Just acquired A20M won't power

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kaypot · #1 Post by **kaypot** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:44 am

I bought it from an eBay seller with 100% rating and was aware that the battery was not good. Per his directions I plugged it in without the battery and NOTHING when I pushed the power button. Is there a reset switch somewhere? It has no documentation plus the Lenovo link for the user manual is dead. My computer friend says maybe it needs a new battery just to charge the unit? I really just intended to use it as a desktop replacement for my older peripherals. Any suggestions welcome.

demesne · #2 Post by **demesne** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:34 am

It should work, even without a battery plugged in, if you have it plugged into the wall socket.

My guess is that the system board or power supply is defective.

virge · #3 Post by **virge** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 12:30 pm

I run my A22m without the battery installed and it has no problems.

Try a known good AC adapter if you have one. Even with bad/no memory the laptop should do something. If you've already done tried another adapter then the problem is likely with the system board. If it was sold non-DOA, then its time to get a refund.

kaypot · #4 Post by **kaypot** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 1:38 pm

It was sold as "fully functional." Just for the heck of it I attempted to start with the dead battery in and the battery light did light up, but the unit did not power on. Do you think it is worth replacing the battery? I wonder if the unit actually has to charge somewhat from the battery b4 it can do anything. I'm not really a computer savy person, so am just guessing here.

virge · #5 Post by **virge** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:48 pm

One thing you could try is to remove any mini-pc cards that are installed. A defective card could cause a no boot condition. If you're going to return it, I wouldn't go any further than that though in terms of attempting a repair. The seller might not take it back if you try opening it up to reseat the CPU.

I highly doubt its an issue with the battery. Like I said, mine works fine with no battery, and every Thinkpad I have boots fine with no battery.

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:04 pm

@kaypot: Does the hard drive LED flash for a brief moment when the power button is pushed? If so, then your system is displaying the major symptom of the "Blink of Death" (aka, BoD). I know you said "NOTHING" happens in your original post, but look closely at the LEDs and see if you detect any of them lighting up.

If so, and if removing just the MiniPCI card does not help, then try removing ALL hardware; hard drive, Ultrabay, second memory module (if there is one). It's been recently suggested that the Blink of Death may be due to a defective current monitor on the motherboard. What has worked for me in the past with BoD systems is to leave it unpowered (AC and battery removed) for a couple of days and then try turning it on (with the normal hardware still installed).

kaypot · #7 Post by **kaypot** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:45 pm

I'm not sure what a Mini PCI card is. Does that mean stuff like the wireless network card and combo base T network and modem card? Those are already out. I know LED means "light emiting diode" but WHERE would I see it flashing? The only place I've seen anything resembling a light is the battery indicator when I attempted to start it for a few seconds with the bad battery in. Then I immediately removed it as it had a note taped on to "do not use." This is pretty frustrating as I do not speak computer lingo. You are all being very helpful and patient. Thank you.

#8 Post by **rkawakami** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:54 pm

Sorry for throwing out these acronyms

. Yes, LEDs are the light emitting diodes at the "top" of the keyboard, above the F12 and Pause keys on the A20 I believe.. There should be a display panel there with one of the symbols looking like a drum and a double-headed arrow. That indicator refers to when the hard drive is accessed. If it blinks for about 1/10 second when the power button is pushed, then that's the main symptom for the BoD.

And yes, the MiniPCI card is the modem/network card located behind the smaller of the two bottom panels.

edit: For information about the A20m system, you can download this Adobe Acrobat file from the link supplied at this site:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... IGR-4PER6S

This is the Hardware Maintenance Manual. On printed page 44 (or 50 out of 158 in the Adobe file), there is a description of the status indicators for the system.

virge · #9 Post by **virge** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:56 pm

kaypot wrote:I'm not sure what a Mini PCI card is. Does that mean stuff like the wireless network card and combo base T network and modem card? Those are already out.

Yup. So you've already got them removed then.

kaypot wrote: I know LED means "light emiting diode" but WHERE would I see it flashing? The only place I've seen anything resembling a light is the battery indicator when I attempted to start it for a few seconds with the bad battery in.

The LEDs are the ones right above the keyboard. There should be a few others in addition to the one for the battery.

kaypot · #10 Post by **kaypot** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:14 pm

I did find an eBayer in Scotland who has the user guide and other documentation in .pdf format on a disk. Is it very expensive to get someone in a computer shop to take a look at it for an informed opinion? The sellers stated policy is that I am responsible for the return shipping. It was insured for $100 for damage or loss. As it was stated to work last week b4 he shipped it, I can only wonder if UPS bounced it around in transit. I was so excited to be getting it. Drat.

virge · #11 Post by **virge** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:25 pm

kaypot wrote:I did find an eBayer in Scotland who has the user guide and other documentation in .pdf format on a disk.

DON'T bid on that auction before checking out the Hardware Maintenance Manual. Its free to download from IBM. Just google A22M HMM. The HMM will show you how to disassemble and troubleshoot your machine. Its likely that the ebay seller is selling the same thing.

kaypot · #12 Post by **kaypot** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:30 pm

I found the link yesterday, but it is dead.

#13 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:56 am

From time to time the Lenovo download site goes offline (typically on the weekends for maintenance). I just downloaded the file a few seconds ago. If you wish, I can email it to you. It's about a 1.8MB file.

kaypot · #14 Post by **kaypot** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:30 am

Thanks for the offer, but after sleeping on it, I am going to return the unit to the seller and ask for a refund. You have been very helpful.

Maybe this should be another new topic, but what do you think the chances are of anyone actually getting an older laptop that actually works from an eBay auction? I may be just wishing for pie in the sky here.

#15 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 2:19 pm

I'm probably not the best one to comment on fully working systems (as I almost always buy parts/repair systems from eBay) but from my experience purchasing around 75 Thinkpads (see models in my signature below), I'd say that 90-95% of the sellers I've dealt with have accurately described the condition of the system. It's always a hit-and-miss proposition when dealing with "old" computers and "anonymous" sellers.

Looking at the various systems that I've bought, I'd have to say that you would have the least amount of problems with the 600X or the X22 systems (loose hinges aside). Those have been pretty much bulletproof as far as having any inherent operational problems (in my opinion). Going to the other extreme, even if you are capable of opening up the laptop and performing some repair operations, I'd still stay away from T20-T22 and A20-A22 systems as they appear to have this "Blink of Death" problem. It's a random occurrence with no known (yet) positive fix; latest guess is that a current-sensing problem is preventing the system from properly powering up. It could be as simple as changing a tiny resistor on the motherboard. By the way, did your A20m have this blinking hard drive LED?

In any event, if you are going to go to eBay for older computer systems, I'd stick with sellers that have a good feedback record. Spend some time checking their past sales and read what the buyers have said. If there are any neutral or negative reports, pay particular attention to how the seller responds to that criticism. It gives you good insight as to how they might respond in your case. Buy from ones that offer at least a 7 day "dead on arrival" (DOA) guarantee. In the case of Thinkpads, ask for the seven-character TYPE number from the bottom of the case and if possible, have them confirm that number from the BIOS. Use that TYPE number and plug it into this site:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... OME-LENOVO

to see how the system was configured when it was new and compare that information to what the seller says it has now. If the auction does not have enough (clear) photos or concise descriptions of the unit, ask if they can provide a close-up if you think you see something that's not right. A good example for this is on T2x systems; the palmrest has a nasty habit of breaking at the thinnest spots next to the Fn and right arrow keys. Many times the seller says that the case is in good shape but when I've asked specifically about these cracks, they say "yes it is cracked". Case in point:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0270568363

The seller responded, "Yes there is a crack next to the function Key on the left but not on the right next to the arrow keys". Some sellers may purposely not include this in their description and others may have never noticed it. Ask about the display screen. Does it have a pink tint to it when it is first turned on? That can mean that the LCD panel's backlight is getting old and could cost as much as the laptop to replace later on. Same about the lid hinges (especially for the X2 systems). Are they tight and have very little play in them when opened?

Good luck!

P.S. I would be remiss in my duty to point out that you can also post a wanted ad here in the site's Marketplace forum:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewforum.php?f=11

Just acquired A20M won't power

Just acquired A20M won't power

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