Thu 23 Jun 2005
Thinkpad T42, ATI RADEON 9600 Driver, and the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)
Posted by Judd under General , Technology[141] Comments
Nobody likes the BSOD, but the worst thing about it is when it comes sporadically and for seemingly no reason at all. When you've made a change to your system that results in errors, it's pretty easy to diagnose. Otherwise, oh god, it's awful.
Recently my IBM Thinkpad T42 (2373-3VU, for those who care), started acting erratically. It would freeze at random moments, shut down spontaneously and then fail to start up again, and sometimes not come on at all. Then, of course, I got the dreaded BSOD a couple of times. I called IBM (Lenovo) customer support and got nowhere. They did, however, inspire me to reseat my RAM. I thought that fixed the problem, but then the BSOD reappeared. I nearly cried.
The irritating thing about the BSOD is that it's full of useful information for diagnosing your problem, but it flashes off so quickly, as the computer reboots, that you have no time to read it. Thank goodness for Win XP's 'Watchdog' feature, which will log the text of each BSOD you get into text files with the extension '.wdl'. Find these in: /WINDOWS/LogFiles/Watchdog.
My latest BSOD contained the following:
//
// Watchdog Event Log File
//LogType: Watchdog
Created: 2005-06-23 20:51:48
TimeZone: 480 – Pacific Standard Time
WindowsVersion: XP
EventType: 0xEA – Thread Stuck in Device Driver//
// The driver for the display device got stuck in an infinite loop. This
// usually indicates a problem with the device itself or with the device
// driver programming the hardware incorrectly. Please check with your
// display device vendor for any driver updates.
//EaRecovery: 1
ShutdownCount: 108
Shutdown: 0
EventCount: 3
BreakCount: 3
BugcheckTriggered: 1
DebuggerNotPresent: 1
DriverName: ati2dvag
EventFlag: 1
DeviceClass: Display
DeviceDescription: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600 Series
HardwareID: PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E50&SUBSYS_05501014&REV_00
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
DriverFixedFileInfo: FEEF04BD 00010000 0006000E 000A1953 0006000E 000A1953 0000003F 00000008 00040004 00000003 00000004 00000000 00000000
DriverCompanyName: ATI Technologies Inc.
DriverFileDescription: ATI Radeon WindowsNT Display Driver
DriverFileVersion: 6.14.10.6483
DriverInternalName: ati2dvag.dll
DriverLegalCopyright: Copyright (C) 1998-2004 ATI Technologies Inc.
DriverOriginalFilename: ati2dvag.dll
DriverProductName: ATI Radeon WindowsNT Display Driver
DriverProductVersion: 6.14.10.6483
Most of that doesn't make sense to me, but it did help me isolate the problem down to my video driver. A quick Google search reveals that other folks have had problems with the ati2dvag driver and the BSOD. No one with a Thinkpad, though. I was optimistic about the fix I found here, but no joy. So I upgraded to the latest driver through IBM's site – that's 6.14.10.6512. Find the update insteller here.
So that seems to have done the trick, though I need to run it through the ringer. I'm not sure what caused the conflict, but if you're like me MS just hit you with a rash of Windows Updates. I'm guessing one of them caused the problem. Who knows.
So, hopefully this is helpful for someone out there.
Update: Of course, nothing is as easy as it seems. The problems with my machine are reoccuring. However, I've recently noticed that the erratic behavior only occurs when I'm running on battery power, and then only when I am not stationary at my desk. Is something loose? The video adapter, perhaps? I can remember a slightly unusual ding that I gave the machine by accident several days back, but it was nothing drastic. It might have been just enough, though. I'm calling IBM (Lenovo) back. I'll report!
Update (again): A more knowledgeable and well spoken IBM/Lenovo employee suggested that there could be a conflict with my embedded controller or BIOS. My embedded controller was already up to date, but my BIOS was 3 versions old. I upgraded from 3.13 to 3.16. It remains to be seen if that will solve the problem, but it's worth a try. He is also sending me a new memory chip in case that is the culprit.
Final Update: After all this, the laptop finally just died, and I took it in. They replaced my motherboard (for the 2nd time in the year that I've had this laptop), and everything's dandy now. I think, basically, when there is so much random and erratic behavior, there can be no other explanation.
Final Final Update (6.16.2006): After more than a year and many, many comments on this post, Soren seems to have come up with the first definitive cause of these problems – if we believe Lenovo knows what they're talking about. Unfortunately, it sounds like if you have the defective part, there's nothing much you can do to prevent the chance of a problem, and nothing to be done short of a new mainboard when it happens.
Technotaste RSS
OK – I just had the system board replaced. So far things are running very smoothly. I can move the laptop and pick it up in one hand without it freaking out. The service technician said that he'd seen the problem many times and that at it seems to happen generally around the 2-year mark.
For those of you without a service contract, I watched him do the repair. I think that it would be completely possible to do it yourself if you have a little bit of computer know-how and a screwdriver. The tricky parts are just knowing where all the screws and wires go. I would guess that a novice would need the better part of an afternoon to do it. The service guy took about 35 minutes.
One thing to look into is that after he replaced the hardware and put it all back together he ran a boot program that changed some id numbers (not sure what he was doing but you can probably find some information on how to do it). There are service manual pdf's floating around for the T42 and other machines on IBM's support site and other places. Probably a good place to look for help.
strangely, the only thing that seems to not work right now is my intel software that was running my wireless card. Somehow during the installtion of the new hardware, all of my settings and profiles got deleted and now it won't connect to my wireless router – so I have to use the windows software which works fine. very strange since we didn't make any chages to the wireless card or the hard drive. The only thing that I can think of is the lan port changed along with its mac address – i don't know why that would affect my wireless software.
Hope this was helpfull to anyone with the same problem.
Hey Scott,
If you don't mind me asking… how much did you get charged for the system board replacement? I was on the phone with IBM support today and they were going to charge $425 to replace the board.
Thanks.
@Wes – Scott wasnt charged anything since he still had warranty. Read his post.
@Scott, Dont hold your laptop in one hand
(look post #44). I dont know how the rules are in the US, but here in Denmark, if you have a 2 year varanty, it will renew itself for parts that has been replaced (in this case the motherboard should be covered by another 2-year warranty).
I just started having the same problem with my T42 bought in Nov. 2004 (1 yr 8 months). Horizontal static on the screen, frozen screen, BSOD with the ati driver. It's definitely a result of holding the laptop in one hand to the right of the touchpad (right on top of the hard drive). Bending or pressing on that spot locks-up the computer. Will call to see if it's still under warranty.
The problem actually has a simple explanation: excess heat. I downloaded SpeedFan, http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php a temperature/ fan speed monitoring program and was shocked by the 55 deg C temps I was running at. I opened up the machine and cleaned out all dust which helped a great deal with the HD temp but the other temp monitor (I assume is on the processor) can still get too hot. It's supposed to enter standby mode when the computer gets too hot but the standby mode I've been getting is the BSOD.
To increase airflow, I've been working with the laptop propped up on 4 pencils and now have only experienced 1 BSOD in the past week.
So, if you're having trouble with BSOD:
1. download speedfan http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php to see if you're overheating
2. clean out the inside of your T42 with a few blasts of canned air.
3. maintain airflow around the unit by propping it up on pencils or purchasing a laptop cooling unit.
Also note that if your Thinkpad overheats, it can take an hour or more to cool off, especially since when off the fan is not running.
I hope this helps.
Same problem over here with a t42p (1yr and 10 months old, so 2 yrs is very accurate).
The problem indeed happens under both Linux and windows. In particular exercising the GPU causes the lockup.
I can confirm that removing the keyboard helps cooling. Perhaps just loosen the screws will help.
I leave my story with a similar problem:
I bought a T42p from a former IBM employee here in Mexico.
The laptop is new (only 2 day old) but I have this problem.
I've installed Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 & NFS Porsche Unleashed. Both games makes the laptop to FREEZE completely, sometimes I get a Window saying the ati2dvag stopped working.
Since the laptop lacks serial number I have not support from Lenovo.
So, in a few words: If the Thinkpad is failling for any reason that means that some hardware is faulty?? (I cannot believe this is happening, because I've always used Thinkpad and had no problems whatsoever with them)
I'm getting similar problem with R51 (using ATI 9000 card). Suddenly (after 22 months) I experiece random lockups and "The driver ati2dvag for the display device \Device\Video0 got stuck in an infinite loop" errors. Since R51 and T42 shares some parts I guess it could be the same issue.
I had the exact same issue with a T42-2373-RP1. I could actually cause the exact BSOD every time by moving my laptop around quickly.
Check to see if you are running the Active Protection program by IBM/Lenovo for the hard drive. It is a program that monitors hard drive shocks and movements and shuts down the hard drive temporarily if the shock or movement is harsh.
I removed this program and the problem went away.
This program would lock the hard drive and never release it. So the machine would freeze for about 30 seconds to a minute then Blue Screen.
Just another thought for those not specifically having a problem with their video card or mother board: My T42p-2373-H16 would freeze (no BSOD, just freeze) with the slightest movement. When I connected the laptop to an external monitor, everything was fine, indicating an LCD connection/hardware problem.
Hope that's helpful for some subset of tortured IBM Thinkpad owners.
My otherwise reliable and problem-free Thinkpad T30 (4.1 yrs old!) seems to be afflicted with this first-static-then-jittery-then-BSOD screen attributed by XP to the ati2dvag file, but like others here I noticed that it was worsened when I moved the laptop or pressed in the bottom right hand corner. I downloaded that temperature program from almico mentioned above and my temp is 50+ so I think that confirms my faulty motherboard/heatsink connection. My question: Where do I go from here? do I have to buy a new mother board? if so how do I know it wont have this defect? I'm not afraid to solder something (especially since I know it's already broken) but if that's not feasible maybe someone can recommend where to get a replacement motherboard. Also, is it stupid to replace a motherboard on a laptop that is 4 years old? Thanks!
I have the exact problems described above on the T42 Thinkpad. Has anyone been able to repair this problem without replacing the motherboard? Is it really some kind of loose connection with the heatsink or some solder joint that could be resoldered?
I simply did what Steve mentioned in post No.55
Cleaned out the inside of my T42 with a few blasts of canned air and purchased a laptop cooling unit.
I also, uninstalled the Active Protection program by IBM/Lenovo as Rob Alter mentioned in post No.59
So far, it's all good
hi guys i have recently aquired an old t41
i installed a vanilla copy of winxp
and started installing devices
as soon as i installed the ati drivers the machine started locking up after a few minutes
it doesnt seem to lock up when on battery power (although ive not pushed the card harder than installing drivers and a small ammount of browsing)
i assume the card goes into a low power mode to conserve energy when the power is not plugged in
a temporary fix is to just uninstall the ati drivers and use vga drivers (useful if you want to backup your stuff before you potentially sending it away for 'repair')this t41 was steady as a rock using the standard vga drivers
i think this t41 is still under a full 3 yr on site service agreement and i will go the lazy route and have the board replaced if cleaning the inards out does not work
cya
Like somebody before said it is in most cases the video chip(be it the ATI 7500/9000/9200/9600/FireGL) starting to come off the board. I had it happen to my personal T42. I sent it to a company in IL called MicroMedics(www.micromedics1.com) and they apparantly have found a way to fix them without needing to replace the board(verified by the serial number and MAC address shown in the BIOS). It didn't cost me anything as I had it taken care of under a 3rd party service agreement I bought with the laptop(didn't buy it straight from IBM). Its been 6 months or so since I've had it fixed and no video problems so far. If you don't have a warranty I don't know how much it would cost you though, as like I said it didn't pay for it out of pocket
. Only took about a week to get a box sent to me, it sent in and fixed, and shipped back to me so it minimized the downtime. I did a little research and apparantly this problem is inherient not just to the T30/T4x/R5x series of IBM's but to any laptop that uses BGA video chips, which unfortunatly practically every one on the market as they allow manufactures to make smaller and lighter laptops. It definitly makes me glad I bought the service plan since I saw the FRU for the board in my laptop going for over $750 yikes!!!! – Jim Thompson
ding ding. I have the same thing on my T42 (it was about 25 months old when it happend and I'm outside my warranty).
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=33952
I'm going to contact the company listed above to see what the cost is to fix it.
Hello friends,
I am yet another owner of a t42 (2373-x30) and experience the following problems:
screen freezes, leaving me to shut it off by pressing the on/off button for a few seconds.
when repowering, three things can happen:
1) blank, black screen and two short and one long beeps. this means either system board, lcd assembly or ram related problems (according to lenovo web)
2) blank, black screen. nothing else happens.
3) it reboots.
from very frustrating phonecalls ive learned that the pc doesn't even look for the harddrive until _after_ the thinkpad logo disappears when booting. thus, the problem seems NOT to be related to software issues.
leaving the pc turned off for a while seems to prevent boot problems 1) and 2) above. this suggests cooling problems as proposed by soren and some others.
furthermore, i have succes bending the lower, right corner of the computer up a bit, as described in another post above. this makes the pc boot just fine. also, interestingly, this helps booting even though im not allowing the units to cool down.
i have the richly described problems with shaking the computer leading to freeze.
ive tried to take it completely apart, refit connections and dust it off with pressurized butan/propan.
as many others, i believe the problem is related to the engineering of the system board. (naturally) the next step would be to take a close look at the seating of the GPU.
has onyone tried this?
about thermal dissipation of the GPU, im also thinking about scraping off the black "glue" it sits in, and instead use some thermal paste as used for connecting CPUs and cooling device.
has anyone tried that?
of course i have no warranty on the laptop, hence all these attemps…
last, im very glad to have found this thread! a shame if this makes ibm's trustwothiness go down a bot, but still i must say that when the lap runs normally, it kicks ass!
merry christmas to you all.
I have a T42P 2373 KUU. My screen flashes sometimes, like a refresh, no BSOD or blackouts. I think it is heat related. Your thoughts? I was thinking of taking it apart and see if anything is loose.
I have a thinkpad t40 and it just started happening last week. The laptop would sometimes start up and sometimes not. When it does not start up, it is just a blank screen. No bios, nothing. When it does start up, it is random when it would freeze, bsod, or garble image on the screen. It sounds like the same problem that everyone else is having. I am thinking about going on ebay and buying another mobo, but if it's a design flaw, then it'll probably happen with the used mobo on ebay, too. What to do ? What to do?
Well, it sounds like they've fixed the defect for new parts. So if you get it repaired under warranty you should be fine, but if you buy a motherboard on eBay there's no telling whether you'd get one of the old ones or not…
I ran mobmeter, CPU is running 41C – 46C. Too bad this tool doesnt monitor heat for the video chipset.
Nguyen; welcome to a sad club.
Mark: look at http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=18399 to find a program to monitor GPU temperature.
I've monitored the temperature on CPU/GPU and they rarely go above 50 degrees C.
At the mo im trying to find a cheap mobo and replace it all. Afterall, it doesnt seem to be heat related anyway. And for future use of the machine, ill make sure not to move it unless necessary.
Same problem, seems I'm the only T40 user here though. Also close to 2 years of use… wondering what my options are since I don't think it's under warranty… I bought it slightly used.
Such a shame! I need it to work, damn it.
Romy: You might be in luck, see the link
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=33952&start=30&sid=40dd7d24de8ac5e6932c01ed09db21ab
- a guy called erasmus has had succes in fixing his T40.
I've tried he fix in the above link and it seem to work pretty well.
The fix was to stack some post-it notes on the video chip and then screw the keyboard back down to sandwich the post its to the keyboard and video chip.
No issues yet in 2 days with this method….
I have the following problems with my T42. It is about 2 years, 4 months old. The screen frooze suddenly last night, wont startup again. Also had horizontal static lines. Called the tech support and ran the BIOS diagnostics. Tech support told me that problem is in the video driver and guided me to remove and install it again. Everything seemed to work allright for one day. When I moved the laptop again this morning, the problem re-appeared. Called IBM and I am sending in the laptop this week.
This is a common problem. ~2 years out, the radeon mobility chip gets unseated from the heatsink. Same symptoms across the board. Just put a bunch of small post-it notes (around 7mm of them) on top of the gpu (it says ATI) and screw your keyboard back in. You should notice the pressure on your keyboard, but too much will keep some keys from working. I've had no problems since I've done this and have read many reports of others with similar success.
I had the same problems with a T40 (random crashes, screen going blank etc), so I opened it up and tried the post-it note fix over the ATI chip just under the touchpad buttons.
However, it was still unstable, so I went and looked at it again, this time however I put the paper (1 A4 sheet folded up a number of times, then cut in half) over the chip directly up from the chip marked ATI.
This time it worked, and has been stable since, however it may be just that the paper is pushing down more on the underlying board itself, who knows. Anyway if you a have a T40 and the other fix isn't working, then give it a try.
The problem is that the video controller chips separate from the motherboard, in the newer laptops. Newer (past few years) video controller chips are attached to the motherboards using what is called "surface mount" technology. As processor transistor densities increase, it becomes almost impossible to attach them to motherboards using pins. This is because the pins would have to be so close together, that the soldering process would end up cross-soldering pins (soldering one pin to another.) Surface mount technology uses what is called a "Ball Grid Array" (BGA), which means they now use an array of tiny solder balls to attach the chip to the motherboard. The weakness of this method, is that the solder will crack over time, either from differences in thermal expansion in the motherboard and chip, and/or more commonly from the motherboard flexing slightly. Whenever you pick up the laptop, place it on an uneven surface, adjust the screen angle, etc., the case flexes slightly. The motherboard is attached to the bottom of the case, so it also flexes. This is why you can temporarily fix the problem by pressing on the case. Chips attached with pins (like the CPU) are largely immune to this problem, because the pins can flex along with the motherboard, without cracking like solder does.
Some people have fixed this problem by shimming the area between the graphics chips and the underside of the keyboard (not possible where the video chip has a fan on it. Also, some models, like the R40, have a poorly designed heat sink for the video controller, that only comes in contact with one side of the controller; this exacerbates the motherboard flexing problem, because of the uneven pressure applied to the chip. A url that discusses this problem is http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=237501&sid=07fe537a23bb9753c3709261b44c3880
This is indeed an example of very poor design by IBM engineers. Both the bad video controller heat sink design and not reinforcing the motherboard (by attaching it to a vented aluminum under plate, which is in turn attached to the case,) are major design weaknesses. We can see from some of the above postings, that repeatedly replacing the motherboard isn't a long term fix. I believe IBM isn't the only company who made this mistake. I think you'll find that almost all laptop manufacturers have committed this error. So now, we have a situation where laptop computers have become a disposable item. Adding an under plate to the motherboard should fix the problem; it will add a pound or so to the weight, but that is a small price to pay for reliability.
Good luck to us all,
Adrien Lamothe
I forgot to mention, that there is a repair procedure for re-attaching separated BGA chips. It is called "BGA rework," and it requires special equipment. The only problem with BGA rework, is that it doesn't work all the time. I've been told that BGA rework is only successful about 50% of the time, and that when it fails the attachment is likely to be worse than before. Companies performing BGA rework sometimes will charge the full repair cost only if successful, and will charge a much lower fee if the process fails. A couple of companies performing BGA rework on laptops computers are:
http://micromedics1.com/default.aspx
http://www.johnsoncomputer.us/motherboard.html
Remember, if you try this, you're "rolling the dice."
Cheers,
Adrien Lamothe
We're having a problem with one of our T42s here at work (2378-RAU). The user will be working away and then all of a sudden the laptop will just shut down completely and then won't boot up again. In order to boot it up I have to remove the battery and run it using the adaptor. Once it is booted up I can put the battery in place and it will work again, in fact it works so good that I give it back to the user as fixed only to have him come back again with the same problem the next day. This problem is totally baffling me. The way it shuts down looks like the battery is drained, yet when I check on the battery it is still showing a lot of juice. I thought it may be the memory because we've had problems with store bought memory in T42s before. (Note – Kingston seems to be the only memory that will work in a T series laptop, other than buying it directly from Lenovo). I took the extra ram out and just ran it with the on board ram but the problem remained.
Does anyone know what might be causing this to happen? I hope it's not the MB but I have a feeling that it might be the case. One T41 we have has already given up the ghost due to a dead MB.
I'm not too sold on the T40s. They don't seem nearly as robust as the T30s or even the T20s, which we have a lot of and are still running quite well.
Sorry for the rambling
I have the same problem. I think it's from the GPU coming off the board as well. mine unfortunately is out of warranty. i think we should setup a group and maybe do a class action for defective design for those who are out of warranty. even for those who are still in warranty the same issue could come up late on when it's not longer in warranty.
Just to add, I've had a T40 make it's way to the support desk laptop graveyard with a similar problem (sometimes hangs on boot/inexplicably hangs during use/stays up for 10mins at most if it's hot (been in use), longer if it's started from cold)…
Poking the ATI chip with the keyboard out replicates the problem, changing out the ram/harddrive doesn't make a difference. IBM quoted ridiculous figure to replace the planar board (out of warranty) so am trying the wedge of paper shoved in workaround with some success! Woot!
Oh… In response to 'mark' who said his laptop flashes sometimes without the crash/hanging issue.
I wonder if he's talking about the flicker when power management switches between profiles, i.e. when you switch from AC to battery power I get a flicker while switching to a different profile (to a less bright screen, etc).
I think this is normal, I've had it happen on most IBM thinkpads as far as I remember…
Count me in as another user (T42P) suffering from this problem. I had an IBM support tech out to my office yesterday who replaced the UXGA LCD, hoping that would fix it. Of course, the problem is still here and was immediately noticeable after installing the new LCD. They've ordered a replacement system board and will hopefully be onsite installing it on Monday. It looks like I'll be getting a fresh keyboard while we're at it, as the left ALT key popped off after servicing.
Onsite support agreement is the only way to go with notebooks. I couldn't bear the thought of sending my notebook away for who knows how long to get it serviced. Too bad my support agreement ends in May – at least I'll have a fresh system board, fresh LCD, and fresh keyboard before then. What's left to break?
Problem solved. New board looks identical to the old board, so I can't say that the problem won't come back down the road….
At this point the notebook is almost entirely new. Only the plastics and touchpad are original. Hopefully I'll have two more years before this issue comes up again.
I am having the same problems. I currently am having it serviced, but I've called IBM tech support for further information about this problem. I don't have my model # so they couldn't check specifically, but they said that it might have an extended warranty on certain parts (its been about 2.5 months since I bought it). I would call 18004267378. Maybe if enough people report the problem, they might do something about it.
I have the same problem with a t42. I popped open the keyboard by taking out three screws on the bottom of the laptop, and inserted a spring over the GPU on the mainboard with two pieces of paper on the top and bottom to prevent electrical conductivity, and screwed the keyboard back on. Presto, worked for me. I can jostle the laptop all I want with no problems.
When I called IBM they said it wasn't a design error but that this happens when the laptops are mishandled…??
So, I just wanted to thank those that contributed to this thread (and Google for getting me here as quick as possible). It saved me hours of frivilous troubleshooting with Lenovo. Also, I'd recommend the on-site support to anyone who orders a new Lenovo. New motherboard on the way, no questions asked.
Thanks!
Dave
I have a t60p 2007-8eu
and I get BSOD. I get the NMI: memory parity or memory error and the system locks up. here is a pic from my machine of the error. http://www.geocities.com/atesfaye anyone having the same problem or solve it? This is aproblem with the video card which is an ATI fir GL V5200.
Yet another user w/ issue of T42-2373-3XU blackscreening/video lockup &/or BSOD upon slight movement. Gonna try the "home remedy" of placing paper atop the GPU. Will post back if it works. And, thanks to the group for the comments.
Thought I had it working a couple of hours after inserting the paper, but the end-user took it, and brought it back today saying it is still doing it. Perhaps not ENOUGH paper? Tired of fiddling w/ it. Taking it to get mobo replaced.
[...] Ja så er der blevet indkøbt ny computer, eller i hvert fald dele til den. Min elskede t40 laptop synger på sine sidste vers, da den desværre er blevet offer for den ikke helt ukendte "GPU'en er gået løs fori du har båret din laptop i en hånd"-fejl. Indtil videre betyder det at den engang imellem går kold, især hvis jeg f.eks. spiller, så gpu'en bliver benyttet kraftigt. Nitten! Den har ellers tjent mig trofast og godt siden marts 2004 :-/ [...]
I was also facing the same problem for over last 7-8 months.I have a Thinkpad T42 which is like 2 years over.It will freeze or the screen will go blank if I touch the notebook.
I made it a desktop & used external keyboard & mouse for a long time.Also showed it to some guys at the Hardware centre & they said that its a mother board issue & will cost 250$ minimum to fix.I didn't want to spend that much amount & continued using it like a desktop.then I came to know about the Post it way of fixing the issue.it worked I put the post its over the GPU pressed by the keyboard & atleast for last 1 day it has been working great.lets see how long it can handle
Glad I found this page. Was just about to buy a T42, on the basis of my flawless X20.
What a disgrace.
Nav, I support the class action initiative.
I have a defective Thinkpad R50p which has the same problem. I sent it to a company which does "BGA Rework", and they "reflowed" it, but it didn't work. The reflow process uses the existing balls as joint. There exists another procedure called "BGA Reballing" where the contact balls are replaced by newer balls or by a paste applied with an stencil, and then the chip is re sodered with the new balls/paste. Sadly, this company doesn't have the stencil for my ATI FireGL T2-128. So if anybody knews about a company providing those stencils, that would work. The company is MegaTech
The FireGL chips, are four chips in a single piece, one chip is on each corner of what you see, apparently the problem is in the lower right corner. (see: http://picasaweb.google.com/emaringolo/OverhaulinThinkpadR50p/photo#5033419903034480786 ). So applying pressure at that corner may help to boot the computer. And that is where the extra pressure, fix, or any other patch should focus.
This how it started to look before I even know what a BGA chip was: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=378878481&size=o
I've found this to be very a good example of what may be happening to your BGA CHIP. .
The company seems to have a long expertise in the area.
http://www.etech-web.com/bga_reballing.htm
I also am a t42 user from mid 2005. I pick mine up single handed from the left side of my unit and get the very lovely BSOD. So very nice. I see now of what i suspected all along to simply be a flexing of the MB. Nice to know that i was correct. My current issue if any here would havw advice for me is upon boot-up i get FAN ERROR and shut down. Just curious of any others with this problem and if it required a MOBO replacement or simply (hopefully) the fan replaced of its own. I was A Corp. computer salesman back in the late 80's. Just be thankfull that no body here is having the wonderfull IBM quality issues of that period along with the tech manuals that the IBM engineer's admitted that they just flat lied. Those were fun times
Mike – I have had the 'FAN ERROR' problem twice in the last six month. It's just what it sounds like. I had the fan replaced at a local IBM authorized service joint and everything was peachy again.