E420 Shuts Off When Plugged In

[Adleray]

I have had my E420 for about a month and it started randomly shutting off. The battery is not dieing and windows is not shutting down, the machine just stops entirely. After playing with it more, I have found that it stays on until I plug it in. When I plug it in it starts getting noisy and the usage stats go off the charts. Any ideas?

[ColonelONeill]

Is it overheating?

Is there a rogue process that is consuming all of the available CPU time? Evidence would include lag, high CPU usage meter readings, and poor battery life.

[Adleray]

It is not overheating when it is not plugged in. When I plug it in, all of a sudden, the CPU usage meter goes through the roof and then it shuts down. It has even shut down the instant I plugged it in before. The battery life is still really good.

[ColonelONeill]

Can you try running HWMonitor right before plugging it in and seeing if the temperatures go up suddenly right before it dies?

Does it work if you boot on AC into Safe Mode or into an Ubuntu live CD/USB?

[random903]

Had the same problem here for a day. Couldn't get it to turn back on without unplugging, removing battery, replacing battery, and then turning back on with battery power. One plugged back it in was only a matter of time before it shuf off again.

I did not notice any overheating (no palpable heat, no fan noise) and the CPU monitor stayed normal for me, as far as I can tell. But the shut downs were so immediate - like flipping a switch, that it was hard to tell.

At the end of the day it shut off the moment I plugged it in. Now it won't turn back on at all. RIP Lenovo Thinkpad E420, at 4 months.

[JameZ]

@adleray,

Try booting into BIOS without AC plugged in ... wait a bit then while in BIOS, plug the AC in and see if it would shut down the laptop.

Or you can try Colonel's suggestion would be good as well.

//JameZ