Lenovo T60 Issues

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NiftyNerd

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So I got a Lenovo T60 in for service that may push me to drink.

The old hard-drive was trash, so I put in a new one, installed XP, but the problem is that the key taped to the comp is an OEM key and has no discs. I've tried using about 4 different XP discs I got and none of them want to sync with this key.

Client pitched the original discs.

So I deleted the partition and everything on the hard-drive, went to start over, and now it all of a sudden starts with the Intell Boot Agent (has never before) and after start up wont detect anything (shows CD drive and HD) but says no operating systems present. I change CD to first boot option and even manually select it and nothing.

I'm honestly stumped, I tried a different hard drive that I know is good, same thing. Is this thing not reading from the CD-Drive or what's my problem?

Any help is great.
 
NN,

I work on nothing but Lenovo T60-T400 here at my full-time IT job. Make sure in the Bios Setup Utility, under Config, Serial ATA, SATA Controller Mode Option is set to Compatibility.

If you save the configuration, you should then be able to boot off the CD and/or use F12 to do so.

Let me know further if you have any other issues - the IBM/Lenovo laptops have AHCI as the default setting for that option.
 
T60? Well that's my on-site workhorse. Actually, mine is fine set to AHCI (I though it was and just checked, yes).

Sounds to me like the HDD has no active partitions or the boot order is messed up. F12 or Thinkvantage should get you a menu regardless.
 
skaterizme said:
NN,

I work on nothing but Lenovo T60-T400 here at my full-time IT job. Make sure in the Bios Setup Utility, under Config, Serial ATA, SATA Controller Mode Option is set to Compatibility.

If you save the configuration, you should then be able to boot off the CD and/or use F12 to do so.

Let me know further if you have any other issues - the IBM/Lenovo laptops have AHCI as the default setting for that option.
Click to expand...
I agree with Skater, I worked with the T60's at my corp. gig. We had the same issue with Ghosting machines until we switched it to compatibility. That would be the first thing to check. Hope it's that simple for ya!
 
Unfortunately I know the compatibility trick from an older thinkpad I use at home, and that didnt do it.

Out of the blue it stopped booting from any device (though if I load a Ubuntu cd it will read it, so it's not that, and it detects a hd)

And it runs through the Intel Boot Manager which it never did before.

Going to try the BIOS now...

Oh and its Windows XP Pro
 
Last edited:
Just did the BIOS update and same story...

Gets to:

Cannot boot from any device

Current boot order and device status
1. USB FDD
2. ATAPI CD0:
3. USB CD
4. ATA HDD0
5. PCI LAN
6 USB HDD
7. ATA HDD1

The PCI LAN, ATA HDD0 and ATAPI CD0 all say No valid operating system found after...
 
NN,

You said you tried a different hard drive? That is strange. I'm still thinking there has to be something in the Bios setup/configuration. H-m-m-m......
 
Yes sir, I have identical brand new WD HD's here, 250GB Scorpio Blacks.Either one, same story....

They're 7200rpm vs 5400... as crazy as it sounds, would speed on the HD be a facot here?
 
So you are sure your HDDs are in working order? Have you tried booting the drive in another laptop (or desktop with a 40<>44 pin adapter)?

(Just to the Windows loading screen / F8 to see whether the boot sector is fine.)

Like I said in my other post, my T60 is set to AHCI and I have it quad booting no problem. If your HDD has nothing of importance on it and it reads the Ubuntu (you didn't say whether it boots Ubuntu though), why not install Ubuntu first?

Maybe the boot sector is corrupted in such a way that Windows cannot deal with it.
 
NiftyNerd said:
100GB and actually, looking at it now, it was 7200 RPM as well, so that can't be the issue...

Tried resetting BIOS to default, no go.
Click to expand...

But can this machine handle 250gb drives without a BIOS update? (or can it handle that size at all ?).
 
KompuKare said:
So you are sure your HDDs are in working order? Have you tried booting the drive in another laptop (or desktop with a 40<>44 pin adapter)?

(Just to the Windows loading screen / F8 to see whether the boot sector is fine.)

Like I said in my other post, my T60 is set to AHCI and I have it quad booting no problem. If your HDD has nothing of importance on it and it reads the Ubuntu (you didn't say whether it boots Ubuntu though), why not install Ubuntu first?

Maybe the boot sector is corrupted in such a way that Windows cannot deal with it.
Click to expand...

Yes sir, I have booted the hd's on another windows machine and no problem, can partition, read, etc. as needed. I haven't installed Ubuntu so I'll try that.

NYJimbo said:
But can this machine handle 250gb drives without a BIOS update? (or can it handle that size at all ?).
Click to expand...

I did the BIOS upgrade earlier as suggested and nothing.

Here's why this is so weird, because before this happened. I was trying to get the serial number to match with the Windows I was installing. So the same exact laptop w/ the same exact hard drive we're talking about had XP Pro (Just not his serial, a diff one. on it) and worked fine. Then all of a sudden, in the midst of re-installing XP Pro again (different disc) it started showing the Intel Boot Agent on startup (IT NEVER HAS BEFORE!) and won't read a Windows disc.

So why would it have first worked and now quit.

It's detecting the CD Drive and HD, so it knows they exist, it just wont read off a Windows disc to allow me to install XP on the HD... :(
 
Here's why this is so weird, because before this happened. I was trying to get the serial number to match with the Windows I was installing. So the same exact laptop w/ the same exact hard drive we're talking about had XP Pro (Just not his serial, a diff one. on it) and worked fine. Then all of a sudden, in the midst of re-installing XP Pro again (different disc) it started showing the Intel Boot Agent on startup (IT NEVER HAS BEFORE!) and won't read a Windows disc.

So why would it have first worked and now quit.

It's detecting the CD Drive and HD, so it knows they exist, it just wont read off a Windows disc to allow me to install XP on the HD... :([/QUOTE]

So it does boot off a CD but with this particular Windows XP CD it doesn't? H-m-m-m, do you have another Windows OEM CD you can try? Another PRO version or how about the Home Edition? It seems that choice is narrowing down to the actual CD you're using. If you can use one CD and not the other, it has to be that particular CD. I've checked the setup options on a T61 that I have and it's the same setup as the T60 and I don't see anything that stands out and something that you haven't done.....this is getting interesting-:)
 
skaterizme said:
So it does boot off a CD but with this particular Windows XP CD it doesn't? H-m-m-m, do you have another Windows OEM CD you can try? Another PRO version or how about the Home Edition? It seems that choice is narrowing down to the actual CD you're using. If you can use one CD and not the other, it has to be that particular CD.
Click to expand...

NiftyNerd said:
I've tried using about 4 different XP discs I got and none of them want to sync with this key.
Click to expand...

Filler.............text........
 
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