Spilled a drink on my Lenovo Thinkpad. Now it won't boot. Looks like I've damaged the motherboard. I've never done any computer repairs before. Will I be able to replace the motherboard myself? And if so, should I? [more inside]
posted by Kronoss on Nov 10, 2009 - 12 answers

My Thinkpad's n key doesn't work most of the time (but does work sometimes if I hit it in the right spot/from the right angle and hold for a bit)...what troubleshooting/fixes can I try before I give in and replace the whole keyboard? [more inside]
posted by needs more cowbell on Nov 3, 2009 - 8 answers

Gremlins have taken over my laptop and now I get extremely loud audio feedback. [more inside]
posted by Juicylicious on Oct 20, 2009 - 5 answers

My new-ish laptop running Vista keeps resetting to 800 x 600 resolution on restarts (from crashing) and restarts from intentional shutdowns. How do I prevent this from happening in the future? [more inside]
posted by midatlanticwanderer on Sep 19, 2009 - 1 answer

Why do windows on my laptop sometimes scroll by themselves, or via touchpad movements? [more inside]
posted by Rash on Aug 10, 2009 - 9 answers

I am sending my Lenovo Thinkpad to an EasyServ repair center to have its fan replaced/repaired. Do I have to send my hard drive along with it? [more inside]
posted by alligatorman on Jul 30, 2009 - 6 answers

Why does my Thinkpad X40 beep when docked and standing by? [more inside]
posted by Ms. Informed on Jul 16, 2009 - 3 answers

Help me choose a slate/convertible tablet: Thinkpad X61 or the Motion LE1600? [more inside]
posted by tonci on Jul 6, 2009 - 11 answers

Thinkpad T61 (Vista) doing scary things. Extremely naive about computer matters. Any help appreciated. [more inside]
posted by mustard seeds on May 18, 2009 - 12 answers

I'm having issues connecting my laptop to the internet. Wireless is fine, but I can't connect by cable at all. [more inside]
posted by mammary16 on Apr 27, 2009 - 17 answers

I have an Thinkpad X61 that I use both at work and home. Internet at work requires a proxy while at home I have WiFi. Switching browser settings is no problem thanks to the awesome Connection Manager software that ships with the Thinkpad. But now things have become a bit complicated. I had to install FoxyProxy because some sites needed a different connection which the regular proxy couldn't handle. Now when I connect to the internet at home, I have to remember to disable foxyproxy otherwise the Internet doesn't work. Is there a way to disable the foxyproxy extension via the command line so that I can automate this process? Google isn't helping. FWIW, I have AutoIt and Autohotkey installed although I'm not really a programmer.
posted by your mildly obsessive average geek on Jan 26, 2009 - 5 answers

What are some decent offline games I'll be able to run on my new (to me) Thinkpad X31? [more inside]
posted by pilibeen on Jan 20, 2009 - 12 answers

Should I buy a new laptop battery or a new laptop? [more inside]
posted by bluefly on Nov 15, 2008 - 15 answers

My beloved Thinkpad T60 has died in my arms. [more inside]
posted by mammary16 on Oct 29, 2008 - 8 answers

why can i not burn a cd-rw on lenovo thinkpad t61? [more inside]
posted by raphael19 on Oct 25, 2008 - 11 answers

How do I set up my arrow keys to cycle forward/backward in firefox? [more inside]
posted by Juicylicious on Oct 17, 2008 - 8 answers

I have a ThinkPad. Why does my wireless radio (in the ThinkVantage Access Connections/Wireless Connection Status menu) power itself off? How can I make it stay on? [more inside]
posted by phunniemee on Sep 2, 2008 - 9 answers

My neighbor kindly gave the key to her (Airport) wireless network, but although I can see it, I can't connect on my PC - I don't even get as far as being asked for the key. What gives? [more inside]
posted by forallmankind on Sep 1, 2008 - 10 answers

Is my thinkpad hard disk controller dead? [more inside]
posted by theyexpectresults on Aug 23, 2008 - 5 answers

I have an ancient Thinkpad 570, and the hard drive finally died. Hardware not recognized. I've pulled out the old one (it rattles ominously) and am wondering if I can replace it with a new generic laptop drive, rather than having to go with overpriced proprietary stuff. [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken on Jul 31, 2008 - 10 answers

Why would the mute button on my computer suddenly stop working? [more inside]
posted by phunniemee on Jul 15, 2008 - 3 answers

What are some reasons NOT to get a Lenovo Thinkpad R61? I'm pretty enarmoured with this laptop and I want to be sure it's a good decision. [more inside]
posted by Phire on Jul 11, 2008 - 32 answers

My fantastically unstable IBM T42 (which is on it's 3rd, soon to be 4th, life) died a little while ago, no longer booting into Ubuntu. However, it loves to boot into Windows. How do I nuke both? [more inside]
posted by tmcw on Jul 11, 2008 - 8 answers

I want a list of resolutions supported for external screens by a ThinkPad T61P - is this asking too much ? [more inside]
posted by southof40 on Jun 18, 2008 - 10 answers

Alternative to T61p? I'm looking for a laptop that is highly reliable, has a good graphics card and lots of storage. [more inside]
posted by Popcorn on Apr 26, 2008 - 19 answers

Why does the integrated wireless radio on my laptop stop working? [more inside]
posted by crashlanding on Apr 20, 2008 - 6 answers

Computer maintenance 101: Just bought a Thinkpad T61. How do i make it go forever? [more inside]
posted by doppleradar on Feb 27, 2008 - 14 answers

My laptop either doesn't see the HDD on bootup (cannot find OS), or stops seeing it a few minutes into use (BSOD). Could this type of problem: a) be reasonably easily resolved by me for small amount of cash b) be easily resolved by a professional for a reasonable amount of cash c) be best resolved by selling it on ebay for parts or repair for a reaonably small amount of cash? [more inside]
posted by forallmankind on Jan 20, 2008 - 3 answers

Is my ThinkPad laptop capable of video capture? [more inside]
posted by stleric on Jan 13, 2008 - 2 answers

Help a couple of decidedly incapable computer users get their wireless connection working again. [more inside]
posted by Parasite Unseen on Dec 9, 2007 - 13 answers

My Thinkpad won't boot up normally. Now I'm trying to get it to boot from either the Windows XP Pro installer disc, or the recovery disc I just created from the IBM site, but I can't get either to run. How do I do this? [more inside]
posted by forallmankind on Nov 26, 2007 - 2 answers

Should I/Can I get my Thinkpad repaired [more inside]
posted by sully75 on Oct 4, 2007 - 10 answers

I've got an old IBM Thinkpad G40 circa something like 1998 that runs Pentium II and I want to get it running as fast as possible while spending as little money as possible. [more inside]
posted by alona on Sep 10, 2007 - 8 answers

Why is my brand-new router massively slowing my Internet connection, even when everything's connected with cables? [more inside]
posted by escabeche on Jul 12, 2007 - 7 answers

Converting an old laptop into my first home server - what should I know? [more inside]
posted by penciltopper on Jun 19, 2007 - 15 answers

I am trying to replace a laptop keyboard but the final screw has burred and neither the regular or precision screwdriver works. If someone suggests that I go to repairman and 50 bucks to fix this, I am likely to do serious damage to this laptop (namely by throwing it against a wall). Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by zaebiz on Jun 15, 2007 - 11 answers

Is there anywhere in the Chapel Hill/Durham, NC, area where I can just show up and buy (or at least get a good look at) a Thinkpad X60 (or preferably, X40/X41)? [more inside]
posted by amtho on Jun 7, 2007 - 8 answers

Help me figure out why my laptop screen is flickering (madly). [more inside]
posted by n_s_1 on Jun 3, 2007 - 9 answers

I just upgraded from a Thinkpad X22 w/ PCMCIA wireless card to an X31 with built in wireless, and the X31 is dropping the wireless connection on a regular basis, despite there being a reasonable signal. Aside from the wireless being built in, the other difference is that the X31 also has the ThinkVantage Access software installed - is it possible that there's a conflict with XP and this software?(XP is set as the default choice). [more inside]
posted by russmail on Apr 24, 2007 - 6 answers

The cursor of an IBM Thinkpad A20 is continuously "drifting". Do I need to get a new keyboard, or is there another way to fix this? [more inside]
posted by jbotz on Apr 23, 2007 - 11 answers

Should I buy a Dell XPS M1210, or look elsewhere? [more inside]
posted by 4ster on Mar 6, 2007 - 32 answers

What is this nipple on the bottom of my laptop? [more inside]
posted by .taft on Mar 6, 2007 - 6 answers

I need to buy a laptop soon and I'm looking hard at getting Thinkpad for a variety of reasons. However I'd like some advice on what to prioritise when buying one, especially considering the limited options for customisation available in the UK. (Other laptop recommendations welcome) [more inside]
posted by drill_here_fore_seismics on Feb 23, 2007 - 15 answers

USB2.0 PCMCIA card recommendations - I would like to run a USB powered CanoScan LiDE 60 scanner on an X22 Thinkpad. [more inside]
posted by forallmankind on Dec 12, 2006 - 3 answers

How do I middle-click in Firefox on a Thinkpad T43? [more inside]
posted by Who_Am_I on Nov 27, 2006 - 13 answers

Dropped my laptop (IBM Thinkpad T42) from about 3 feet. It seemed ok for a week except that it randomly rebooted from time to time. However now it says it can't even load the operating system. I don't have a recovery disk. I don't have the original XP CD. I can't send this to a repairman because I have very sensitive information stored in files on the desktop. How sunk am I? [more inside]
posted by zaebiz on Nov 24, 2006 - 19 answers

I have a Thinkpad G41. About an hour ago, I (shut it off) packed it in a backpack-style case, and rode my bicycle to the radio station where I work. Upon arriving, I turn it on and the screen does not do anything at all. Everything else about bootup appears normal, except the total deadness of the screen (the light behind the TFT does not appear to come on). Also, there are (what I presume to be) BIOS beeps, one long two short. Googling produces this which informs me I have a "video adapter error". What do I do now? (This laptop is about a year old, I think it's out of warranty now... is it just doomed to become a server?)
posted by phrontist on Oct 27, 2006 - 14 answers

Why won't my Thinkpad battery charge fully when it's plugged into the wall? [more inside]
posted by escabeche on Oct 24, 2006 - 10 answers

How do I clean my ThinkPad's harddrive so I can sell it WITHOUT having to reinstall XP? [more inside]
posted by phixed on Oct 21, 2006 - 11 answers

Help! Stuck with USB 1.1 on a Thinkpad T40 when connected to an IBM Mini Dock. [more inside]
posted by MaverickX on Oct 2, 2006 - 8 answers