[ltp] X20 won't restart after battery goes dead and auto-shutoff

[Richard Neill]

C K wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I recently installed Debian Testing on this X20, and for the first
> time forgot to plug in the power adaptor so that the machine ran down
> its battery and turned off automatically.
> 
> Now when I hit the power button, or hold it down for a long time, or
> hammer on Alt-F7, absolutely nothing happens, no hardrive movement, no
> sign of a boot attempt or return from suspend on the LCD or any of the
> lights below it.
> 
> The only sign of life I see (while power adapter is plugged in) is a
> continuous yellow battery light and a green crescent moon light
> (indicating a suspend state?).

Green crescent does usually mean suspend (to RAM). If Debian testing is 
like Ubuntu, the machine will automatically suspend (or at least, try 
to), before the battery fails completely.

> 
> One of the first things I did after buying this machine used and
> before blowing away the Windows partition was to update the BIOS to
> the latest I found on the IBM website.

BIOS update could be to blame. Blowing away the partition is definitely 
not the problem - the TP would power on even with no drive installed. If 
the machine booted up at least once after the BIOS upgrade, then that 
isn't the problem either.

> 
> The machine is acting like something is fried on the motherboard
> (please tell me it isn't so) but I wonder if this might have something
> to do with my also blowing away the Windows restore partition these
> machines are shipped with?

Could you possibly have knocked the keyboard connector loose? (It's 
quite easy to take the keyboard out - see the service manual - and 
reseat it).

> 
> If anyone can help me breathe life into this wannabe doorstop, I would
> appreciate it. Considerable googling hasn't turned up anything quite
> like I am seeing.

Try the old trick (sometimes works) of *really* powering it off.
  Disconnect AC.
  Disconnect Battery.
  Press and hold power button for 30 seconds.

If this doesn't work, try waiting a few minutes before powering back on. 
If *that* doesn't work, try again, but with the CMOS battery removed.


Good luck,

Richard