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Question

why won't my thinkpad start up?

Feb 14, 2015 5:19PM PST

I bought my mother an IBM thinkpad r30 - bought (reconditioned) about a year ago with open source software (not microsoft). Apart from having to change the power lead it's been working fine until the last couple of days. A couple of days ago whenever we turned it on it would work(-ish) buy made a horrible grinding noise. So we did all the usual defrag/system restore/disk clean up tasks but instead of fixing the problem the thinkpad now won't finish the start up process. Whenever we turn it on now it doesn't make the grinding noise anymore & it shows all the initial boot up screens but then asks us to choose between starting safe or normal mode (it doesn't make any difference which we choose) then it brings up the windows logo, then the screen goes dark - although power light is still on. Is this something we can fix ourselves using the boot menu or changing something simple, or is it worth taking it in to be fixed, or would a repair be too expensive? Any advice very gratefully received. Thanks.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: grinding noice
Feb 14, 2015 6:23PM PST

That's a problem.

That grinding certainly is hardware. But, more importanm tThere is no open source (not microsoft) Windows software. So we can't help with that.

What I would do is start all over with real open source: Linux.

Kees

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open source software
Feb 14, 2015 10:02PM PST

I was told when I bought the machine that because it was reconditioned it didn't have the Microsoft licenced Office software e.g. Word, Excel, etc but they had put an Open source version of the software on it. I didn't bother to upgrade it to the expensive Microsoft licence because it was a present for my mother & the software that they had put on there was basic enough for her. If you're saying this software isn't suitable (although it definitely exists) could it be causing some of the problems? Thanks.

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I'm going with no.
Feb 15, 2015 12:52AM PST

I've yet to find software to cause grinding noises (well, unless it's sound effects for a video game.)

--> What next? Try a Safe Mode boot. There are quite a few options and the results may give up a clue what to try next.

However some infections can't be cleaned except to reinstall Windows (or other OS.)
Bob

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Re: open source software
Feb 15, 2015 2:58AM PST

OK, so it's a fully official Windows with LibreOffice (or a comparable package) as an office suite. Nothing wrong with that, and it certainly can't be the cause of that noise. That surely is a hardware issue.

Since the safe mode boot doesn't work, I'm afraid Bob's advice doesn't work. So then we have a clean install of the OS, atlhough - if it really is hardware - that won't help either. The step after that is a new hard disk (if that was the source of the noise) or a new fan (if that was the source, and nothing else was damaged beyond repair due to running without a working fan).

Kees