T61p exhibiting 1 long and 2 short beep and black screen

[assumeR]

Hello.  I just got the 1 long, 2 short beep problem, and have confirmed it isn't the RAM.  I have an R61, although I upgraded to the nvidia 140m so I can only assume it's the GPU problem.  

I called the customer service center, but since my laptop is out of warranty, they said there was nothing I can do.  I mentioned the document number MIGR-75087 via the suggestion of this thread, but the repair representative said that he could not locate that internal document.  

I then proceeded to state that it is most likely a GPU issue, and if there was somebody I could talk to about repairs even without a warranty, but he said that since I have no warranty he couldn't let me speak to anybody else.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what to do, but I have hope!

Suggestions?  Perhaps call my credit card company I used to buy the laptop with in early 2007?

Thanks in advance.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

R61 is not covered in this recall, the only way for you to economically resolve this issue is to actually get the post warranty warranty (Thinkplus) service on your R61, and then send the laptop in once the warranty becomes active. 

[assumeR]

Thanks for your reply.

I will have to look into the thinkplus service, but perhaps there are any ways I can test, diagnose or treat the problem myself?  

I reallyyyyy don't want to put it in the oven like some others had luck with lol but if it will probably work and save me $200, I'd consider it!

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

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assumeR wrote:

Thanks for your reply.

I will have to look into the thinkplus service, but perhaps there are any ways I can test, diagnose or treat the problem myself?  

I reallyyyyy don't want to put it in the oven like some others had luck with lol but if it will probably work and save me $200, I'd consider it!

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the oven trick is not reliable, and the problem will surely come back, as the bump material is remains the same, so electromigration would still set in after some short period of use.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/456185-current-owners-older-thinkpad-models-4.html

have a read of the explanation. 

[assumeR]

Ah I see what happened.  Actually I found this article http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1004378/why-nvidia-chips-defective which may be of use for others looking exactly why this happens.

However, it's strange that this happened during normal operations and not actually a GPU-intensive activity.  I suppose the GPU activity wore it out, and at a random time during normal use the critical threshold was reached.

On a business-related note I found it a bit reprehensible that if this is indeed the cause, lenovo would gladly recall the T61's system boards yet not the R61's.  Perhaps many R61 owners haven't had this problem (because they didn't upgrade to the nvidia 140m) or perhaps it's simply not cost effective, but it seems that if lenovo is willing to offer some support for T61 owners regarding a given issue, they should offer the same support for other models with the same issue. 

I know posting my opinion on a forum probably won't make a difference, but that's just my opinion.

As an aside, thanks for your quick response and assistance.

[p22wang]

Hi Mark,

My T61p started exhibiting the 1 long beep, 2 short beeps problem on August 21st 2010 after having bought it in September 2007. I of course suspect it to be because of the well known nVidia GPU issue. It is no longer under its one year warranty.

I brought it to the Lenovo Service Center in Hong Kong (I just began my study abroad school semester) to have it inspected for 180 HKD (~23 USD). It was confirmed to be a problem with the motherboard. They would not specify if it was the GPU when I asked them about it and they were also not able to find the MIGR-75087 internal document. I was offered to have it fixed for 1500 HKD (~192 USD), but I was not sure if they would fix my current board or give me a board replacement (new or refurbished).

I bought this 1500+ USD laptop expecting it to be robust. As an engineering student reliant on a laptop with good graphics capabilities for CAD software, I am upset and very inconvenienced. Please let me know if you can help me.

Regards,

Philip Wang

My T61p details:

Job #:XXXXXXXX (w/ Lenovo Hong Kong) 
Type: XXXX-XXX

S/N: XX-XXXXX

[sfqiu]

My T61 display started to garble. I bought it on March 2008, and the warranty is expired.

Can some one tell me what is the phone number I should call in CANADA.

Thanks.

[ClausM]

Hi guys,

my T61 (7662 CTO) story is a long and frustrating one.

purchased in the US  in June 07, with 3y IWS  warranty

My T61 broke in March 2009, Oct. 09, Nov 09 and August 10 - yes, you gotta be kidding me!

The first time it broke in Germany. I thought: no big deal, I've got the IWS. wrong! IWS applies only to the North America and some random Asian countries. Then I had to ship my notebook to a friend so he could send it to Lenovo and get it fixed. That took me incl. some trouble with customs about 2 months (I am serious). That is surely not the kind of service I was expecting when I bought an IWS for my Thinkpad.

Half a year later it broke again. Lucky me :smileymad : , I was in Hong Kong, so after I had to bring it in twice they finally fixed it.

And in August 2010 it broke again - now it's out of warranty. Great! It has always been the nvidia chip that caused the defect.

I really like(d) my T61, it was a great product. But the nvidia issues and the way Lenovo's service was handling the issues I find it hard to buy another Thinkpad again. Now I sit here, in the middle of my university studies with a broken notebook and read that Lenovo wanted to sit out the problem instead of recalling faulty products.

Is there anything the US Lenovo customer service can do for me? (there is no beep, the screen is just black). However it seems like it's booting like normal.

Cheers,

Claus

[Mark_Lenovo Administrator]

ClausM,

IWS is not a fee offering - you can't buy it.   IWS is automatically available based on certain models eligibility in particular countries.  You can put in your model type here.   I see the 7662 is not covered in Germany, but as you note Hong Kong is covered.   If your system is in the US, I can try to help you  -  otherwise, you will need to seek service in one of these countries.  

AUSTRALIA 131-426 OR 61-2-9354-4000 CANADA 800-565-3344 CHINA 86-10-82879421 OR 800-810-3315 (Mandarin) HONG KONG 852-3140-2788 OR 852-8205-0333 INDIA 91-80-526-7117 EXT: 3777 OR 3447 INDONESIA 001-803-606-282 (62 21 523 8823) or 021-523-8823 JAPAN Toll Free 0120-20-5550 KOREA 82-1588-6782 MALAYSIA 1-800-88-1889 NEW ZEALAND 0800-733-222 PHILIPPINES 1-800-1601-0033 (63 2 995 2320 SINGAPORE 800-6011-343 SRI LANKA 94-11-2448-442 TAIWAN 0800-000-700 OR 886-2-8723-9799 THAILAND 1-800-060-066 (66 2273 4088) UNITED STATES 1-800-426-7378 VIETNAM 844-3-946-2000 (Hanoi & North), 848-3-829-5160 (Ho Chi Minh City & South)

[Mark_Lenovo Administrator · Accepted solution]

All,

I have advised customers who were experiencing a garbled display that was present in BIOS and on attached external displays to contact support.  Garbled displays that occur within Windows, but not in BIOS are most likely caused by corrupt video drivers. Please ensure you have updated your drivers to the latest version with those found on Lenovo's support site before contacting support. If you have experienced these symptoms on a T61 or T61p model system in BIOS, please contact support.  The support agent will be able to assist you with in warranty repairs, and in determining if additional coverage is available to you.

To help guide other customers who may find this discussion, I'm marking this as the solution.  If you have contacted support, and have a T61 or T61p experiencing these systems, and need help please send me a PM.

Please contact support, and explain your troubles and give them a chance to help before you seek my assistance.  I want to help, but I think many customers are contacting me directly and I can't reasonable help everyone one by one.

UPDATE 1/4/2011

Previously, I have advised customers to contact service for assistance with the symptoms discussed here. In an effort to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty, Lenovo has repaired a number of systems as post warranty exceptions. Lenovo will continue the post warranty support; however, with some revisions to the extended coverage effective December 31, 2010.

Customers who experience these symptoms on qualifying models that are no more than six months beyond expiration of warranty should continue to contact support for assistance. This additional coverage ends March 31, 2011.

Coverage beyond this date is available under the terms and conditions of extended warranty or maintenance agreements. Warranty extensions may be purchased for systems that are still within the base warranty period, and post warranty maintenance agreements may be purchased to provide coverage after base and extended warranty periods have expired. Extended warranties and maintenance agreements are a great way to ensure coverage for all the major system components.

Update 10/5/11 - Closing the discussion as the extended coverage ended six months ago.

Best regards,

Mark