W520 shuts off intermittently, no BSOD or shut down

[boeing82]

I received the computer yesterday, and have activated MS Office and installed Chrome, so I don't think it's a software issue on my end.  The computer randomly (once every 3-4 hours) turns off.  It just goes black, like the battery is removed.

I called Lenovo, and he was unable to log in to my computer to run some tests because his computer wasn't working.  Then I asked for a Lenovo-certified repair place near me, and they gave me two: one that has been gone for two years, and one that rents computers (but does not repair them).  On my third call, I finally requested they mail me a box so I can mail the machine to the repair facility (although I didn't want to do this because I need my computer).

Is this common?  Has this happened to anyone else?  Is there anything I should try before I mail it in?  Thank you!

Computer info is below:

  Processor Intel Core i7-2920XM Processor (2.50GHz, 8MB L3, 1333MHz FSB) Operating system Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Operating system language Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 English Display type 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit Anti-Glare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready System graphics NVIDIA Quadro 2000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory Total memory 16 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz SODIMM Memory (4 DIMM) Keyboard Keyboard US English Pointing device UltraNav with TrackPoint & touchpad plus Fingerprint reader Camera 720p Camera Storage subsystem Internal RAID - Not Enabled Hard drive 128 GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA Optical device DVD recordable multiburner System expansion slots Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader Battery 9 cell Li-Ion Battery - 55++ Power cord Country Pack North America with Line cord & 170W AC adapter Bluetooth Bluetooth 3.0 Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN) Integrated mobile broadband Integrated Mobile Broadband - Upgradable Language pack Language Pack US English 

[doulos]

I'm not in the US, but my call to lenovo service was answered quickly and they were immeditely willing to send me a spare part (user-serviceeable, and I was willling to accept).

With the machine and the issue you have, you should receive premium service, which cannot be anything else than immediate replacement IMO

[ColonelONeill]

It sounds a bit like overheating... Watch your temperatures with HWMonitor or something; maybe it'll clue you in on the cause.

[boeing82]

Thanks for the replies.  I don't know what a normal temperature for a laptop is.  I do feel air coming out of the vents, so at least one fan is working.

I did a "stress test" (part of the ThinkVantage diagnostic program) where it did intense graphics and processing.  Surprisingly, the machine did not turn off during the stress test (which I figured it would if it's a temperature issue).

The following temperatures were recorded:

Core : 0

Temperature:37 C

Threads:2

Core : 1

Temperature:38 C

Threads:2

Core : 2

Temperature:43 C

Threads:2

Core : 3

Temperature:44 C

Threads:2

Again, I don't know if these are excessively hot.  I installed HWMonitor as you recommended, and the cores seem to be hovering around 31 C (87 F) while idle, and it keeps restarting about every half hour now.

Are these numbers normal? 

Thanks again!

[BenG83]

Thos temperatures are fairly normal, I can get my machine up to 70-80 degree under heavy load, but had no stability issues so far. Does this happen when plugged in on AC as well as running from battery? Maybe try and run the machine a couple of hours from a LiveCD of some Linux distro to rule out any software issues on your windows installation...

[boeing82]

Well that's interesting.

Running solely on AC power with no battery:  problem not resolved

Running in Windows Safe Mode:  problem resolved!

Running Ubunto:  probem resolved!

So this problem appears to be something wrong with the factory Windows installation or driver update?  That's so odd.  I was hoping it was a battery issue so I didn't have to send it in for repair

I should also mention one other clue:

When running Windows (not in safe mode), I hear the "device disconnected" sound randomly (once).  Usually I hear it a few minutes after the computer boots.

Thanks again for the advice, everyone.

[ColonelONeill]

Err... Those temperatures look like idle temperatures.

In any case, you might want to check in the Event Log for anything related.

[dimm0k]

What you could try is restoring system back to factory settings by using the Rescue and Recovery option to restore the factory image and see if that helps.  If it indeed is a software issue, it's possible restoring the factory image may help.  I noticed on mine that my DVD kept disconnecting itself, but after restoring the image due to some other issue the DVD issue stopped.  While the factory image SHOULD be exactly what the system is when you first turn it on, it actually is not exact.  I've noticed a couple of differences between the two, as well as on my W510.  One other example is the System Restore option is turned on for drive C when you first turn on your system, but it's turned off when you restore the factory image.

[xhu12]

I have experienced very similar situations. However, I haven't tested when the battery unplugged or in windows 7 safe mode. I got my w520 for about two weeks and it happed to me 2 times so far, each time, my computer was either under very low load or in idle. So I think it may be related to some issues with energy saving features. I also did some heavy gaming on my thinkpad, several night in a row, and I did not experience anything unusual of cashes. My hardware setting is pretty much the same as yours(Boeing82) except for that I have a intel i7-2720QM 2,2GHz processor. I called the tech support, but he can do anything else than to tell me update all drivers and send the laptop for repair if it happens more often. So anyone has any idea how to proceed? Thanks!

[boeing82]

As the original poster, I'll let you know what happened to me.

After all of the above tests, I sent it to the Lenovo service facility and within a couple days I had it back.  They replaced the four 4MB RAMs, which were faulty and were causing the machine to turn off intermittantly.

Perhaps you could try running the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to see if the problem occurs during that test, or if the results reveal anything interesting.

I'd recommend running purely on AC (bypassing the battery) to rule out a battery problem, and I'd install HWMonitor to check the temperatures, although the fact that it didn't turn off while you were doing heavy gaming makes me think it's not a heat/fan issue.

Post and update in this thread and I'll let you know if I think of anything else.