X20 does not boot and shows no reaction at all

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mazahedi · #1 Post by **mazahedi** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 11:47 am

My x20 run on AC power without the ibm-batterypack installed. After a power loss the x20 turned off - surely.
It run on the original ASTEC Power supply - FRU P/N 02K6666.
Now nothing happens any more when I press the power-on button or any other -also after I hold it longer then 4 seconds.
Just the battery-control and standby-control are burning and only the 'keyboard-light' on the LCD-top (like after pressing FN- PageUp) is burning.
Neither starting on AC or battery nor disassembling memory, hd, ethernet etc like mentioned in IBM support-pages helped so far.
Does anyone have any idea what happened and how to solve and reboot?

gazingwa · #2 Post by **gazingwa** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 3:30 pm

Lesson 1, don't run a thinkpad without a battery, if you must save one, go on ebay and buy a cheap used up battery to run on

try to replace the cmos battery, it is responsible for making the power button function, then the other power sources take over.

if that doesn't work, it is new systemboard time as far as i know
sorry

skuehne · #3 Post by **skuehne** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 4:52 pm

I doubt that losing power alone will do damage like this. Worst case I could image is screwing up your operating system, unless you're in the middle of updating your BIOS (which you should only do with a fully charged battery and running on AC anyway).

Maybe you got a power spike, either right before the power went off or when it came back on. Are you able to check your AC adapter, maybe try to use someone else's?

If the AC adapter is OK, try replacing the CMOS battery, as the previous poster has suggested. It's cheap and easy to do (it sits near the memory slot, check the HMM for instructions).

Buy a surge protector, if you don't already have one. Or a small UPS, if you don't want to keep the battery in your X20 (which would actually serve the same function)

Good luck!

Sven

gazingwa · #4 Post by **gazingwa** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 6:07 pm

if he lost power during the startup of the machine(post), that would kill it. A UPS costs more than a battery and doesn't protect from accidently pulling the barrel conector out of the thinkpad.

skuehne · #5 Post by **skuehne** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 6:58 pm

Does the machine actually write information during POST or otherwise modify the NVRAM settings? Hmm, that would indeed be a bad time to lose power ...

Sven

AbsoluteRaleigh · #6 Post by **AbsoluteRaleigh** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 11:07 am

skuehne wrote:Does the machine actually write information during POST or otherwise modify the NVRAM settings? Hmm, that would indeed be a bad time to lose power ...

Sven

Somethign along those lines..

It is a bad time to loose power, period.

beerak · #7 Post by **beerak** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 1:23 am

gazingwa wrote:if he lost power during the startup of the machine(post), that would kill it. A UPS costs more than a battery and doesn't protect from accidently pulling the barrel conector out of the thinkpad.

I think power loss during any action, bar BIOS update, can't damage machine. There is no reason for it. Maybe the AC adapter had a short
circuit accident killed motherboard

gazingwa · #8 Post by **gazingwa** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:30 pm

Ever hear of the CRC Error.... that is what causes it....

beerak · #9 Post by **beerak** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:39 pm

gazingwa wrote:Ever hear of the CRC Error.... that is what causes it....

No it is not

CRC is cyclic redundancy checksum, it is used for data error detection and possibly correction. It is used only and only when you write data. Bad CRC can occur only and only when you write them or if the device (like CMOS) is corrupted. There is no reason for system board data corruption when power loss.

Other thing is BIOS update, but he did not write he was updating BIOS.

mazahedi · #10 Post by **mazahedi** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 6:12 pm

Hello folks,
thanks for the hints so far.
I tried several things - but no change - therefore some more informations - and maybe further Ideas form anyone?!
1. the system broke down while regular MS windows XP operation - simple file-copying via USB-Port
2. nothing happens any more after the incident - after conneciting to AC ( also a different one or to battery - just the moon (Sleep) and battery-symbol is on - also the LCD-thats on top of the panel (like FN-PageUp) - This I can't turn it off.
3. there is not beep and not any other reaction
4. I took off the CMOS for 1 day and put back in the same - no change
5. Should I try with a new CMOS battery - would this- make a difference?
6. is there a chance to reset the board or cmos somehow.

Thank you!

MadeInJapan · #11 Post by **MadeInJapan** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 7:34 pm

Is your thinkpad still under warranty? If so, call IBM.

beeblebrox · #12 Post by **beeblebrox** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:20 am

there is a warning on IBM web site to not to use the Astec power brick on x20 without a battery pack!!!!!!

maybe the mobo is fried now!

AbsoluteRaleigh · #13 Post by **AbsoluteRaleigh** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 10:41 am

beerak wrote:
gazingwa wrote:Ever hear of the CRC Error.... that is what causes it....
No it is not

CRC is cyclic redundancy checksum, it is used for data error detection and possibly correction. It is used only and only when you write data. Bad CRC can occur only and only when you write them or if the device (like CMOS) is corrupted. There is no reason for system board data corruption when power loss.

Other thing is BIOS update, but he did not write he was updating BIOS.

gazingwa is correct.

The 0175 error (CRC1) happens when power is lost during boot. This is a fact and I have tested it.

beerak, your CRC stsatement is correct, BUT, on a ThinkPad, data is written during boot, hence the CRC1 error.

AbsoluteRaleigh · #14 Post by **AbsoluteRaleigh** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 10:42 am

skuehne wrote:Does the machine actually write information during POST or otherwise modify the NVRAM settings? ...

Yes.

egibbs · #15 Post by **egibbs** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:02 am

mazahedi wrote:2. nothing happens any more after the incident - after conneciting to AC ( also a different one or to battery - just the moon (Sleep) and battery-symbol is on - also the LCD-thats on top of the panel (like FN-PageUp) - This I can't turn it off.

The sleep indicator is on? So the machine thinks it asleep.... Hmmm...

You said earlier that you tried holding the Power button for 4 seconds - I think it takes 7 seconds or longer to force a power off. With all the stuff you've taken out you've probably accomplished the same thing, but just for completeness try holding the Power button down for a good 10-15 seconds and see if anything changes.

If that doesn't work then it sounds like the mobo is fried - time to get a new one.

Ed Gibbs

X20 does not boot and shows no reaction at all

X20 does not boot and shows no reaction at all

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