T20 CPU fan problem

I have IBM Thinkpad T20 notebook. MY notebook has a problem with its CPU fan. After I press Power button, CPU fan runs about 10 seconds and then off. It won't back on again until its automaticly shut off (overheat).
Anyone has any idea? I have already updated the BIOS(latest one).

Thank you!

 

This is very confusing !!

"It won't back on again until its automatically shut off (overheat)"

1) What wont back on again ?? - The fan??

2) until its automatically shut off (over heat). The Thinkpad ??
You stated the fan is already stopped.

The fan does not run 100% of the time. So when you first power up, before the interior warms up, the fan will probably be off.

But if the fan is working properly, you should feel warm air [out the side] BEFORE the Thinkpad overheats.

 

I meant The cpu fan is on right after I press power button but only about 10 seconds.
It stops and won't run again...

Please help..
Thank you!

 

ERROR
0175: Bad CRC1, stop POST task.

This error is shown in my computer when I power on it and it does not boot, can somebody help me about this problem how can I fix it or where to get some help to fix it. Thank You.



Computer Sience, & IT.

 

Hi guys!
I actually have the same problem with my t20. i sent it a couple times to ibm but they coulndt find the problem. i fear its the mainboard.
anyways. i opened up my laptop and took out the fan. i noticed that the thermal pad between the cpu and the fan got old, so i bought a thermal sheed, layered it a couple times and put it back in. actually i bought a total new fan just to be certain. but still the problem is there and still the cpu clearly overheats. there is an exterme heat coming from the cpu and the pcmci card bay.
does anybody have an idea what that can be? any help? cause i am ready to dumb my notebook and call it a day.

Marc

 

Anyone already resolve this problem ? My machine have the same problem .

 

no. i actually gave up on it and save on a new laptop...

 

I own Thinkpad T21 and I am having same problem. When I power it up the cpu fan runs for first ~10 sec and then turns off which causes the CPU to overheat quickly, which results in sudden reboot or hang. I baught another (thinking that fan is bad), the other fan is also giving same behaviour, I guess it is motherboard....anybody has any other idea?

 

no chance the systemboard is defekt
http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-4K2MCU
[V]

 

hey guys,
to be honest with you, i think it is a serial failure of the mainboard, ibm knows about it and dont want to bother... personally, i will contact them and try to work it out with them, but i dont have big expectations that i will be successful. i will keep you updated. i am wondering how many people have that problem with their t20...

marc

 

I also have T20 and having the same CPU fan problem...If any of you have any solution, please keep us updated..Thks!!!

 

interesting...
iw as wondering how old everyones T20s are. My notebook is about 3 to 4 years old...

marc

 

My T21 started acting like this 3 weeks ago too.
It spins the fan the first 5 secs after power on (probably part of the boot procedure)

But later after Win XP boots up, the processor stalls after 15 minutes because the fan doesn't come on.
When everyone's started acting like that? I suspect something is wrong with the power management software but who knows ...

Any ideas how to rewire the fan so it is always on??

 

I have the same problem.

Did sommebody have any answer from IBM about this prolem?

Thanks for share your tips.

From Mexico

Eduardo

 

I am having exactly the same problem with my T20.
It is over 3.5 years old, and the problem started about a week ago.

At first I thought it was related to the Windows updates that happened
around that time, but removing the updates didn't have an effect.

 

I copy that!
I had exactly the same problem. about 3 years old, updated Windows and thought thats the problem. Then I update the Bios- No results. As I wrote I sent this dumb thing in a couple of times. IBM coulndt find anything. Common. Are they serious? The best technicians in the world cant find the problem with their laptops? Thats a joke and in my eyes they are covering something up. And to be honest, it is starting to agrovate me. But anyways, guys, I just wrote them another email and ask them to give me at least a statement. Depending on that statement I will decide if I will hand this case to my lawyer or not. Obviously I am not alone with this problem, thats for sure!

Marc

 

I did BIOS update too.
However, this problem does seem to be Windows related, check this out:

I ran the IBM's PC Doctor DOS utility, which has specific tests for the thermal sensor and the CPU fan. Both tests pass. Also, during the CPU fan test it spinns alright.

I also ran KNOPPIX Linux (it's a Linux than can be run directly from the CD, no installation is needed).
The fan works under Linux. It tuns on from time to time when the CPU get hot.
There is also a test package in Linux, called "cpuburn". It has several programs that load the CPU with the specific intention to generate as much heat as possible. I had one such program, "burnP6", run for 30 minutes in a row, harmlessly.

Starting with a cold computer, Windows lasts about 20 minutes, may be less. Linux didn't crash in 3 hours of running.
I think I will leave Linux on overnight to see what happens.

 

Thanks for those information. I was actually thinking about checking another operating system, too. So, please, let me know what your results are. The more information me gather the more ammunition I will have against IBM. I will test the Linux way, too.
Thanks guys so far!

Marc

 

Actually, my system in back online again.

Any combination of the following 3 things could have done it:
I installed 2 latest power management drivers from IBM, they both are dated 25-Jan.-05, so are quite new. One of them is the Battery maximizer, and the other one is the ACPI driver (which is directly related to the CPU fan).
The third thing is the recent Windows update, that happened in the first half of this week.

Anyway, my notebook now works and the CPU fan is splinning.

Happy spinning to everybody!

 

thanks for that info.
actually, i cannot get that far with my t20. i have to reinstall windows to even have access to those option. but during the installtion my system stops and the t20 shuts down. so i dont know, what else is left to do. i am ready to trash this stupid thing.


marc

 

Hi guys,

My 4 year old a20p is showing the same symptom. It hangs with black screen when it works on heavy tasks, such as playing a movie.
I guess something got overheat. The CPU fan spins only for a few seconds at power on.
But CPU fan itself seems alright. I took it out and it spins with 5V DC input. Maybe it's a driver problem?
Could any other part of the system have a overhead problem?

Hope someone can give a clue. thanks.

 

Alexpardus

Hello, can you tell us, where did you find those drivers and the order to install them. Because as I saw, you install them in the perfect order.

Thanks alot.

EDUARDO from MEXICO

 

Hi!
I don't know where did I see that the both drivers are from 25-Jan.-05, because now I see that the Battery MaxiMiser (v1.37a - which is what I have now) is from 2004-10-25, and the ACPI (v1.30 - same as mine) is from 2005-02-11.

What I did in chronological order:
1. BIOS update
2. Install the Battery MaxiMiser v1.37a and the ACPI driver v1.30, I think I did it at the same time, without a reboot between them.
[3.] Several reboots in the middle, including running Linux, because I somehow didn't notice that 1. and 2. helped. I could be wrong.
4. I noticed the Windows update and gave Ok to install it.

The latest IBM drivers for T20 and T21 can be downloaded from:
http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=0&uid=psg1MIGR-4JSQHB&loc=en_US

Frankly, I suspect that the only thing that made a difference was the latest ACPI driver. It is the most relevant (the CPU fan is controlled by ACPI) and it is very recent. Come to think of it, I think it is dated by 2-3 days later than my problem started.

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Eduardoc

 

Yep.. same problem here with the t20. Gonna try those updates.. I was soclose to buying anew laptop before seeing this page.. lets see..

ivar

 

I just power down after I am done . Before I would just leave it and come back to see it powered off by itself. Heats up and done. Can't believe lots of same problems but no fix ????

 

Downloaded the two drivers under power management and my fan works fine now. Thanks so much. Only took 15 minutes to research and fix. This worked out great. Thanks everyone for the info[ ][^]....

 

It doesnt work for me. Might be related to that I'm not able to update my BIOS.I says I dont need to. I can se in the bios setup that its dated 99 so I cant see why i wont acceptupdating tothe latest.. Anyone knows how to override it?

 

I've tried Alexpardus steps, but it still doesn't work...I am having the same problem just like kige80 message...Anybody knows why?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Tech

 

I have an IBM T21, and I got the same problem with CPU fan. I have removed the fan, and tested it with 5 VDC, and it runs well as if there's no problem with it at all. I got no reply from IBM Service team. I have installed newest updates from IBM Download and Driver, but that makes no difference to my old poor Laptop.
Last solution: my laptop may need a hammer...hehehe )

 

[ ] Ok guys, maybe I have solved the problem with the CPU cooling fan!
You should disable the option "CPU Power Management" and "PCI Power Management". Reboot the computer, and then the Fan works. You guys may try that! Contact me: [email protected] or YM Id: pinochioxy

 

and thanks Alexpardus a lot! I followed your steps, and my Laptop now works fine![ ][ ][ ]

 

SUCCESS!! I had the same problem, but i managed to solve it !! (i'm soo Happy)

OK here are the steps: first, I have tried - basically - everything ... Nothing worked. I beleive they have enhanced some things but did not solve it completely.

FInally, i got that "Thermal Grease" off the local market (~1$) appled it !!!!evenly!!!! on the heat sink (above the processor) after cleaning both surfaces (processor & Heat sink) thoroughly, then i have applied the paste and make it not very thin nor very thick ( since thickness is inverselly propotional to thermal conductivity). I have read so much on this issue (i have quite a nice document.. if intereseted e-mail me to send it to you ([email protected]).

Only after this i have a STABLE sytem. The fan is working normally and getting out all the heat.

Let me know if anyone needs more explanation.

Good luck!

 

This issue has been on my back burner for sometime. Now I am planning to change the motherboard. I will post another message if it fixed the problem. We would have a proven case against IBM (now Lenovo) isn't it?

Let us know if anybody has new findings so far!

Thanks
Yogesh

 

I must admit that my previous posting was ALSO not successful

The laptop is doing the same as before; overheat, hang anf crash.

Again I am very disappointed and would need your advice on how to make the fan run ALL THE TIME WITH FULL SPEED ? this i can see as the only solution. i am sure that the fan will need to be changed after a while but better that to throw away the whole laptop.

ANY IDEAS???

 

Same problem here with an older i1200 series Thinkpad. Fan spins on startup and shutdown and never again all the time you are using it.
Worthy of note is that the fan spins continuously when you are in BIOS. I also found that it spun all thru the battery condtioning process.
Latest BIOS is installed from the IBM site as well. Even tried updating APCI driver to standard PC and that didn't get me anywhere either. Could it be that the BIOS is simply not ACPI compliant? I did use the default setting installing XP Pro. I know there are other options available when installing but which of the 5 or 6 should I choose ????

 

These are the options I was speaking of right at the beginning of installing Windows XP Pro:

Once you drop the CD in the tray and fire up the computer to install XP, the first thing you'll see at the bottom of the screen is the option to press F6 if you need to install a SCSI or RAID controller. Don't press F6. Press F5 instead. This will take you to a separate menu of Hardware Abstraction Layer's where you can choose an appropriate HAL that supports ACPI. The choices will be:

ACPI Multiprocessor PC

ACPI Uniprocessor PC

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC

Compaq SystemPro Multiprocessor or 100% Compatible PC

MPS Uniprocessor PC

MPS Multiprocessor PC

Standard PC

Standard PC with C-Step i486

Other

 

Hi all!

Several times I thought I solved the problem. Just like quite a few other people here. Sometimes, the problem would disappear on its own and be gone for a week or so, only to come back later.

I also took the T20 to the IBM service. They proposed replacing the motherboard for over $1000! I could buy a new (though low-end) notebook for that money.

I think the problem is with the heat sensor. Who knows where it is located? If on the motherboard, then replacing the motherboard should solve the problem.

yprajapa, please let us know if it works for you.

The heat sensor might also be integrated into the CPU, in which case the solution would be replacing the processor.

What I am planning to do is to find a way to cause the fan spin all the time, just like williamalfy suggests.
IBM's PC Doctor DOS utility has a test for the CPU fan, where it causes it to spin on demand. So, programmatically, it should still be possible to launch the fan.
Anybody knows how to program ACPI?

 

I have the same problem of course. Does anybody know (Alexpardus) if running linux is a permanent fix? This is better than nothing.

 

I'd installed RedHat Linux 8.0 and it only lasts for approximately 30 mins...I am getting a new laptop because I'd spent too much time fixing this damn thing already...

 

I have a T21 with this problem of the fan not running. It just started happening one day! I have tried the following.
upgrading the bios
swaping the processor and heatsink
removing all the batterys main backup and psu and holding the power on button for 2 mins (I read that this fixes a boot problem) one user also suggests leaving the notebook in the fridge for two weeks)
I have upgraded the power managment software on xp
I also run linux on a seperate disk and this has the same problem


I think the thirmo resistors are located just left of the processor. There are 3 in a row. Mine look like they are funtioning correctly. also there are another two with orange tape over them. (This is only a guess I dont know that they are the thirmal resisters.

I would like to know if it is possible to downgrade the bios. Has anyone managed to do that?

 

Hi guys, I think I have the same problem too. My IBM T21 didn't want to boot up. When i press the power button it just showed a blinking LED awhile than it died again. Right now My T21 is still in IBM Authorized service for 2 weeks. Firstly they said the fan is malfunction, then yesterday they told me that my IC regulator is weak so it needs replacement. Today I got their message that they,ve changed the IC regulator but still didn't solve the problem. What should I do?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by pinochioxy

 

To be honest,
I gave up dealing with that problem. I heard from so many cases, same problems, same clueless from IBM.
I think it is a serial product malfunktion in the older Thinkpad versions. The problem onyl exists everytime somebody updates their bios to the latest version. That killed my notebook and many other.
I dealed with IBM for over a year and I have to say I am done with it. They cannot tell me what is wrong with my laptop. And IBM got the best of the best technicians in the world. So obviously there is something cooking.
But I don't want to deal with it anymore. I ordered for my family a Re IBM Notebook, payed about 800 dollars for it and it is as good as the Thinkpads. So, its not worth the pain. Just buy a new one and let IBM have their success.

Greetings,

Marc

 

Do you guys really think that it was caused buy CPU fan failure?
My T20 have got the same problem in recent months
I've read the messages here and tried to fix the problem (but failed...)
However, while my T20 halted in WinXP, I used a torch to check...
I found the fan was working fine!

I experienced (once or twice) T20 halted while installing WinXP
I suspect it wasn't a OS nor driver problem, but it's the BIOS problem
The latest BIOS "Enhancement of the battery control", which related to power management...
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4R3UYP

My T20's BIOS is v1.22, how about yours?