[ltp] Linux, Thinkpads and IBM warranties

[Christopher Sawtell]

On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 05:54, David A. Desrosiers wrote:
> > What issues and experiences have any of you had with Linux on your
> > Thinkpad and IBM's warranties?  Has anyone had a repair issue in
> > which Linux was install (dual boot or only Linux) and IBM give you a
> > problem?  Or do you have to resort to reinstalling windows only
> > before contacting IBM?
>
> 	My T23 has been back to IBM for hardware repair 7 times total
> in the first 18 months since I purchased it. They replaced the system
> board (4), mini-pci card (1), system board PSU (1), external PSU (1),
> LCD (1), keyboard (2), case (1) and various other innards.
>
> 	In the time I had it, it would consistently "bake" IDE drives,
> no matter which ones I would put in it. After the first 3 were eaten
> (I bought replacements myself, thinking they were faulty drives), I
> realized it was the laptop itself doing it. It would run so hot that
> it would literally cook the black rubber from the bottom of the laptop
> (which is why they replaced that shell once).
>
> 	I've since realized that the drives were under warrantee, and
> RMA'd them about 2 months ago, and I've received a few replacements
> back which is nice (so I have spares). The batteries also only hold
> about 2.5 minutes of charge (they're about 20 months old). It only
> runs on AC now.
>
> 	It still runs exceedingly hot after IBM replaced the external
> power adapter and the case has some stress cracks in key places (near
> the top corner of the ultrabay and down on the left side where the
> pcmcia slots meet the keyboard). Picking up the laptop from underneath
> causes it to flex downward in a VERY exaggerated way. I keep it on a
> desk now and don't travel with it anymore because I don't want to
> short it out by flexing it too much like that.
>
> 	Overall, my history with IBM repair has been good, save for a
> few small issues where they updated the BIOS (when I specifically told
> them NOT to), breaking apm at one point for me, but overall my luck
> has been good.
>
> 	I keep a spare 2gb drive that I use to ship in with the laptop
> when it is getting repaired. It has the base OEM Windows install on
> it, and if they want to blow it away and reformat it, they can.
>
> 	Now that I have a T42p with the full 5-year TPP, I shouldn't
> have any of these issues. <fingers crossed>
>
> 	Too bad there isn't a lemon law with IBM Thinkpads.
With all due respect, I think that it's absolutely amazing that IBM are 
replacing all these parts for you for free, because you would appear to be 
running your TP at full speed all the time, thus over heating the poor thing.
Needless to say IBM should have realised that and been able to advise you 
appropriately. btw are you running a cpu speed control daemon?

What about the 
	Option      "DynamicClocks" "on"        # [<bool>]
line in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf X-11 server configuration file?

Have you got the bios set for "full speed" or "optimise battery" - or words to 
that effect? Changing the setting to the latter makes a huge change. 

After the temperature has stabalised, what does the command:-
cat /proc/acpi/thermal_zone/THM0/temperature
have to say? 
Mine reads:- temperature:             58 C
This is while it's running the Kmail program and a Java based file transfer 
program. It gets quite a bit hotter under a heavy load such as a long 
compile, but returns to around 55 C under no load at all.

--
C. S.