need laptop help

[Kaiser__Sose]

ok... my cuz had a old thinkpad with a password and we shorted out the battery to get the password off and now i'm getting error 00161 and 00163 before the laptop is able to boot up.. does anyone know where i can look up what these errors mean?
thanx..

it's a thinkpad 380xd i think.

i tried the ibm website but i can't navigate the site well.

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

ok.. i found out that the errors are no date and time found..
it says to fix this enter the setup menu by holding down f1 and turning on the power..
when i do this however it does not enter the menu but does the same thing that it did before showing the error screen.

 

[Workin']

Sounds like you now have a nice paper weight. You can't remove the password on a ThinkPad by shorting the battery (why you would do this I'm not sure) or by any other means besides having an IBM authorized repair shop do it for you. IBM's web site says to remove the password you have to replace the mainboard.

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

well when i asked on this and another board it was suggested that i clear the cmos to remove the password.. yikes.. replace the mobo.. i didn't want to take it to a shop to remove the password because i didn't want to pay the high fees they would charge.. i'm a poor student and don't have the $$$$ ...

are you sure it's dead.. there must be some way to fix this puppy.

 

[esung]

maybe all you need is a new battery?

 

[Workin']

Yeah, but clearing the CMOS doesn't remove the password on ThinkPads. Whoever answered your earlier questions didn't know what they were talking about. Now that I think about, I think I saw someone answer your question with the correct answer - I think you chose to ignore it, though.

The poor little pup is probably dead. You could try a different battery, but they are more expensive than what it would have cost to have the password removed the right way.

Did you short the big "main" battery? Or the CMOS battery - which is buried under the keyboard? You might have blown out the CMOS EPROM, that's why it won't hold date or time.

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

i shorted the little cmos battery..

what happens now is that when the lappy boots up after the ram check the numbers 161 and 163 pop up.. then the password prompt comes up and i press enter and it says ok.. then a big error box pops up saying error 161 and 163 and there is a box to press ok or cancel.. (this is normal as per the user manual).. next the screen should pop up to enter the date and time but instead another error screen pops up and says error 000161 and 000163 with a grafic of an arrow pointing to a manual... i press every button and i can't get by the screen for the lappy to boot up...

the reason i didn't want to take it in for service is cuz the thing would cost an arm and a leg just to clear the stupid password.. those service guys are a rip off and i don't really want to spend the $ on that...


any ideas what to do now or do i have to take it in for service after all?

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

up.. need help.

 

[Workin']

Well, you could try taking out the CMOS battery for a while, or try a new/different CMOS battery, but that seems like a long shot.

You might be able to download the service manual (they call it Maintenance Manual) from IBM's web site. The manual has descriptions and troubleshooting for every error message, along with instructions for replacing every part that is replaceable.
Here is a list and links to all downloadable ThinkPad Maintenance Manuals.

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

thanx alot...
i think the system board may need replacing cuz i tried taking out the battery and still the same error...

anyway maybe i'll just order the board and install it myself.. that service manual is a great reference and i'd love to take this sucker apart as i have zero laptop experience but i've built like 10000 pc's... anyway i'll probably save a bundle on labour charges if i did it myself..

do you know if i have to order the part from IBM or can i go to a local notebook store and have them order the part for me?

thanx for all your help so far workin'

 

[Workin']

You can order the parts right from IBM. They have a toll-free number for service parts on their web site. I've ordered ThinkPad parts from them within the past 2 months, they were friendly to deal with. Don't know about ordering through a dealer. They would probably want to install the parts, too.

However - you will be miles ahead of the game if you know the FRU number for the part you need. You can get that from the maintenance manual. The people who take the phone orders know nothing about tech support, so you have to be sure what you order is what you need. They can help you a little bit with looking up numbers from a list but you are mostly on your own. Some of the parts are listed on their web site, but if it's not there don't assume they don't have it.

Prices for some of the service parts can be unreal. Their shipping is also pretty expensive, because they only do 1- or 2-day air. For example, I needed a rear panel for a 4 year old ThinkPad. They had it in stock for like $12, but shipping was about $14 - so $28 for a 1-inch by 8-inch piece of plastic, they sent it in a huge box, pretty funny. But what else are you gonna do?

Good luck, let me know what you decide to do.

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

yea.. i'll probably order the part myself tomorrow... i got the FRU number from the maintainance manual so everything should be ok there...

cuz i don't know much about lappys i'll probaby take it to a shop tomorrow and see if it is indeed the system board that needs replacing and if it does i will order the part myself and replace it myself...

i'll let you know if i manage to blow up the whole thing...

thanx for all the help.