[ltp] T61 fails SMBIOS and USB Port tests

[Owen Heisler]

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I have a new T61 8897-CTO with Intel video that fails two hardware tests do=
ne=20
by the Rescue & Recovery disc included with the laptop.  I was prompted to =
run=20
the tests by some problems I've had that I thought might be hardware relate=
d.

First, the tests that failed:
System Board: USB Port Test - Abnormal Exit
SMBIOS: Standards Test - Failed

Second, the problems I've noticed:
1. Sometimes, when I type in the console, about 40% of the keystrokes are=
=20
ignored.  If I type (for example) "startx" and hit enter, I'll see "sart" o=
r=20
somesuch and the command fails.  In that same case, typing "sttartxx" and e=
nter=20
probably would have worked, with "startx" being run.  The enter key is also=
=20
affected, so maybe I'd have had to hit it twice.  This is frustrating,=20
obviously.  This
 - does not seem to be related to system temperature,
 - does not happen in X,
 - only happens sometimes (maybe 20%), though it seems to remain until a re=
boot,
 - and hasn't affected logging in (username & password), that I remember.
2. Booting up takes a long time, because there is a ~20 second delay while=
=20
udevd is detecting hardware _after_ all of the hardware has been detected. =
 In=20
other words: udevd starts detecting hardware, for a few seconds some lines =
name=20
the hardware, then there is a ~20 second pause, then "done.", then booting=
=20
continues.
3. Probably this is totally unrelated, but I noticed while playing bzflag o=
nce=20
that the video would layer things wrong: faraway things that should show up=
=20
'behind' everything else would cover other things, like the wall at the map=
=20
edge would cover everything else where it was...  This would happen=20
sporadically while playing on a map (that's why I thought maybe it was=20
hardware).  I've tried (once) without success to reproduce this.
4. Again, bzflag:  This has happened more often.  All of the objects on the=
 map=20
disappear, excluding the horizon, sky, ground, and map edge graphics. =20
Restarting bzflag seems to fix this.

I'm using the latest BIOS (1.26).  I haven't tried the tests on previous=20
versions I think, but I have noticed problems 1, 2, and 4 with older BIOSes.

I'm running Debian Lenny/Sid amd64 with kernel 2.6.22.10.

I found this (but it isn't helpful I guess):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=3D141168

So, is there a hardware problem?  According to Wikipedia, the SMBIOS is jus=
t=20
about PC-specific information.  That sounds like something an upgraded BIOS=
=20
would fix later...?  And what about the USB Port test failure?

Also, can you recommend better hardware diagnostics software?  Free and=20
preferably as either a CD/DVD image or Debian package, please.

Thanks for reading all this and for any thoughts you have.

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