Z61t Raised from the dead...

[dceggert]

What follows is a simple little post of the events from about June of 2010 until last week. An interesting tale!

I like to sit in my favorite armchair and use my TP Z61t connected through my wireless home network. In June I closed the lid and set the computer on its end leaning against the corner of the couch like I have done hundreds of times. The family dog, a little harmless noisemaker MinPin, was sick that day from something he likely pulled out of the trash during another unauthorized expedition. Needless to say, guess what corner of the couch he decided to scramble to for some stomach relief? My Z61t, well used but in near new condition, crackled and went dead. I was mortified.

I cleaned the thing as best I could on the outside and decided to just let it dry out for a while. After several days it would not respond to the power button. I came to the realization that something inside was shorted or fried and it was dead. Not wanting to buy a new one (the models now confuse me) I started looking on eBay for either a motherboard or a unit with a broken screen to fix my Z61t. From June until September I found nothing that would work that would not require large monies paid and several hours of work leaving the potential of screwing something else up and still not having a working puter. So in September I decided to take a different tack; I needed a working computer quick.

I estimated that getting a working board or lower unit for the Z61t would run me about $250. As an alternative I thought that maybe I could just buy a newer, yet similar, unit and then sell the non-working Z61t for parts since it was in fabulous condition otherwise. I settled on an R400 which seemed to have what I needed for a reasonable price. I found one and won the auction and it was soon in the box and on its way to me.

While waiting for the R400 to arrive I decided to start gathering information on my dead Z61t so I could make an intelligent list for an eBay listing. I turned the unit on its lid and wrote down the model and serial numbers. I was also curious as to what board was in it since I was researching p/n's so intently. I found no tags anywhere so I decided to remove the battery to look for any other tags. I found nothing. When I clipped the battery back in the power light flashed. Was that my imagination? I plugged in the AC adapter and the charge light came on...the first time since the episode in June. I pushed the button and low and behold, it booted up!

Eventually the 'new to me' R400 arrived and I checked it out and it is very similar to the Z61t like I was intending when I picked that model as a replacement. I now have two of them!

I am not sure why the Z61t went on vacation for so long...I thought it was dead. I am glad to have it back, though. The R400 would be an okay replacement but it is different. Anyway, another TP in the house now! The kids have already started using it for homework so that in itself is a good thing!

And now for a confession of the obsession!

R400 - just picked it up
Z61t - the only TP I ever bought new
570e - with ultrabase and a boatload of periferals. Still works but in the cabinet and does not get used much. This is likely my all-time favorite model.
570 - broken screen but boots with XP Pro to a detached monitor
570e - parts in a box, used it to keep my old 570e going

Gone but not forgotten:

380e
510c - my first TP, it was ahead of its time

Dan

[BeeJayEmm]

Hi Dan,
I'm glad to hear your Z61t resurrected itself. I strongly urge you, if you haven't already, to disassemble the ThinkPad to look for corrosion or other damage (the mother- and keyboards may be affected, as well as other internal parts). A little canine stomach acid, over time, could re-kill that Z. If you don't have the hardware maintenance manual to help with opening her up, you can find it at Lenovo's web site. Use distilled water or denatured alcohol for cleaning, followed by thorough drying before reassembly. I know there are threads here discussing the procedure. If you need help, search for them. Good luck!

[dceggert]

Good advice...thanks...neighbor! LOL....

Dan