New X220 won't boot after updates! Help please

Hello everyone,

So I received my X220 last night. I charged it, powered it up, installed the updates from Lenovo's think Vantage, and then installed windows updates. It was fast and snappy. When I hooked up an external drive, the system froze so I had to do a hard shut down.

I then powered it up and it won't start windows. So I initiated the recovery tool and recovered the system to its factory status. From there, it booted into windows very fast and it was working well. So I started installing the updates shown be Lenovo and windows clients.

When i was done, i worked in the computer for a couple of hours, and shut it down.

Today when I tried to power it on, windows won't boot. The ThinkPad logo would appear, and then Intel Boot Manager initiates and I get this message:


Initializing and establishing link....

PXE-E61: Media test Failure, check Cable
PXE- MOF: Exiting Intel Boot Agent

THIS SUCKS; I only got to use it for about 5 hours. WTH?!

I tried changing the boot settings, and it didn't work. For some reason, I can't get into the recovery menu. So I tried to do a recovery from the USB recovery stick I made earlier. The USB would boot, the recovery program would start, and freeze for a couple of hours, and then I get a message that a file is missing.

FYI, the bios shows the intel SSD

Can anyone help me with this issue.

Thanks.


X220---I7 2.7---Intel SSD 160GB---6250---Gobi 3000---IPS---8GB---

 

Hard drive connection problem? Does this happen if you use the hard drive it came with?

 

I don't think there is a problem with the connection. I just got the computer last night. I used it on my disk and didn't move it.

There is no way the connection would be lost bc it was working for about 5 hrs.

Yes, it is happening with the same drive that came with it.

 

What does your BIOS list as the 1st item in the boot sequence? Is it your primary SSD or something else?

 

It says USB HDD.


I changed that to the intel SSD but it didnt work. I even removed all the other bootable devices from the boot list except for the intel SSD and that didnt help. I disabled LAN boot and that didnt work.

After that, I just gave up and shut it down.

I did an extesive google search of this problem, and tried all recommendations, but no luck.

I was so freaking excited when I got it. I just can't stand having it in front of me with out being able to use. NOT COOL LENOVO, NOT COOL

 

Can you please be more specific about "didn't work". Do you still see the same error message? You did save your BIOS settings when you exited it?

If yes, pull your SSD out and plug it in tight.
If you can please check that SATA cable/connector is not sitting loose.
If you have another 7mm disk (HDD or SSD) try that disk to see if the problem persists.

 

What i meant is the I get the same error message when I change the boot sequence.

I tried disconnecting and reconnecting the drive, but I still have the same problem. The connector is not loose. Unfortunately, i do not have any other 7mm drive.

Could it be a corrupted OS or something like that, because the system is only 1 day old?

 

I don't see how it can be the OS if you can't get past BIOS. The error appears to be because it can't find a master boot record on your disk or it tries to boot from an external device, for example, from a LAN instead of your disk.

1 more thing to try: Somewhere among advanced settings in your BIOS you should have IO options. Find the one that allows your computer to boot from a LAN. Confirm that it is disabled, or disable it if it is enabled. If that doesn't work can you simply disable PXE if there is an option for it?

 

Make sure your USB hard drive is unplugged. If it has a boot record and your BIOS is booting to that first, it can cause issues.

 

1. Unplug all external devices save for the power adapter.
2. Default your bios to factory default settings.

Attempt to boot.

 

I disabled the boot from LAN, I didn't find the PXE thing. It looks like as you said that the system can't find the master boot (bc the drive is corrupted).

My USB hard drive is disconnected.

I downloaded the quick hard drive test from Lenovo's site. I booted that from a USB key. I started the quick drive test and I said the the drive failed the SMART test. It also said the drive my fail soon, back it up, and change it.

So I called Lenovo Tech since they are open now. Long story short, they will send me another drive with recovery CDs. Thanks for the replies. I will keep you updated.

 

Please post an update when you receive and try another SSD. I thought Intel's drives were supposed to be reliable. I was about to purchase Intel 320 series SSD drive to put into an X220T that I'll be buying soon.

 

If you want a fast system, SSD will make a big difference. I have a Toshiba portege with a 7200rpm HDD. My X220 was so much faster that I could not belive it.

I configured my system with the 160GB SSD, which is Intel's X-25M. I read many reviews (really good and positive reviews) about it which is why I ordered it in the first place, but I don't know why mine turned out to be defective, at least after a couple of hours of use. (I hope this is just an outlier and not the case in many Intel SSDs).

I really don't know how th 320 compare with the X-25M or any other SSD for that matter.

 

Yes, I'll be getting a nearly max-ed out tablet with an outdoor IPS screen, i7, 8GB of RAM and other goodies (I may get a 4GB stick in the aftermarket though). It simply doesn't make sense to keep such a system with a slow mechanical drive. But I've never owned an SSD yet, so I'm a little cautious.

I've ruled out OCZ and Micron drives precisely because of reliability concerns. Just like you said, all the reviews that I've seen so far presented X25M as one of the most reliable drives. 320 drives are cheaper and hopefully about same as X25M in reliability. The problem though is that there are too few people with X220/X220T and SSDs in them. At this point, all feedback is appreciated.

 

Well, Lenovo tech support said I should get the replacement drive by 2pm tomorrow (Thursday). I will install it, and recover the original factory setting using the USB recovery drive I made prior to the SSD failure (assuming the recovery USB is working since I haven't had the chance to test it).

Since the laptops I have came with Vista, I always do a clean install, which worked fine. However, I will stick with factory image for my X220
since it already comes with windows 7 and I think Lenovo's image is optimized for battery life and performance (not sure tho).

I will reply back as soon as I get the system up and running.

 

WyrmHF,

The good news is that I received my SSD replacement this morning, installed it, and recovered factory image. It works fine, at least for now. It is really snappy and I am really happy with my choice.

The bad news is that I discovered they didn't install the WWAN module even though I requested it when I configured the system in the first place. Lenovo said that I didn't request it in my configuration and they did not charge me for it.

So I bought the module and have to wait two weeks to get it and install it. I just didn't expect so much hassle with a new system. But my old laptop is really missed up and I am really in need for a new one and I like the X220. I just can't return it and wait until sometime in June for a new one.

 

Thanks for the update. I'm glad it worked for you. Also good on Lenovo for promptly sending you a replacement drive. If you run into any other problems, please post on this board.

Regarding WWAN, Lenovo appears to be overwhelmed with the sheer volume of orders on X220. So the hassle is likely due to them scrambling to assemble and ship as many laptops as they can. Since the WWAN card is something that can be fixed/upgraded separately and they didn't charge you for it, I'd probably forgive them for this blunder.

 

I have had this happen with System Update and a conventional HD. Same messages being displayed. Basically, System Update destroyed the boot sector somehow. (I use it to tell me about updates, and I now go to lenovo.com to retrieve them and manually install.) Since it was a new computer at the time I simply formatted the drive and reinstalled. BTW: I don't think that the HDD test is compatible with SSDs... Someone else may know more about that. I'd be curious to know if you formatted the old SSD if it would work properly...

 

I suppose the HDD test should work with SSD since the tech support suggested using that particular utility, I am not sure tho.

I agree with you that the system update my have destroyed the the boot sector somehow because the SSD is new and was built is april 2011. As for the formatting, I will receive my SSD enclosure today. I'll hook it and try to format it and see what happens.

 

Just got my enclosure. Windows shows there is a drive, but there is no way I can access it. I tried formatting using command prompt and windows' disk management software with no luck. Intel's SSD Toolbox did not even show that it was connected.