T61 Clicking sound when tilted

Hello All,
My 15.4 WSXGA+ T61 arrived and I noticed a problem with it. When the computer is off and I hold the laptop in my hands at the left and right edges and tilt it to either side, something inside the laptop makes a clicking/rattling sound. Seems like something is loose/unscrewed. I flipped the computer over and tried to locate the exact spot from where the sound was coming. The sound is originating from close to the DVD drive, but it is not from the drive itself. Can you experienced guys chip in and let me know if you have noticed the same thing?

I have another question regarding battery charging. Does the computer stop charging the battery when it is 100% charged? I kept my computer plugged in all night and was hoping that the battery indicator on the back of the lid will go off when the battery is fully charged. But this morning I saw both the AC indicator and the Battery indicator were lit (same as last nite). Does that mean the battery is still being charged even after it has charged 100%? please help.

A couple of other observations:
The right palmrest with the fingerprint reader is kind of flexible. It feels even more flexible than my Inspiron 6000 and because my hands are heavy I can feel the flex everytime I use the computer. I didn't expect this from a thinkpad. Another thing I didn't like was the absence of any kind of LED indicator on the lenovo power block (adapter).
Anyway guys, please help me with the clicking problem and the battery charging.
Thanks

 

Do you have a 100GB 7200rpm Seagate hard drive?

 

A little bit of flex is normal for Thinkpads. What's flexing is the plastic "skin" built around the magnesium cage.

 

Unhooked, I have the 80GB 5400rpm drive. But the sound is coming from near the DVD drive not Hard drive.
I should have mentioned it earlier, but the computer makes the sound even when it is off.
Thanks

 

I seriously doubt your battery would continue to charge past it's full capacity.

Nonetheless, if my reading on batteries on this forum last night is any guide, you are doing your battery no favors by keeping it plugged-in, as it's being kept unnecessarily warm while connected to the AC and heat is the great satan for electronic components, as we all know.

You'd probably be able to prolong your battery life somewhat, by not constantly keeping it plugged-in.

Here's the link for the battery guide:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=91846

 

Archangle, thanks for you reply. But if the battery is not charging, then how does it get heated by connecting to AC? In my dell Inspiron 6000, the battery doesn't get heated even if I leave it plugged in for a long time. I know for a fact that in Inspirons, the battery stops charging once it is fully charged.

 

From my reading of that Battery Guide article, it seems the very fact the battery is connected to the AC implicitly heats the battery, regardless of whether it's actually being charged or not. This was news to me too - I'd no idea such was the case!

 

Thank you for the replies. Can anyone address the clicking issue for me?

 

if the laptop still makes the clicking sound when it's off when you tilt it, it's most likely a loose screw / part inside the computer. or maybe a bit of plastic just being thrown around. you can check if it's in the modular bay (since you said it's coming from there) or you can call up lenovo and ask them.

 

Friends, I found what is making the noise. Close to the DVD drive (on the right side of the computer), there is a small spring-switch. When I press that a black serrated plastic strip jumps out from under the DVD drive. I don't know what that strip is for..but when I tilt that computer after that, there is no clicking sound. When I push the strip in again (and it locks with a click), and I tilt the computer, the clicking sound comes back.
Now can you guys help me? What is the strip? what's its use?

PS: and yes, I have decided to do the clean install by following Stallen's guide. It is just too slow right now.

 

wuzertheloser, what's modular bay? Sorry, I am a newbie.

 

Pull the strip out to slide the dvd drive out of the bay.

 

Will pulling the strip out solve my problem? Is that called the modular bay?

 

No idea, I've never rattled my laptop.
The strip's use (if I'm understanding you correctly) is to release the dvd drive from it's bay. The bay is modular, ie you can put different things in there..
HTH.

 

actually your batter can be charged up to 103% of your capacity...only reason why i know is vista made a pop up balloon about it and i clicked to 'learn more'

 

That strip pops out so you can pull out your DVD/CD drive. Pop the strip out, give it a steady gentle tug and your DVD drive should pull out about half an inch. Grab the drive it self to pull the rest of the way.

 

I pulled out the strip and got the DVD drive out. Then I again shook the computer and there was no noise. When I inserted the strip back in and shook the computer, the click-sound came back. It seems like that strip is the problem. I am not too much worried now, afterall its just a plastic strip connected to what looks like a metal plate inside. and actually its the metal plate that is hitting against something to make the noise.

 

sorry for the late reply, i was without internet for a few days.
a modular bay is something many business laptops have. it allows the optical drive bay (the dvd drive) to be swapped out for something like another battery or another hard drive. this is why you can pull out the dvd drive with that strip of plastic. it sounds as if you have some loose part in your laptop related to the strip. it probably isn't a serious issue like you said, but if it annoys you enough, just call lenovo and ask them to repair it.