Any IBM T42 Experts?

[gtd2000]

Hi Folks,
One of the guys in the office asked me to have a look at his IBM T42 notebook the other day - we speak different languages so I wasn't too sure what the problem was to be honest and assumed it might be a fairly simple fix..

So here's what the situation is:

Press power on.

The Z with a circle round it lights up, as does the battery charging light but not a great deal else happens..there's no sounds of the system booting at all and nothing shows on the LCD screen.

When you press and hold the power button it shuts down almost instantly.

I tried hooking up the notebook to an external monitor but no output was shown.

Then tried to see if the pc might boot from a CD but no joy at all...

Removing the memory doesn't even result in a beep code (I'm assuming notebooks should produce a beep code?)

Any ideas or is it just a case of tossing it in the trash?

 

[RalfHutter]

Worst case scenario, don't throw it away. You can always sell the parts, especially since it's a T4x.

 

[corkyg]

The sysmptoms are very similar to those when the CPU is not properly seated. Access, I believe, is under the keyboard.

 

[goodthymes]

Could be a motherboard issue. I recall the T42 had a motherboard flex issue where over time from repeated pickup from corners, the motherboard essentially develops cracks in the traces leading to motherboard failure. The problem was not so much the motherboard, but the chassis design where there was not enough reinforcement keep the frame from flexing when the T42 is handled from the corners.

If it is indeed the motherboard, no need to trash the whole computer, it can be parted out. Or just replace the board itself for about $100.

 

[aceO07]

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewforum.php?f=2 whole forum dedicated to Thinkpads. You will probably find better answers there. It may just be that the GPU is loose.

 

[gtd2000]

Certainly a few good points to check over the weekend there!

I'll get my screwdrivers out tomorrow and report back

 

[gtd2000]

Well no joy at all with this puppy whatsoever.

What's the going rate for a defective T42 with 1GB RAM, 40GB HD and a Radeon 9600

 

[IlllI]

price checks arent allowed. check ebay for reference prices

 

[WackyDan]

CMOS battery. Give it a try about the right time for that to go.

And yes, have seen many a thinkpad that will not post at all with dead CMOS battery. Sometimes just popping it off nad reconnecting it will make the system boot a few times.

Should be under the keyboard.

 

[gtd2000]

One of the first things I did was remove the CMOS battery actually.

I suppose I could always put a voltmeter across it to see if there is any life left in it?