T30 Still not working, no POST or XP BOOT

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Gheta · #1 Post by **Gheta** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:18 pm

Well I thought it was a memory failure problem like everyone eventually gets on this laptop because everyone with this problem was told it was the RAM.

Problem:

I start the laptop up and it shows the IBM logo, then it goes to a screen like it's ready to boot XP, but it is a blank screen, no beeps, only the 'Z' power light is on. I can get into BIOS fine, I can boot from a CD fine.

I tried everything. I messed with many options in BIOS, I set options to default in BIOS, I reset the CMOS, tried with just battery, with just AC Adapter, with both, reseated like... everything in the laptop.

I have one, 512mb RAM chip in the slot not nearest to the back aka it's in the top slot. I tried it in the other slot - the bottom slot. I tried loading it without the RAM chip in and it acts differently, without it, it wont even boot or show an IBM logo and it gives beeps.

-It shows the RAM fine as 512mbs at startup.

-I been in Command Prompt, and it shows the HDD fine and everything.

-The battery and AC adapter appear in working conditions.

How did this start? Well it just happened as I turned it on one morning suddenly.

I will have no money for quite a while and I would rather not any solution that means spending lots of money for a semi-crappy laptop anyways. But I need this laptop working and my stuff backed up on my HDD for next time.

Website · #2 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:32 pm

Welcome to the forum!

I don't think that this is a ram issue, since you can boot from CD and access the BIOS.

I would try removing as many components as possible, except for 1 stick of ram, and see if it will still boot. If it does, then start adding one component at a time rebooting in between, to see if the problem reoccurs. I am leaning towards an issue with the Network card...

Gheta · #3 Post by **Gheta** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 5:39 pm

I'm just wondering. why would a network card stop my t30 from Booting?

Website · #4 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:47 pm

Gheta wrote:I'm just wondering. why would a network card stop my t30 from Booting?

I'm not sure as to the EXACT reason, but network cards are typically checked during the boot process, even if you have it disabled as a boot device. If the card is dead, it can halt the boot process. This has been a known problem with different models of Thinkpads.

Rick Aguinaldo · #5 Post by **Rick Aguinaldo** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:45 pm

Gheta wrote: -It shows the RAM fine as 512mbs at startup...

Did you try a more exhaustive utility memory checker like memtest86+ since the POST report is not a reliable means to ascertain that your memory module is OK? I have had several instances of memory being OK as reported by POST but resulting to hung boot process, or inability to install/run Windows and other programs, etc when the defective memory addresses are accessed by those programs.

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:01 pm

Agreed. I have a couple of memory modules which allow a system to boot like nothing is wrong but will fail to a memory diagnostic program such as memtest86+.

The T30 appears to have the ethernet chip on the motherboard so you won't be able to pull that out, but remove the CDC (communications daughter card; modem or Bluetooth) and the MiniPCI card (wireless or wireless/modem combo card) and see if that helps.

Gheta · #7 Post by **Gheta** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:41 pm

Alright I'll try memtest86+ tomorrow when i pick up a blank CD from a friend or family member or something to burn it as an iso.

I removed my wireless card, but where is the CDC?

#8 Post by **rkawakami** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:56 pm

The Hardware Maintenance Manual will show the way:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 42308.html

Page 74 has the CDC located inside the MiniPCI bay on the bottom of the system.

Website · #9 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:20 am

rkawakami wrote:The T30 appears to have the ethernet chip on the motherboard so you won't be able to pull that out, but remove the CDC (communications daughter card; modem or Bluetooth) and the MiniPCI card (wireless or wireless/modem combo card) and see if that helps.

Thats right, Ray...I forgot that the T30 has it "onboard"....sorry! Can you tell that I have been working on a few T23s lately?!?

#10 Post by **schen** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:46 am

I has a T23 that did this exact thing when the ethernet card failed. It was fine as soon as I removed it.

Gheta · #11 Post by **Gheta** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 9:38 pm

The T30 appears to have the ethernet chip on the motherboard so you won't be able to pull that out, but remove the CDC (communications daughter card; modem or Bluetooth) and the MiniPCI card (wireless or wireless/modem combo card) and see if that helps.

Did that, no success.

I also ran PC Doctor and it seems to have found no problems.

#12 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:18 am

Have you tried booting into Safe Mode?
That runs with minimal or no graphics drivers.
If it works, you need to update or reinstall the T30 video drivers.

Having eliminated all usual suspects, try hooking up an external monitor, and see if it boots into Windows then.

Gheta · #13 Post by **Gheta** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:44 am

I tried and it won't let me boot into safe mode or even safe mode command prompt either. I tried everything in the F8 list and nothing works.

Everything gives me the same result, it goes to a blank screen and the HDD light (the first light) just blinks maybe 8 times with 8 light sounding clicks showing it's trying to do something that involves the HDD.

But all tests such as PC doctor and the command prompt off a Windows XP CD show that the hard drive is fine and in working condition.

#14 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:19 am

Try and do an XP repair from the CD.
Or if you have a spare hard drive, put that in and try to install XP.
Methinks your hard drive is the problem (or rather the XP on it).

Gheta · #15 Post by **Gheta** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:40 pm

Yup I figured it out, it was pretty much my HDD/Windows XP.

The problem was that there was an error on the HDD I believe might have been caused by the T30's overheating. The error just happened to be caused where the Boot.ini and/or the Hal.dll files were, which caused them to crap out.

I basically had my Windows XP CD recreate and relocate these files through the recovery command prompt, using things like the chkdsk then fixboot commands.

It wouldn't let me do a repair install so afterwords just in case those weren't the only errors, I installed a new fresh Windows XP Pro over the old one, letting it boot fine - run fine - stay fine.

The only problem is, since it is a new install, I have to reinstall all the programs on it even though they are still there.

Thanks a lot guys for your help on this, even though most of the ideas weren't the initial problems, I've learned a lot by taking the whole thing apart, things like that are good for me since I'm young (21) and I work with computers for a living. =)

T30 Still not working, no POST or XP BOOT

T30 Still not working, no POST or XP BOOT

Re: T30 Still not working, no POST or XP BOOT

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