Help! From 1-3-3-1 error to blank screen [ Edited ]

[maeisner]

I have a T42 laptop which I bought in Jan 2005.  The past few days, I have not been able to get the PC to boot -- it would go through the IBM screen to a blank screen and then beep 1-3-3-1.  According to online research, that code would appear to be a memory issue.  I removed the memory chip (512) and tried it in both the internal slot under the keyboard (where it was) and the slot in the back of the machine.  Now when I try to boot the PC, it either goes (1) to IBM screen, then directly to blank screen, though battery and circle/z light are green and I can hear the fan going, or (2) from IBM screen to a config screen, then if i press any key whatsoever, it goes to the prior described blank screen.

Any ideas???

Follow up:

This time when I got to the config screen, I was able to enter the time/date page, and it said the date was 01/01/1988.  Huh.  As I tried to type in the correct date, I had pressed 09 tab and the screen went to black.

Message Edited by maeisner on 09-08-2008 10:17 AM

[T23FUN]

Welcome to the forum. sorry to hear about your troubles.

Here is a thread that may relate to your problem.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=65111

It is good to post your model. and it does seem like a cmos problem. Hopefully it's isolated to that. Will it boot from a floppy to CD? Not that i think it will but it's something to try.

Rich

[Agotthelf Community Moderator]

Hello Maeisner,

your TP suffers from a problem called "flexing". Your gfx chip became loose and therefore the screen goes blank

unfortunately you´ll need a new motherboard.

Try to boot with a Linux Live Cd, when screen goes blank, buy a new mobo.

And the always carry with closed lid and with two hands, otherwise you´ll get the same problem again.

Hopefully your system is under warranty.

Greets 

Andreas

Message Edited by Agotthelf on 09-08-2008 09:38 PM

[maeisner]

Hello again.  I spoke with Lenovo tech support over the phone, and they recommended buying new RAM.  I did so, installed it, and lo and behold the machine booted up.  It brought me to the config screen and told me to change the date -- I was able to, from the 01/01/1988 it was on to today's date.  Then it booted up normally, entered windows normally, I downloaded some windows updates, all was well...

...for awhile, then randomly, while using the computer, the screen goes instantly to black.  Power and circle/Z light are on as is wifi light.  The computer very much seems "on" -- it sounds on and the lights look on, just nothing on the screen.  I have restarted a couple times.  The first time it went to black I was (ironically) on lenovo.com.  The second time I was simply in "my computer" trying to back up files.

The machine is out of warranty.  It is an IBM T42, 2374 6VU.

Any ideas?  Does this lend further support to the "flexing" hypothesis?  It certainly seems the RAM was part of the problem as it least it starts up now.