W520 freezes / shutdowns

Hi,

I have a brand new W520 (4270CTO) with i7 2720QM, 16GB RAM (4x4GB Crucial 1066MHz DDR3), NVIDIA Quadro 1000M and original Toshiba 500GB 7200rpm HDD.

The machine runs under Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, with the latest drivers, windows updates and BIOS 1.25 (regularly updated by the ThinkVantage System Update).

Irregularly, about 1-2 times a day the machine suddenly freezes for several seconds and then shuts down.

There is no record of a warning or an error in the Windows Event Viewer from the freeze / shutdown time, apart from an error on a subsequent restart "The previous system shutdown at ... on ‎... was unexpected."

Did anyone else experience similar problems, is it normal and what is the solution to this? (send for a repair, downgrade BIOS, sell, etc.?)

I tried everything, including several different RAM configurations, switching the DIMMs, or even using just the original 4GB DIMM alone - and the machine always freezes and shuts down eventually. This should not be related to overheating as this happens both under a heavy load (CPU temperatures around 60 degrees Celsius) or under almost no load (temps around 40-50 degrees). I tried searching other topics and found only similar problems associated with the new OCZ Vertex 3 SSD - but I am using a regular HDD(!).

I used to have similar restart problems on my old T61p many years ago (these never got fixed) and expected a quality improvement from Lenovo side... (but maybe not?)

Thank you in advance for a feedback

Phil

 

That sounds abnormal. Maybe the original 4GB DIMM is faulty (unlikely, but possible). Those temperatures sound too low, under full load, the 2720QM should be at least around 75 ~ 85C.

 

From my experience, this might be caused by the CPU overheating (used a Acer which had a non-responsive fan and it would shutdown within 30 minutes).

 

Hi. I have the same issues. Local service has ordered a new motherboard. Before the local service center ordered a new motherboard, they reset the CPU and GPU. There was next to not paste on the heat sink. Should have the new part tomorrow or the next day.

 

Thank you guys for your replies.

kirayamato26: The machine is running now on a 3rd party Crucial memory DIMMs only - I will report the results. The temperature indeed goes as high as 80C (CoreTemp) under a high load.

joesurfs: Good luck with the repair! Please let us know if this fixed the issues - I would then go the same path.

 

It must be something else than the memory - I tried running on 3rd party DIMMs and even tried another set of DIMMs just to be sure. The machine still exhibits the same lockup and shutdown problems.

 

Looks like Lenovo is out of motherboards! Will be another 2-weeks before they are back in stock.

 

Hey! Any updates on this issue? I also have a W520 which freezes and then shuts off.

 

I have the same issue
No event in the event viewer on all occasions except the last one.

Just freezes for 5 seconds and shutsdown.

But last time, it became ultra slow, but didnt hang completely.
After five minutes I had to shut it off myself.
Got some events in the event viewer > Windows Logs > System

But these were created after the restart.
No significant events before system shutdown.

1.
: The embedded controller (EC) returned data when none was requested. The BIOS might be trying to access the EC without synchronizing with the operating system. This data will be ignored. No further action is necessary; however, you should check with your computer manufacturer for an upgraded BIOS.

2.
Microsoft Antimalware Real-Time Protection feature has encountered an error and failed.
Feature: Behavior Monitoring
Error Code: 0x80004005
Error description: Unspecified error
Reason: The filter driver requires an up-to-date engine in order to function. You must install the latest definition updates in order to enable real-time protection.

Will call Lenovo tomorrow.

Rohit

 

You might as well post and monitor the thread at W520 shuts off intermittently, no BSOD or shut dow... - Lenovo Community. It's VERY long at this point.

Recommend you get warranty service for your W520.

 

Hi,
I have the similar problem and I am wondering if someone might already have a solution for that. I have the following configuration: W520, 8 GB RAM, running Windows 7 64bit.

I also realized that after such a crash, Windows tries to re-install an Intel driver. Sometimes it is successful, sometimes it fails.

Did someone try another operating system (i.e. Ubuntu Linux) to check whether it is the 64bit Windows 7 or the hardware (so OS independent)???

Thanks.

 

Have you tried turning off Lenovo Active Protection System?

Can you specify your system details? SSD? BIOS version etc.

Just put them into your signature line...