T60/61 Hang on power loss to dock

[Metzenes]

Did that suggestion work?

I had the same problem on my T42P dock I think.  No problem with the port replicaters though.

I usually run my laptop in the dock without a battery as batteries don't like heat and don't like being constantly charged.  The best engineering solution would be a UPS I suppose.

[rcmaross]

No this did not work.  My Ethernet driver was already configured this way by default.  I have not looked at this much further since the original posting.  I am pretty sure I tried removing every port, USB, Ethernet... to make sure the problem was not caused by an errant USB device or what not and it still failed.  I will try that again though and post if it succeeds.  This sounds like a driver SW bug of some sort to me though.

The Lenovo has pretty sophisticated battery support for allowing the battery to drain while connected to power so it will not overheat and/or cause the battery to age prematurely.  This was one of the main reasons I purchased this laptop.

[kwesten]

I am having the same issue with T61's in the ThinkPad Advanced Mini Dock 2504-10U model. During a power loss, 3 pc's (1 Vista, 2 XP Pro) froze up while docked. The pc's don't respond to a ping command and can only be hard restarted. A call to IBM Support in Atlanta yielded "you can send it to the Depot to have the hard drive reimaged" and "It could be a problem with the dock, try a different PC." The problem can be duplicated by unplugging the dock from AC power. Has anyone found a solution to this problem?

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Message Edited by nonny on 03-20-2008 02:25 PM

[Mark_Lenovo Administrator]

All,

Lenovo released a technical note on this HERE which I believe relates to the symptoms noted.

[outouser]

There in BIOS fix for T61 and T61p that fixes this issue.

CHANGES IN THIS RELEASE
Version 2.10-1.08

[Important updates]
Nothing.

[New functions or enhancements]
- Microcode updates of the processors.
- Added the new BIOS Setup option to avoid system hang even if the AC
adapter is removed from the ThinkPad Advanced Mini Dock while the
computer is attached to it.
*How to enable:
Set the Legacy Devices on Mini-Dock option to 'Disabled' of Docking
Station of Config in BIOS Setup menu.
*Note:
A serial and a parallel port on the Mini-Dock will be disabled with
this setup.
[Problem fixes]
Nothing.


Link to update http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-67988

[rcmaross]

outouser - THANKS FOR THE POST on the BIOS update!

The link outouser supplied was for the T61 ONLY.  Below is the link for the T60...

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-63024

I have not tried either bios update yet.  I have both types so I will post when I have tried them both.

Both "fixes" will disable both the parallel and serial port on the dock - which is fine by me.

[MaheshUp]

Please visit following blog for solution to your system freeze, slower shutdown problems. Good luck.

http://hindupanchang.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-avoid-system-freezes-on-lenovo.html

[bottedi]

I was wondering if anyone has encountered this before:  I have a T61 running Vista and a docking station.  The other day, during a storm, I lost power in my house.  I would have expected the Thinkpad to switch from external power to battery.  Instead, it froze on me. At least is acted frozen.  The screen would not come on again and even Ctrl-Alt-Delete did nothing.  I had to hold down the power button to turn it off and re-boot.  

This is the second time this has happend, so I assume it is not a fluke.  Anyone have any insight into this?

Thanks!! 

[billbolton Community Moderator]

Did you have anything else besides the T61 itself connected to the docking station?

Cheers,

bill

[oskarbosch]

If you want a relyable notebook, forget about the new lenovo's. The older ones were much better (up to T43 series).

Since the T60 series, they are much less stable. My observation seems:

- lenovo is not screening the drivers as well as IBM used to

- the hardware is not as robust (immune to static for example) as it used to be.

I don't know why Lenovo is trying to erase a nicely build up reputation.

Go with another brand.....

(not sure which one though, as quality does not seem to count anymore these days. Features features features.....)