Known Problems
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This page provides information regarding unusual known problems, or rather, hardware/software design defects that may appear on a ThinkPad. Known problems that are related to age, are not considered unusual and will not be listed here. Some examples include:
Hardware problems are design defects related to a physical component that resides on or in a ThinkPad, which may result in premature death or reduced functionality. Fortunately, some components are modular and can be swapped for a fault-free equivalent in certain cases. Software problems on the other hand, are design defects or mistakes related to a component's firmware. Depending on the severity of the problem, some can be easily resolved with a simple modification, but some can't and may require special tools. |
Hardware Problems
- Problem with air bubbles forming due to inadequate adhesive used (X61 Tablet)
- Problem with garbled or blank vertical stripes on TFT display (T400s, T410s, T410si)
- Problem with image retention/persistence on IPS-based TFT displays (X220, X220i, X220 Tablet, X220i Tablet)
- Problem with hard drive clicking noises caused by excessive head parking (any model with a AAM/APM-capable HDD)
- Problem with failing Ultrabay 2000 Zip 250 drives
- Problem with faulty voltage regulators (A2x, T20, T21, T22)
- Problem with inductors falling off (T23)
- Problem with capacitors falling off (R31)
- Problem with faulty VRAM chips (A3x)
- Problem with dead audio codec chip (A31, A31p)
- Problem with loose solder joints on a RAM slot (T20, T21, T30, X3x)
- Problem with corrupted/garbled graphics caused by loose/fractured solder joints on GPU chip (A3x, T30, T4x, R32, R40, R5x)
- Problem with loose southbridge chips (T4x, R5x, X40)
- Problem with dead southbridge caused by inadequate short-circuit protection (X40)
- Problem with faulty VRAM chips (T60p, T60, R60, R60i, Z61m, Z61p)
- Problem with faulty NVIDIA GPU caused by inadequate solder bump material (T61p, T61, R61, R61i)
- Problem with dead VGA port (X61, X61s, X61 Tablet)
- Problem with broken USB ports' tabs (W500, T400, T500, R400, R500)
- Problem with dead EEPROM chip (some models that were built within Sep to Dec 2011)
- Problem with dead SATA ports (any model with a B2 stepping Intel 6 series PCH)
- Problem with premature battery death (600 series)
- Problem with high pitch noises (some models)
- Problem with damaged 56 W AC adapters
- Problem with cracks forming on palmrest or keyboard bezel (T2x)
- Problem with loose hinges (X2x)
- Problem with hairline cracks forming nearby hinges (R3x)
- Problem with hairline crack forming on display bezel (X3x)
- Problem with malformed casing caused by bending/twisting (T4x, X4x)
- Problem with magnesium frame near the VGA port breaking apart (T60, T60p, R60, R60e, R60i)
- Problem with broken left hinge (SLx00 series)
- Problem with stiff or loose left hinge caused by broken magnesium frame (W500, T500)
- Problem with hairline cracks forming on palmrest (T400s, T410s, T410si)
Software Problems
- Problem with DVI throughput on port replicators and docks (models from 2000-2004)
- Problem with ATI proprietary fglrx display driver (all models with an ATI display controller)
- Problem with system lockups related to video adapter (all models with an S3 display controller)
- Problem with video output switching
- Problem with LCD brightness controls not working or causes crashes (some models with ACPI)
- Problem with APS harddisk parking (all models with APS)
- Problem with too large harddrive (560)
- Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks (T43, T43p, R52, X41)
- Problem with SATA performance limited to UDMA 2 (all models with a I/O controller capable of only IDE)
- Problem with error 01C9 - More than one Ethernet devices (A31, A31p, T23, T30, X22, X23, X24, X30)
- Problem with e1000: EEPROM Checksum Is Not Valid (any model with the 82573L LAN controller)
- Problem with 3945ABG: Internal wifi cannot associate with AP (any model with the 3945ABG WLAN card)
- Problem with V.90 and V.92 speeds (any model with a Conexant SmartV.92 Softmodem DSP)
- Problems with ACPI suspend-to-ram (ACPI sleep troubles)
- Problem with display remaining black after resume (various models)
- Problem with high power drain in ACPI sleep (various models)
- Problem with LCD backlight remaining on during ACPI sleep (various models)
- Problem with fan noise (some models)
- Problem with checking battery status causes mouse to jerk around (R31)
- Problem with CPU locked to lowest frequency under AC power only (any model with SpeedStep or Cool'n'Quiet)
- Problem with immediate restarts from suspend, hibernate, and halt (some models)
- Problem with audio clipping caused by excessive sound amplification (any model with an AD1981A or AD1981B AC'97 codec)
- "Unauthorized" MiniPCI Wireless Network card error (Error 1802) (models with MiniPCI, MiniPCIe, and M.2 slots)
- Problem with faulty Thunderbolt ports caused by problematic firmware (all models with dedicated Thunderbolt controllers)
- Firmware issues
