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    ThinkLight doesn't work

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by commander, Jun 1, 2011.

  1. commander

    commander Notebook Consultant

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    I have been using my W520 for the first time at night and I discovered that the thinklight does not work. When I press the button, I can see the icon on my screen that it is turned ON, but the LED do nothing. Have I forgot do some drivers, or is it dead?
     
    commander, Jun 1, 2011
    #1
  2. jjahshik32

    jjahshik32 Notebook Deity

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    Do all thinkpads come with the think light? Also is the thinklight the led light that shines down onto the keyboard?
     
    jjahshik32, Jun 1, 2011
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  3. kirayamato26

    kirayamato26 Notebook Deity

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    When you turn it on, does it flash? It is supposed to flash when you turn it on (unless my model's defective).
     
    kirayamato26, Jun 1, 2011
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  4. commander

    commander Notebook Consultant

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    It does nothing. I press Fn+PgUp (with a LED icon), a icon pop on the screen that the LED is ON but nothing happen. I do not remember if it worked before, but i would say yes (lenovo partition). I did a clean install then and been docked.
     
    commander, Jun 1, 2011
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  5. LenovoGringo

    LenovoGringo Notebook Consultant

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    No, not all Thinkpads have the Thinklight, noticeable exceptions: X1 and X2xx tablet models. The W520 has one I believe.

    I think that something is wrong with your model. The light is not supposed to flash. It should be a steady light. I don't think Lenovo wants you to have epileptic episodes.

    @OP
    I believe that your TL is defective.
     
    LenovoGringo, Jun 1, 2011
    #5
  6. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    Then likely it is defective. How long ago did you purchase the W520? Do you have On-Site service?
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jun 1, 2011
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  7. commander

    commander Notebook Consultant

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    about a month ago. I have standard 3y warranty.
     
    commander, Jun 1, 2011
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  8. kirayamato26

    kirayamato26 Notebook Deity

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    By it, I mean the W520; not the ThinkLight. I doubt that Lenovo would want to give its customers epileptic episodes, too. When the machine turns on, the ThinkLight turns on briefly and turns off, does this happen on your W520?
     
    kirayamato26, Jun 1, 2011
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  9. not.sure

    not.sure Notebook Evangelist

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    I think it should also work when you're in the BIOS (if it does, it's an OS problem).
     
    not.sure, Jun 1, 2011
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  10. jimbob83

    jimbob83 Notebook Evangelist

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    I think this is a feature on recent Thinkpads, similar to the warning lights on your car's instrument panel turning on briefly when you start the engine so that you can check that the lights are working. My T410s turns the light on briefly during bootup, my T61 and T42 do not.
     
    jimbob83, Jun 1, 2011
    #10
  11. Colonel O'Neill

    Colonel O'Neill Notebook Deity

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    The ThinkLight is implemented in BIOS, totally independent of the operating system. It sounds like it's broken.
     
    Colonel O'Neill, Jun 2, 2011
    #11
  12. GomJabbar

    GomJabbar Notebook Consultant

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    Not too long ago I was taking the display bezel off of my T42 to check the backlight inverter while the task lighting was in my eyes. What I thought was a screw was the ThinkLight LED. The phillips screwdriver did quick work on that! :mad:

    Bought a used display cable for a couple of dollars and that fixed the ThinkLight problem. The ThinkLight is part of the display cable on the T42. Used the Hardware Maintenance Manual as a guide to disassemble and reassemble.
     
    GomJabbar, Jun 2, 2011
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  13. commander

    commander Notebook Consultant

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    I tried it in BIOS, nothing. Also disabled the Fn/CTRL switch, nothing. All other controls work, so probably the light is dead.
     
    commander, Jun 2, 2011
    #13
  14. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    Sucks you have something already defective after only 1 month. I would call them up and dispatch someone to your home. Replacing that light is no fun.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jun 2, 2011
    #14