New Thinkpad Owner - Very Happy! But some big problems.

Hello everybody!


First off, I would like to say that I'm very happy with my T410 i5 nVidia - this thing is screaming fast! Well, coming from a powerbook g4 anything seems fast, but I love this new computer. However, I have some major problems with the Ultrabay HDD adapter and drive.

Windows will not recognize the hard drive. Not in device manager, not in disk management. This is a problem, as the first time I put the drive in, everythin went fine; then, I ejected the drive and the computer never recognized it again. Here is a short timeline:

1. Put drive in, recognized.
2. Ejected drive, took it out, put it back in.
3. Drive not recognized.
4. Booted linux from a USB stick, tried to install on ultrabay drive but realised that the drive simply wasn't there.
5. Searched the internet for a solution, but most offer the solution to look in device manager; my drive simply isn't there.

The LED in the drive flashes a couple times right on boot, but nothing further.

So, all I know is that I put the drive in , it worked, and I did something (?) to make it not work at all. Great.

I can't figure this out! The drive is a WD 320GB laptop drive. Thank you!

 

Does BIOS detect it? Doubt it if linux doesnt...

Are you using a legit ultrabay adapter from lenovo?

 

No, the BIOS does not detect the drive.

I'm sorry to say, however, that the adapter is a knockoff; I don't know how much of a problem that would be though, as the adapter worked the first time, and the LED turns on when I boot up. I did, however, remove the drive itself from the adapter twice to see if that was the problem; would the force on the adapter be enough to mess up the shoddy workmanship?

 

try putting it the harddrive into the regular drive, if that work then it must be either the ultrabay or connection problem.

then try putting the dvd-drive back in, if that work than that mean the ultrabay is most likely dead.

 

And just in case, try re-seating the HDD in the ultra-bay again

 

Ugh, it must be the adapter. I put it in the main slot, and it booted fine; I was even able to put linux on it. But when I put it in the adapter, no go. This is very frustrating, as it worked without a hitch the first time I put it in my computer.

Oh well.


Thank you for all the help; the computer itself is still amazing

 

I'm just taking a guess here but... could it be some sorta setting in the power manager? Because I know it disables optical drives when not in use until you hit the eject key.

Its a shot in the dark but its worth a try, just go disable that power saving feature in power manager.

 

That does sound possible, however I am unable to find such a setting in the power manager.

 

stavro, what did lenovo say when you called them to ask about this problem?

 

Er, nothing as I haven't called them, and I doubt they would be willing to help as the adapter I have is not the officil one; the port itself isn't the problem, as the DVD drive works flawlessly.

 

It's there. You might need to be in 'Advanced' view in order to see it.

I'm following this thread cause I want to do the same thing you've done, also with an aftermarket adapter, and have been curious how this setting would affect HDD. The setting works as expected with the Optical drive, which IIRC was the default when I got it.

 

Hm, okay. I'll try to look deeper in the advanced, maybe I missed it. This whole thing is weird, however, because (as I've said many times before) the drive worked perfectly the first time; then, I "safely removed" the hard drive and took it out of the computer while the computer was still on. This is where I assume the problems began.

 

Hm, maybe; however, the LED still flashes right when I turn the computer on. Maybe it will just do that any way; is there anyway I could take the adapter apart and physically tell?

 

No Wonder, you're running UNIX.
Renee

 

If you still havent found the settings:

1. Open the ThinkVantage Power Manager.
2. Switch to Advanced (button at upper right corner)
3. In the main area, expand the "System Settings"
4. You should now see a list of settings (Max CPU Speed, CPU Deeper Sleep, etc). The last setting is the one you want to change (Automatic optical drive power off).

 

I changed the settings; in order to do so, I had to put the optical drive back in, as it would not show up with the hard drive. No go, even restarted. Oh well, the only problem seems to somehow be the adapter. And, to (annoyingly) say this again, it's confusing because:

1. It worked when I first put it in
and
2. The LED flashes on boot.

Frustrating!

 

is that really a lenovo problem though? sounds like your problem is with the third party manufacturer.

 

I never said it was a Lenovo problem, I was just wondering if there was a solution other than the adapter simply went kaput on it's first use.

 

Sounds like the ultrabay adapter...
Get a legit one.

 

oh, well the title you gave this thread makes it appear as if you are complaining about big problems with your new thinkpad rather than big problems with your third party accessory

glad you enjoy your new thinkpad!

 

Heh, yep. Was just hoping it wasn't the adapter. As for the computer, I couldn't be happier. I used ArcGIS and AutoCAD, and this processor screams! And I don't have to worry about it falling apart in a year as some of my friends' laptops have done.

Edit:

After taking the drive apart, I notice that there was solder touching two contacts instead of one - I will try to scrape that off and see if it fixes anything.