T43 freezes when palms are on palm rest

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dirtk38 · #1 Post by **dirtk38** » Mon May 26, 2008 10:24 pm

Hello all,
Sometimes when using my T43 (2687-DSU), the machine appears to "freeze" until i remove my hands from the palm rest. Interestingly, if I'm typing when this happens, the words that I was typing during the freeze will appear on the screen immediately after i remove my palms. So does that mean it is simply a display issue? This problem occurs probably 40% of the time that I am on the machine, but can be very irritating.

Im not sure if this is related, but I experience another freezing scenario with my T43 that is much more serious but happens much less often. The machine appears to completely lock up and will only respond to CTRL+ALT+DEL. When I press CTRL+ALT+DEL, the system appears to take a few more "steps" forward and then freeze again. for example, I can slowly drag a finger across the touchpad while pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL (repeatedly every second or so) and watch the cursor advance across the screen in steps (instead of smooth motion).

Thank you for reading and any suggestions.

Kurt

#2 Post by **BillMorrow** » Tue May 27, 2008 12:26 am

the first problem sounds like your thinkpad is buffering the characters that you're typing but not sending them to the next step, whatever that happens to be..
i would first look at the keyboard..
though its unlikely, it could be a loose connection..
more likely a flaky keyboard..
if you have an external keyboard you can use, try that..
without touching the main keyboard..

the second freezing sceanario sounds like an OS crash..
have you looked to see if when this happens the cpu time is being taken by some other app..?
try running task manager in the performance tab and watch what it reports when next this "crash" starts to happen..

not sure if both problems are related..

#3 Post by **richk** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:40 am

I have seen 2 T43 machines with similar problems. In both cases, there was a motherboard problem that I could never diagnose. I always assumed a solder connection was bad, but I resoldered EVERYTHING in the area. I found that the pressure could be localized just to the right of the touchpad. When I removed the touchpad, I could make it work by pressing right near where the CMOS battery sits.

dirtk38 · #4 Post by **dirtk38** » Tue May 27, 2008 5:14 pm

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately these problems are intermittent and unpredictable, so it may be a while before I can give your suggestions a try. Nevertheless, thank you very much. Hopefully I will have something to report soon.

Kurt

silvermail · #5 Post by **silvermail** » Wed May 28, 2008 3:05 am

I'm having a similar problem on my T43 as well! Freezes occur even in the BIOS POST sequence, so I think this has nothing to do with the operating system.

#6 Post by **underclocker** » Wed May 28, 2008 5:59 am

I had an ATI T43 with a loose GPU. Lift and shake while it's on. If it freezes, not good.

Regarding the freeze on POST, it may also be the GPU (assuming ATI model), press on bar between space bar and mouse buttons while booting. If it boots/stays running with pressure, you need a mobo/mobo repair.

dirtk38 · #7 Post by **dirtk38** » Wed May 28, 2008 10:15 am

Yes, I too have had the freezing problem during POST as well, however it happens even if my palms arent on the palm rest. It could still be a bad mobo problem though.

Underclocker- not too sure i want to pick up my laptop and shake it. That could make it freeze for other reasons. But you are saying that if I apply pressure to the area between the space bar and mouse buttons when the machine freezes, it should un-freeze? And this would mean a loose GPU? The laptop has never been dropped, but it has had a couple 2 ft. falls (from couches)--so a broken solder joint is definitely plausible. Hopefully I'll get another freeze soon so I can give this a try.

dirtk38 · #8 Post by **dirtk38** » Thu May 29, 2008 9:43 pm

OK, "fortunately" I experienced the palmrest freeze issue alot today and yesterday. It was actually alot worse--the machine would freeze even without my palms on the rest. The only way that it would run is if I placed it in a hard surface OR I pressed the area between the space bar and mouse buttons. So, this means a solder joint on the GPU is bad? If so, what are my options?

jacob22jacob22 · #9 Post by **jacob22jacob22** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:31 am

My thinkpad t43p just started freezing up in the last week or so. I've had issues getting it to start again. Originally thought it might be malware or something but when it freezes if I shake it around its often comes back. Any idea what this is? Loose connection? whats the best way to get it checked out or to have it fixed?

dirtk38 · #10 Post by **dirtk38** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:38 pm

My T43 was still under warranty. I called tech support and they fixed it for me--all very quickly and without hassle. They even replaced some cosmetic pieces for me! Its always nice to have good service.

As someone mentioned earlier, try pressing the area between the space bar and the mouse buttons. If this unfreezes your computer, youve probably got a lose solder joint somewhere. Also, putting the laptop on a hard, flat, level surface also seemed to help. If you're still under warranty, give tech support a call.

T43 freezes when palms are on palm rest

T43 freezes when palms are on palm rest

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