So, I just moved. Right before I moved, my laptop – an IBM ThinkPad T42 running XP – started acting oddly. I bumped it ever so slightly on two different occassions, and each time, the screen turned white with thin horizontal lines running across it. I couldn’t get the screen back without shutting down, letting it sit for a few, and then restarting. But for the remainder of that day, it operated fine.
A couple of days aftermoving, I pull it out to use it, but now it won’t boot. After attempting to start it, I consistently get a BSOD during the Windows loading process with an error message reading “IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL,” and then the machine automatically reboots. This occurs booting normally and booting into Safe Mode with Networking. The only way I can get Windows up and running is using straight Safe Mode. I did that, and ran a defrag just in case that was useful for anything, and not surprisingly, it wasn’t.
If anyone has any suggestions, I’d be very grateful.
I’d make a Bootable Live CD (lots of Linux ones available, probably Windows ones also) and boot from that. If it boots OK from that, it’s probably the hard disk, either physically, or the files on the disk are corrupted. If the CD also has problems, I’d suspect some other hardware problem.
Also, can you open it up? If so, make sure all the connections you can reach are tight. The talk about bumping it slightly makes me wonder about that.
Third, hows your battery? When my laptop battery got old enough that it could only hold ~20 minutes of charge, I sporadically had issues booting even when plugged into the charger, but they went away when I got a new battery.
Have you googled that error? I get a bunch of hits when I do. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be ONE answer, but looking at what others have to say about their experience might help you figure out the cause of your problem and possible solutions.
I did, and I’ve tried some of the suggestions, but to no avail thus far.
ZenBeam, much to my dismay, I’ve now realized that I failed to pack either blank CDs or USB drives in the move, so I’m a bit SOL until tomorrow on those suggestions.
drachillix, I’ll try that next, but I already know that I can’t get into safe mode with networking.
Check the SODIMM memory sticks and make sure they are properly seated. If it boots (mostly) into Windows but errors out with bluescreens and IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL errors then that indicates to me that there’s a problem either with memory or possibly a loose video card. The screen munging may be related or not, but could also indicate a loose video card, or loose/oxydized ribbon connection between the screen and the motherboard.
Turn the laptop over and open all accees panels, then unplug and replug everything that can be removed and reseated. That will ensure everything is properly seated. Try booting again and using it for a while. If the problem doesn’t come back you found the solution. If it does, it may indicate one or both memory sticks are bad (if you have more than one installed). If you have a spare, replace the one you have and try it out. If you have more than one, try replacing one, then the other, and see which works better, if at all.
If the screen messing up continues after all of this, then it may be a loose ribbon connection with the screen, and that’s a bit harder to fix and will require you getting access to the top of the laptop where the ribbon cable connects to the mainboard. IF you’re not comfortable with that sort of disassembly take it to someone who is. Otherwise you can usually access the top section of the motherboard through an access panel on the top of the unit, often hidden by a removable section of bezel at the top of the keyboard, though it may be elsewhere. If you can get it to it, the ribbon cable will be connected by a simple sliding connector on the mainboard; remove and reseat it (remember to reclose the sliding connector) and see if that helps.
CHKDSK found no errors. I also disassembled the laptop to check that the memory was seated properly, and that all the ribbons underneath the keyboard were secured. I couldn’t find any loose connections.
I’ll see if I can make a boot disk at work tomorrow, but I’m getting more and more frustrated.