. Didn't change behaviour at all.

- This laptop has been on continuously without a problem for 1.5 years. I then moved house, left it packed away for a month, then when I took it out it had this problem.

Any ideas where to start? I'm not much of a technician-minded guy, never had a problem to diagnose like this before...

Cheers,

Nick

[rkawakami]

It sounds like it's not an overheating CPU but I'd download the following two programs:

- PC Doctor: from here for diskette version or here for an .ISO image
- MobileMeter from here

The PC Doctor diagnostic program can test the fan and thermal sensors. You download the 3 .exe files to make bootable diskettes or the CD .ISO image and burn it onto a CD. The MobileMeter program runs under Windows and will display the temperature of the CPU. Although if the fan is spinning and there's enough thermal grease on the CPU, that's probably not the issue. You did install some when you removed the fan/heatsink, yes?

If so, then there may be a component on the motherboard which is temperature sensitive. You could try placing the laptop in a fairly warm spot (it's summer Down Under, so outside in the sun for a few minutes might do) and see if the problem is apparent straight away.

[T7TrainingSystems]

Thanks, I will try those two programs but I don't think I can leave it out in the heat - it's been raining a *lot* over here and it ain't so hot outside...!!

When I took the heatsink off, there was a lot of that connective goo that had slipped down the sides - I scooped it up and put in on top of the processor before putting it back on... I don't have any on me.

I will report the results from the programs...

[rkawakami]

Ah, my mistake. Didn't check my Yahoo! sidebar to see what the weather was like there. Looks like 23 and mostly sunny at the end of this week; perfect time to get outside and soak up some UV rays .

Should be able to get some new thermal grease at Dick Smith or Radio Shack. If it's old and really thick it might have lost it's conductive properties.

[T7TrainingSystems]

PC-Doctor is an awesome program, very cool!

I ran the "Normal" test. Two interesting things came out of it:

- Everything passed its tests except the HDD, sixteen different spots on the HDD that failed the "Linear Verify" test.

- Despite the test taking over an hour, the computer didn't shut down...

So I ran the "Maximum load" test to see if the processor would pass out - not a problem.

Back to the HDD - a Read Surface Scan test. I'm not sure if it's useful information, but the errors are on sectors:

127127
221107
221742
224409
225044
243713
244348
348996
492379
493649
770509
856742
861822
2164969
2165604
8822309

That's a lot of errors, but does it account for the diminishing running time? And the behaviour when it was turning on, blanking out then restarting over and over every second for as long as I would let it?

Weird.

I hope you guys understand it better than I do, because it doesn't make sense to me.

But it gets weirder...

So I put MobileMeter.exe on a usb to give that a whirl, switch off the T22 to start up Windows and... now it won't wake up. I hit the power button and the HDD light flashes for an instant and that's it.

It's also making a really really high pitched noise even though it's off. I unplug the AC cord and it stops. I remember hearing this a few days ago but it wasn't so loud.

They're all my clues. Please tell me my T22 just needs a Fonzie hit in the right place... please...?

[RealBlackStuff]

Try to make a backup of your hard disk, perhaps by putting it in a USB enclosure, which you then connect to a PC for the backup.
Start looking for another hard disk.
Get some decent thermal paste (Arctic Silver 5 comes highly recommended), remove the fan, clean up both fan and CPU using Isopropyl alcohol. Make sure everything is clean and dry before you put the new paste on. A small dollop in the size of a rice corn is normally enough. Spread that out evenly, using e.g. a credit card.
Remove any paste that goes outside the CPU surface itself.
When you put the fan back on, twist it gently a few times while increasing pressure. Then put the screws back on.
Hope that improves stuff.
The temperature will slowly go down over the next 24 hours, until the paste settles.

[Wingnut]

So I put MobileMeter.exe on a usb to give that a whirl, switch off the T22 to start up Windows and... now it won't wake up. I hit the power button and the HDD light flashes for an instant and that's it.

It's also making a really really high pitched noise even though it's off. I unplug the AC cord and it stops. I remember hearing this a few days ago but it wasn't so loud.

They're all my clues. Please tell me my T22 just needs a Fonzie hit in the right place... please...?

I hate to say this, but it looks like classic symptoms of the BOD (Blink of Death).

Read the 4 page thread on this issue (it should be made a stickey) and you will see what a huge task it is to fix. Lots of theories, some that seem to have worked for some, not for others.

[Robbyrobot]

The whining noise sounds like an inductor could have a bad connection, although the other symptom (quick flash of LEDs when the power button is pressed) certainly sounds like BOD. I think I'd at least try resoldering the inductors on the board to see if that helps before concluding everything is lost.

[T7TrainingSystems]

An update...

I've let it rest overnight and today it still has the blink-of-death symptom only.

Since I've already pulled it apart and cleaned it up, I think it's not a good situation. Not much I can do from here I imagine (and the BoD posts don't seem very optimistic).

Not having a soldering iron, a shed, or any idea what an inductor is, I'm a little reluctant to invest the time into that project, already very short on time these days.

I have two T23's so maybe this should become a parts computer - though of my 13 Thinkpads, this is the first one ever to have a part not working in three years...

Thanks for the advice all. If anyone has any ideas on how to resurrect it, I'd be interested but I guess I'll have to lay this trooper to rest.