Lenovo T400 / T500 :: T430U Not Booting - Blank Screen Or Never Gets Passed Splash Screen
Nov 25, 2014
System specs:
Lenovo T430U
Intel i5-3427U
8GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600MHz SoDIMM Memory
HDD 500G 7200rpm Toshiba
mSATA 24GB Samsung Cache
Win 8 Pro, upgraded to 8.1
I rarely use this machine but a couple of months ago I went to boot it up and found that I was not able to get past the Windows splash screen. Sometimes I don't even get the Windows splash screen, I just get a black screen. Rarely I get a Windows screen saying that it is diagnosing a system problem or something to that effect and I can even get to where it will allow me to do some Windows diagnostics but nothing ever comes of it and the process is extremely slow.
I called Lenovo, but of course my machine is out of waranty so the tech just gave me a few pointers and said I could send it in to the depo but the potential repair cost could range up to about 75% of what I paid for the machine in the first place. Anyways, after having me try a few things in the BIOS he suggested that it was likely the hard drive. I mistakenly thought from the time that I bought this machine that the OS was installed on the 24 GB SSD so I ordered a new SSD and swapped it in. This made no difference at all as I have now learned that the mSATA SSD drive is merely for cache to speed up booting.
I am afraid that this means the main HDD is at fault, and quite frankly, if I replace it I am going to do a fresh install of Windows 7. But I do have pictures and docs that I would like to salvage if possible.
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Dec 23, 2013
My T540p with Window 7 is experiencing problems starting and shutting down. After booting up I often get a blank screen where just the moused pointer is displayed. I have to hold the power button down to shut down and then try again. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 goes to boot-up. Quite often when I shut down Win 7 The desktop icons disappear but the desktop background continues to be displayed and the notebook doesn't shut down.
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Dec 23, 2014
my Lenovo T410 laptop won't start. I hit the power button and it looks like it's about to boot up. The thinklight blinks on as normal, the cd drive is checked, the caps lock button blinks on, then nothing. No display, and keyboard is unresponsive. Power light remains on; if I leave it a while the fan comes on. I can turn the machine off using the power button, but the problem remains next time I switch it on.
I've tried removing power and battery, pressing power button 10 times then holding power for 30 secs, before replacing power and battery, but nothing happens. I've tried using a different keyboard. I've tried plugging in an external monitor. No change.
This problem appeared after I left it on overnight. I have a hunch that it went into hibernation mode, perhaps, and that it disrupted some important function which it was unable to complete.
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Aug 29, 2013
I got a T520 with 8G memory, beer accidently spilled on it, it wouldn't start again. So I got a new T430u with 4G memory. I was wondering if I could take the 8 G memory from t520, to be installed on t430u, is it gonna compatible on t430u?
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Jan 23, 2013
I just bought a T430u but I cannot get the WebCam to work properly. When I use for example the Windows 8 camera app or Skype the green light next to the WebCam turns on but instead of seeing me on the screen I just find a grey picture with a white crossed out camera.
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Oct 26, 2013
NIB T430U (Type 8614), 128 SSD, shipped with Win 7 Pro but had a Win 8 Pro license.
Booted into Windows Installer via USB thumb drive running YUMI Multiboot tool (Win 7 Pro is the only OS on it currently). Installer loads perfectly, go into Custom (Advanced), blew away all existing partitions and create a new one using all available space (122104MB). New partition is created, go to format, expecting it to automatically create the System Reserved partition but it doesn't. Click Next, get an errors stating, "Setup cannot create a new system partition or locate an existing system partition. Check setup logs for more details."
Did some research and decided to go into DISKPART and do all of the partitioning ahead of time. Ran the following sequence:
diskpart
list disk
select disk #
clean all
create partition primary align=1024
format fs=ntfs
active
exit
exit
Closed the Windows Installer to reboot the PC and went through the same installation motions, omitting making any changes when in the Custom (Advanced) section, same error.
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May 27, 2014
I updated the BIOS to 2.26 a while ago and ever since then there's no on-screen indication of caps lock on/off, screen brightness or volume when I change it. Since it seemed to be affected by BIOS, I updated again to 2.27 just now, but the problem persists. I needed to update the Hotkeys Feature Integration by downloading the utility thingy from this page. Probably wasn't a BIOS thing after all.
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Oct 13, 2013
T400 - ONE
I have a problem with two T400 thinkpads. The first T400 was dead when I bought it ( suspected graphics card ) . Well I managed to get this laptop to boot up. The screen was black but I found by chance that if shine a lamp or light on the screen it is working. Now being able to see what I was dooing on the screen faintly. So I updated the bios & that did not fix the problem but I was well happy about finding out this trick. I then added 8Gb kingston ram which works with my other T400 laptops. I installed Win 7 ultimate. The laptop is working fine. No issues just extreamley dark screen almost black "but working" Very strange indeed.
T400 - TWO
Now the second laptop was working fine. But I was swapping the parts with the non working laptop to determine the problem. Now I have two T400 laptops with a dark almost black screen. But over about a month working on them I am making progress. I am determind not to give up on these computers. This is not like fixing or repairing a computer. More like rezerecting a computer. I did not intend to spend so much time on these laptops but I have found a common problem that effects a lot of people. I would love to know why a working laptop when re- assembled gives an almost black screen & still works. Normally I would just buy a new motherboard & bin the defekt one. What I need is some command codes to try to make the screen brighter. Is this planned obsiletion or just a graphic defekt myth. Because after throwing away more supposidly dead motherboards with a graphic defekt than I can count. I am starting to think that if I get the brightness back on my computers I will have sloved a major black screen problem. It is not the graphic processor. I have been playing fifa 14 with a lamp shining on the screen. It played fine, not jumpy ,no colour stripes just very dark.
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May 18, 2014
Today I was surfing the internet on my Lenovo t500 ubuntu. After a Kernel Panic ( i'm not sure it was that some text on my screen ). I shutdown the computer and restart it but the screen stayed black. Not even Thinkpad logo at boot. The fan is working the lid are working, the keyboard too. So after trying to fix it i went on a walk while the computer was on and when I got back I heard the ubuntu noise when it start. So i try but terminal to run music and it works but the screen stay black. I tried to remove RAM, 10 times shutdown without battery or plug. Nothings worked. I cannot try without another screen yet..
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Dec 15, 2014
Lenovo T400 to install Windows XP on it..It previously worked fine with windows 7 and 8.1.so it boots in windows XP preinstall screen, it formats hdd and like usual installation automatically restarts after that BUT its black screen, lights and sounds show that it works and goes to next screen BUT the screen is still black. Powering down and turn on again is not showing any screen picture. Opened it removed Bios battery, turned up after few on and off it starts it reset bios.
So now there is picture and it goes on the next screen of windows instalation like normal, after installing devices and stuff it automatically restarts like usual BUT it has NO screen again, black screen, lights and sounds again show that its loading windows end instalation screen but no picture on the screen. Reset BIOS again, it starts normaly and this time it shows BSoD with code 0x7B, after BSOD Black screen again..Maybe its a BIOS setting?!? tried installing with drivers for AHCI and tried installing without drivers for Compatible , what else can it be? Updated the bios to latest version, same result. To say it again - it works fine with other windows, but XP must be installed
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Nov 21, 2013
Do you know a tool that can turn off the screen by keyboard?
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Aug 15, 2013
Just 2 days ago I started recieving the error message 'Fan Error' after booting up my computer (T530). Before it gives me the message there is a loud beep noise. I'm going back to school soon and I'm hoping there is a way to repair this myself without buying a new fan. I'm really bad with operating on computers. I'm wondering if I just have to clean dust out of it or nudge the fan or something like that.
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Oct 6, 2013
I have got a problem with my T430. I'm not able to boot from usb stick. I checked BIOS settings like 1000 times. Approx. 8mo ago I installed an Ubuntu form usb stick, and everything went well. But now, I guess after BIOS update (2.54 or 2.56) it doesn't work any longer. Today I saw on support webpage information about BIOS version 2.57. It has even written that it solves my problem: "Fix an issue where the system fail to boot from USB device by configuration.".
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Dec 25, 2014
I normally powered off my laptop , and then when i try power on again , just a blank screen.Power light is on , no wireless light nor hdd light.I seperated all parts and renewed thermal pastes, tried to short cmos battery , tried without hdd , rams nothing on site worked..At first i wasnt able to flash bios from usb but when i tried flashing it while hdmi cable is in it worked , usb shown activity for 2minThen it powered off and on itself , but still no screen.What would i try else , cmos battery is not replaceable on this model , should i go see repairer to replace this battery?
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Jan 30, 2014
I've purchased this ram from the lenovo site for my T440p laptop and they said its compatible with the original 4gb RAM which it has. but when I install it in the other free slot and turn it on it cames with a black screen and stucks in it!! When I take it out everything is ok and it turns on normally.
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Nov 21, 2013
I just recently received my first lenovo laptop, the T440s. The overall built quality is excellent and performance is great. However, I realized there is a dead pixel on the screen. I am stilI within the 21 days return limit. I am wondering if I am able to get an exchange for one without such defect and not subject to the restocking fee?l
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Jun 7, 2013
I have a T420s that I bought a couple weeks earlier, it's a used one, so there's no warranty with it, I used it several days without any issue, I don't use it very frequently as I use my corporate one most of the time.
Someday when I wanted to turn it on, it stacks on a black screen and it beeps one beep then two other, nothing showing on the screen not even the thinkpad logo at startup, I thought it was a RAM related issue so I put the one from my corporate PC but without any luck, so I wanted to see if its graphic controller issue, I plug the VGA cable on the laptop and my TV and here I can see the thinkpad startup logo but after that I see a message on the screen telling :
"Real Time Clock Error - Check Date and Time settings. Press Esc to continue or F1 to enter setup" and when I press either one nothing happen at all, still stacks there.
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Jul 2, 2014
This computer originally had an issue with the 2100 Detection Error. This computer was previously built with no issues when it was imaged with our company's Windows 8 configuration in which I am highly sure our IT engineers have worked closely with Lenovo on. Also out of the tens of thousand computers that were imaged this way this is the only system I have dealt with that has this issue. I luckily had a good T440 I could test this system's SSD in. The hard drive appears to be fine with no issues. So that rules out to be the SSD. I ordered a system board under warranty and installed it. Everything so far responded fine with the system board replacement until I performed the model type/serial number and UUID update using my 1.86 maintenance update USB thumb drive. After that completed the computer froze on the Thinkpad Logo screen. I verified again for my piece of mind that the memory module and SSD was fine. Sure enough those components were tested fine in a known working T440. So I submitted the system board as a DOA with an explanation. I received another system board to replace with the DOA. I installed that system board to once again update the Model Type/Serial Number and UUID using my USB maintenance disk 1.86 thumbdrive to once again end up with a locked computer at the Thinkpad Logo screen. I have replaced a couple of other T440 and T540 system boards during this time also with using the same USB maintenance disk thumbdrive used for updating those system's model type/serial number and UUID. So I know the issue is not with the USB thumb drive. I am very frustrated with this system. I hate to keep submitting DOAs for the same system.
Since the BIOS is part of the system board and I have not had these issues with the many T440 system boards I have replaced successfully that performing a BIOS update is not a good excuse why this doesn't work on this particular T440 and since after replacing a system board under "DOA" and updating with the maintenance disk and froze there is not a way I can run a BIOs update on this system now right?
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Dec 27, 2013
I have a T420 with the standard 1366 x 768 resolution. If I replace the sreen with a WXGA 1600 x 900 will the graphics card be able to drive it?
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Sep 28, 2012
I have a wonderful new T440 here and am wishing to load Windows 7 x64 from a bootable usb memory stick, which I've always used and works fine on other computers (tested again this morning).
However when I try to boot my T440 from this drive, I can bring up the temporary boot menu and see the usb drive in the list, but when I select it (press enter) the screen just flashes and comes back to the temporary boot menu. IT will not accept my memory stick!
I tried with another stick with Win7 on , but got the same problem.
Interestingly I also have a X240 here and this behaves exactly the same. So I don't think it is the USB Drive and its not the T440. What can I do.
Just out of interest I was able to boot from a Windows 8 prepared USB drive... which is great but I don't want to load win8, I need to load win7.
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Mar 25, 2013
For the past several days, when I've first opened my laptop there is only a blank screen. The computer does not wake up even after I push the power button and the screen continues to be blank. The only way that I've gotten it to respond is by shutting off, unplugging, removing battery and then replacing battery and turning it back on again. I've done this in different combinations. Do I need a new battery or is something else wrong?
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Jun 30, 2012
I have a 3-yr old Thinkpad T500 laptop w/ XP. My on-screen volume and brightness displays have recently disappeared. Spoke with customer support and was advised to download all the machine updates....did that, but still not working.
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Mar 22, 2009
I have turned on full screen magnifier via Fn+Spacebar. But doing the same again does NOT turn it off. Is there a workaround?
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Jan 12, 2011
Had the laptop for 11 months no issues, I woke up to find the computer stuck on the startup screen. Tried rebooting, took out the battery, tried it pluged in, unpluged and it keeps stopping at the startup screen.
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Nov 16, 2010
There is an image of a black square with an up arrow on the lower right corner of my screen. Sometimes it has a line though it.
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Dec 27, 2011
A new T440s makes multiple times problems after start or sleep mode. Windows 7 comes up but instead of login screen a black screen appears. Just the F7 wireless control gives response. When it happens after wake a programs are runing in background but the screen is black.
I did already all updates, just not my BIOS, it is 2.11 but now 2.19 is available. I hesitate BIOS updates.
I could return the laptop since it is within the 2 week return garantie.
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Nov 9, 2013
Something strange happened on my T440s today when I first turned it on...it booted to windows, then I entered my windows login pin, and then the screen went blank/dark instead of going to the windows 8 tiles. so I closed the lid, and it went to hibernate. and when I opened the lid again the screen came back on and it worked fine.
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Nov 1, 2010
I just got a Thinkpad T510 and when I turn on the NumLock a little black box appears on the screen when it is on and I want to know how to make that not appear when the NumLock is turned on,
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Feb 19, 2010
I have recently bought a T400. At the moment, it is running on Windows XP, Service Pack 3.
After installation of Windows XP, I have installed all the relevant drivers and no yellow question marks appear in the Device Manager panel. However, during the process of installing these drivers, now whenever I plug in our take out the AC Power Plug, the screen goes blank for about a second and then comes back.
This problem was NOT there immediately after installing Windows XP and Service Pack 3, i.e. before installing the drivers. I think that it is one particular driver which may have caused this.
I have already tried re-installing the Graphic Driver.
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Feb 28, 2012
I suspect its a driver, but I have a T540P that is Black Screening with Windows 7 with cursor at what appears to be the login.
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