Help!!! Thinkpad only starts when it wants to!!!!!!!!

[redgtxdi]

Here's the scenario.........I push the power button and the HD led will flash for a second & the laptop will make a power-sound, but none of the other dash lights will come on & that's all she wrote!

Try again & again & again & again, same thing. Holding the button down does nothing. Removed battery, replaced battery, AC, noAC, removed RAM, replaced RAM, etc. etc. Nothing keeps it from doing it. Leave it alone for a while & it'll start right up. (could be 5 minutes or 5 hours) I'm losing my patience.

It's an A22M P3/850 320mb RAM etc. etc. I'm desperate for help!

 

[WackyDan]

Hmmm........

Look for the Bios Battery.. It's a wrapped Thin/button cel and sometimes you find them in the battery compartment if not somewhere else. It may be shot.

 

[redgtxdi]

Dan,

Thanks!! Ya, surprisingly enough........(especially to a desktop guy like myself where CMOS batteries are not exactly high on the priority chain).......I've been told this a few times now. I'd **read** it a couple times on Google, but thought, "What the heck does the CMOS battery have to do with anything?". Well, apparently the CMOS battery (along with keeping time/date/sys speed, etc.) also is responsible, in this laptop's case, for taking part in a small solid-state solenoid activity once the button is pressed.

Once I heard that explanation, the CMOS battery thing now made sense. It seems to end up being either that or the mainboard. I took the sucker comletely apart last nite looking for any signs of funny bizz, but nothing unusual. (scared myself, almost forgot where some screws went....LOL)

Anyway, I dunno if it mattered or not, but I removed the CMOS battery last night & rubbed it, talked nicely to it, let it rest, etc. then put it back in & got 6 consecutive boots last nite! It's just a CR2032 wrapped in thinfilm w/ thin pads contacting the +/- so if I can't find the actual replacement, I might try just buying a new CR2032 & cutting/installing/rewrapping to test the theory! Thanks again!!!!

 

[redgtxdi]

Well, shoot!!! I tried replacing the CMOS battery, but it looks like order only. (It's just a CR2032 Lithium battery but it's wrapped in shrinkfilm w/ 2 contact pads conntected to wires then to a plug) I split the shrinkwrap with a razor blade but the tabs are stuck on the battery. (Looks like a touch or 2 with a soldering iron to make 'em stick).

Sooooo, I just started playing around & removing the battery, rubbing it, etc. and it acts the same regardless.

What really got me was when I removed the CMOS battery altogether & it STARTED UP!! I don't know if this completely shoots down the theory that the CMOS battery activates part of the startup, but without it even installed if it boots, I'm guessin' it kinda does??? (Totally bummed now!)

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi
Well, shoot!!! I tried replacing the CMOS battery, but it looks like order only. (It's just a CR2032 Lithium battery but it's wrapped in shrinkfilm w/ 2 contact pads conntected to wires then to a plug) I split the shrinkwrap with a razor blade but the tabs are stuck on the battery. (Looks like a touch or 2 with a soldering iron to make 'em stick).

Sooooo, I just started playing around & removing the battery, rubbing it, etc. and it acts the same regardless.

What really got me was when I removed the CMOS battery altogether & it STARTED UP!! I don't know if this completely shoots down the theory that the CMOS battery activates part of the startup, but without it even installed if it boots, I'm guessin' it kinda does??? (Totally bummed now!)

But a bad battery hoses it up. Period. Don't try and solder new leads to an over the counter battery. The high heat will in most cases have an adverse affect on the battery itself, and not to mention it's hard to do.

 

[redgtxdi]

Well, I might just throw another CMOS battery in there for good measure (though, I'm truly doubting there's anything wrong with this one)......but......

The feedback I'm getting from other forums (including a national reseller when inquiring about where he got so many boards for these P3 generation Thinkpads) is that this generation of Thinkpads simply had some mainboard issues. Anything in the A20,21,22,23 and same in the T series leaves a market full of bad mainboards. It's sad, but true. I even spoke with one person who ran the gammit of replacing everything under the sun including replacing/reseating everything for good measure, but alas, it was simply the mainboard. Replaced it & all was well again!

I just want to get this one thru to Christmas. After that, I'll probably just buy a new one, but I'm thinkin' it probably won't be an IBM. This is a great laptop otherwise, but for the money it should've been just a bit better.

 

[redgtxdi]

Well.........after doing everything in the book.......(replace CMOS, shake, jiggle, talk nice to, R & R everything, remove & reseat CPU (this one got ugly as I lost the parts to the lid-top closing/shutoff mechanism & had to go fishing for about an hour to try & find the parts & then figure out how they went back together!!!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and the situation still exists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've had it!! I'm done!!! No more!!! The next time I buy a laptop, it will be with a 3 of 5 year warranty so that these mfgr's can held accountable for the quality of product they put out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!