T61p exhibiting 1 long and 2 short beep and black screen

[rossmeissl]

Same deal here: 1 long, 2 short beeps with a black screen on my T61p, 6457-7WU, assuming busted nVidia chip on my 42W7653 motherboard. IBM parts wants to charge me $1,032 for a 43Y9048 or $1,093 for a 44C3931(I'm not even sure the latter is a direct replacement).

I've sent PMs to TuuS and eecon, since that seems to be the thing to do here on this thread.
 Anybody else have any ideas?

[rossmeissl]

Just wanted to say that after some excellent help from TuuS, I replaced my T61p's motherboard and she is back 100%! Complete success.

[TuuS]

Great news. These are great machines and once you get a board that isn't affected with the nVidia problems, you'll have one of the most reliable laptops, both easy and inexpensive to repair. 

Thanks for sharing.

[gkdyeung]

Hi.

I am a relatively new community member, joined a month ago to look for a solution for the dreaded t61p Nvidia disasater. I must say I am more than impressed by the wealth of knowledge available here.

I bought my first lenovo (t61p) in late 2008. i was sold by an aunt who's had lenovos going back decades that still run... back when lenovo was ibm.

anyway, the nvidia chip finally failed last month. since i had already put a new HD and DVD into the t61p, i felt compelled to save it.

i found member "Tuus" to be quite prominent in recent posts on the issue, so i PM'd him.

he was prompt with replies and extremely helpful.

eventually i recieved a replacement MoBo and Fan which I replaced myself.

while there was significant apprehension before embarking on the repair...

... i must say the resources available online, some basic tools, and organizational skills, are all that's needed for a noob like myself to perservere!

sorry for the longwinded post. but i am happy!

ended up buying a replacement w530 (which might have something to do with it as well).

gord

Moderator Note; subject edited; post merged in

[metreon02]

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TuuS wrote:

Great news. These are great machines and once you get a board that isn't affected with the nVidia problems, you'll have one of the most reliable laptops, both easy and inexpensive to repair. 

Thanks for sharing.

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Lenovo Forum.  I just wanted to let you know that my T61 recently experienced this issue and based on the forum information I contacted TuuS and he took the time to find an Intel replacement system board and my T61 is back to life.  Thanks TuuS!

[WASJr]

I too have this problem.  Earlier on in this thread, someone mentioned heating the PC by smothering it will pillows.  In desparation, I did that and it worked (there was an explanation of why this might work).  Does anyone have any experience regarding how long this "fix" might work?  As it now stands, I need to restart but I am afraid to turn off the T61p.

[eecon]

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WASJr wrote:

I too have this problem.  Earlier on in this thread, someone mentioned heating the PC by smothering it will pillows.  In desparation, I did that and it worked (there was an explanation of why this might work).  Does anyone have any experience regarding how long this "fix" might work?  As it now stands, I need to restart but I am afraid to turn off the T61p.

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It won't last long after several power downs ...... so do not shut down (or go to standby/hibernate) ..... it then should keep running at least until you can clone or backup your HDD.   Then you can decide which way to go .... a replacement bare T61p w/o HDD that you simply swap in your current HDD (or a cloned version of it), or a complete tear down and replacement of the mainboard.    You can find T61p units real cheap on eBay that will probably get you by for several months to several years using your HDD (it does not have to be the identical type .... even a T61 non-p unit would work).   Again, how long they will last could be from a few months to many years ..... the closer the date on the bottom label next to the S/N is to 08/08 (2008/Aug) then the better the odds of it lasting longer.  A 08/07 or a 08/06 (2008/July or 2008/June would be inexpensive choices ..... the 08/08 units command a premium as they are virtually not affectived by the potential Nvidia defect.  There are many ten's of thousand of late 2007 and early 2008 T61p and T61 units with the Nvidia chips working just fine throughout the world today .... just keep the fan assembly clean and don't use them on dusty carpets where lint and dust can reduce the cooling efficiency of the fan/heatsink assembly.   Keep a can of air duster handy and blow into the cooling air intake regularly.  Good luck.
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[Insomniacno1]

Also you can do as I do, regular cleaning inside every 6 months, where I take out the fan and apply new Artic Silver cooling paste to CPU, GPU and Chipset.

I also listen to my laptop fan, to hear if its clogged, and has several times taken it totally apart and aplied sewing machine oil to the pin on the black fan part. It makes it run smooth

This helped with dropping the temp in idle mode to 55 degrees celcius. Im also using TPFan control to keep the temp down. I made my own temp plan for TPFan control so when the temp rises it will speed up the fan, something the Bios is terrible at( It should be speeding up the fan when the CPU and GPU get hot - but it doesn't do its job well. Most likely that why so many boards fail so quickly - not enough cooling(and of course the faulty GPU)).

So far I have had this running at 55C in idle and 66-76 in heavy mode, for over 2 years without any incident. I don't do gaming on it, but use it for video editing and VM, but I don't use the GPU for those things - I have unchecked the places where it said something about HW acceleration. Also in Flash player(that one is really bad for your temp).

The problem will most likely come one day, but for now its working.

I stay in "Cold" Denmark in the summer and travel to the "hot" philippines in winther(I have to because of my bad back), and when I'm there in the philippines there is no issue either. There I use my laptop as the only PC, and its not in Aircon room but inside and out in "normal" philippine temp. which can get to be 26-30C in the shade.

My laptop do have the affected mainboard, but the above precaution has most likely prolonged the life of it - as its still working, where many of its "siblings" from the same manufacturing date,  already has failed and needed replacement.

Also I rather put my laptop on hibernation, than shutting it down.

Any one who like to have my customized TPFan control.ini can PM me. But I should say you will need to take your laptop appart and apply Artic Silver 5 thermal paste on the CPU, GPU and Chipset - in order to get any near my readings.

With kind regards

JBJ

[eecon]

Yes Imsomniacno1, your story is the key to a long and uneventful service life ..... i.e. keeping things clean and cool, plus treating the laptop (any laptop) with a little bit of respect.   I see too many people treat their machines like dirt, and when they fail they whine and complain like spoiled charactors on reality TV shows such as "The Real Housewives of Miami, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, etc."

Remember, for every failed unit we see here on the Forum, there are probably several thousand units (with the vunerable date codes) running just fine.   In real life, only trouble issues get reported ..... rarely are success stories like yours reported, so thank you kindly for sharing your technique.

Best regards

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[Insomniacno1]

You watch real housewifes and other so called reality shows???

I have other things to do than sit and look at the "box", I'm online most of every day looking for info on the net, on various thing from cooking to tech stuff regarding my android tablet

I can watch TV when i get old and can't move around anymore

JBJ