T42 LCD and Computer ALL Go Black After Turning It On

[fillber]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum, so if my description is not up to par, my apologies in advance.

I've had my T42 notebook since 2005, and it had worked really well. However, this morning my T42 experienced a new problem. I've never encountered a problem such as this, and none of my Google research has yielded anything useful.

Here's the problem:

- I can turn my T42 on, and it will start-up fine. I can even open up Mozilla and other applications.
- After, at least, 2 minutes, the screen will go BLACK and the sound will die. However, the lights below the LCD are still lit and the computer still seems to be working and processing. The weird thing is that the sound turns off along with the LCD.
- The only way I can get the LCD to turn back on is by restarting the computer by holding down the power button for about 4 seconds ("hard start"?).

Here's why the problem is quirky:

- I have searched this and other forums, and a similar problem is when the LCD backlight and/or inverter goes bad. This problem is usually signaled by a "pink" colored hue on the LCD. There is NO pink hue on my LCD.
- Also, with a faulty backlight/inverter, it seems like you can just plug the T42 into an external LCD or monitor, and the computer will work fine. I plugged my T42 into my usual external monitor, and the external monitor (+ sound) will go out just as the T42 itself goes out.

I'm at a loss right now because I don't know where to begin. Does anyone have any ideas of what is wrong and/or how to fix this problem? I appreciate any help, as the users in this forum are ThinkPad geniuses.

Thank you in advance, Phill.

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

For future reference, it's a good idea to put the TYPE number of your system (e.g., 2373-K5U) into the signature field. You can find that by clicking on the "User Control Panel" link at the top of the page (under the thinkpads.com banner), clicking the "Profile" link and then "Edit signature". You might also be able to use this link to go directly there:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/ucp.php?i=pr ... =signature

Now, getting back to your problem. My first guess would be that your system is encountering a thermal issue. A couple of minute waiting period before something goes wrong is a good clue. So, along those lines:

- is the fan spinning at all, and if so, when does it spin (or not spin)?
- if you are able to get online long enough, download this program: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Sys ... eter.shtml

[fillber]

Thank you for your response and the signature tip!

The fan runs well, and there are no signs of overheating. Thank you again!

[rkawakami]

Well, even if the fan is running, that's no guarantee that the CPU (or other pieces in the system) is not overheating. Running MobileMeter can tell you the temperature that's being generated by the CPU. If it's in the high 80's then that could be a sign that the system is automatically shutting down. You can also download the diagnostic program provided by IBM and run some tests:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-56222 (PC Doctor for DOS, as a bootable CD image)

I always recommend using the PC Doctor for DOS version simply because you don't need a working hard drive or Windows. In addition to contain diagnostics for the major systems in the laptop, this program also has tests for the fan and thermal sensors. If those two things check out fine, then I'd be inclined to running the CPU/Coprocessor and Systemboard tests in a loop.

As far as your CTO T42 is concerned, it might be a good idea to flesh out some of the system details; type of GPU, speed of CPU, screen size and resolution, etc. In some cases, this will help for giving advice or providing the correct part numbers.

[fillber]

Thanks again, Ray, for the diagnosis and specification info. Do you know where I can find the GPU info?

I downloaded both Mobilemeter and PC Doctor for DOS. When Mobilemeter was running, I saw my laptop begin at around 45 degrees Celsius and it oscillated to about 52 degrees before the fan turned on to cool everything down to about 46 degrees Celsius. However, the notebook "turned off" after about 10 minutes of working. The weird thing is that the computer sounds like it is on because I can hear the fan and all of the other usual sounds. I cannot turn the computer off or put it on standby by hitting Fn+F4. Nothing happens when I hit Fn+ other combinations.

I'm unsure, but it all "turned off" when I moved the computer slightly. I don't know if this was the cause or a mere coincidence because at other times, the computer "turned off" when the computer was across the room from me.

I'm at a loss here. Any advice would help. Thank you all.

[rkawakami]

GPU information can normally be found in the Device Manager utility or Display Properties window. Assuming that this is Windows XP, Device Manager can be found by right-clicking the My Computer desktop icon and choosing Properties. Click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button. Then click the "+" sign next to the Display Adapters line. Display Properties can be obtained by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop, then click on Properties. Click the Settings tab and look at the Display drop-down box for the screen and adapter information.

CPU temperatures look fine, as well as the description of the fan operation, so I think we can dismiss this as being a problem with the fan/heatsink assembly.

As far as any of the other Fn key combinations go, does the ThinkLight (Fn+PgUp) not work either when the system shuts down? If it doesn't work, then that seems to point to a general power problem with the system.

Movement of the system with a result of "triggering" a problem usually means that there's an intermittent connection somewhere. This being a T4x system, the general feeling one first thinks of is a loose graphics chip but it could be almost anything else as well. Best suggestion I have is to boot the PC Doctor program and after it's loaded but not actually running any tests, move the laptop around. If that makes the system "turn off", then you're probably looking at the motherboard being a source of the problem.

[fillber]

Thanks again, Ray.

I turned my notebook on and then shook it around. It did not "turn off." After this, I left it on a sturdy table and checked it intermittently. It didn't "turn off" for about 15 minutes. Once it did "turn off" (without me or anyone touching it), I hit Fn+PgUp, and the light CAME ON. I have no idea what this means, but I hope it means something.

I think I'm going to open up the notebook and look inside. Maybe I can see a loose wire. I welcome any other advice as I don't know what I'm doing. Thanks again.

[mpcook]

This is a shot in the dark (sorry about the pun) but I suspect a software issue. Have you installed any new software recently (or hardware drivers)? Can you do a system restore to an earlier configuration?

Mike

[fillber]

Hi Mike,

I have installed a bunch of new software. Now that I think of it, it's kind of an anti-viral nightmare. Do you know how I could pinpoint which software or how to restore my system to an earlier configuration?

Thanks, Mike!