linux-kernel - Re: Bricked Thinkpad x220 with 6.12-rc0

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Message-ID: <ZvXJjU7gpAchSqiy@amd.ucw.cz>
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 22:52:29 +0200
From: Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>
To: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>
Cc: "Rafael J. Wysocki" <rafael@...nel.org>, linux@...mhuis.info,
	ACPI Devel Maling List <linux-acpi@...r.kernel.org>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Bricked Thinkpad x220 with 6.12-rc0

Hi!

> > When I press power button, it starts producing some noise (hdd
> > spinning up), but power light goes pulsating, not on, and I stare at
> > black screen.
> 
> No beep?

No beep. And no beep when I tried booting with RAM removed.

> > I removed everything, let it sit for a while, but behaviour was the
> > same. I'm now letting machine "cool" with everything removed,
> > but... It seems EC is very confused.
> >
> > Should I try removing CMOS battery?
> 
> It probably won't help. Last time I had something like that, it was
> the EFI variables being messed up and messing up the boot as a result.
> That's all in flash.

EFI variables. Ouch. But those really should be later in the boot.

> The CMOS battery these days tends to really just be for maintaining
> the real-time clock.
> 
> But if it's easy to get at, it won't hurt to try either.

I thought it was under RAM cover, but it is not.

> > Is there some magic combination I can hold during boot?
> 
> I don't see anything  about keys during power-on in
> 
>   https://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/0a60739_04.pdf
> 
> but you can try the usual suspects (hold ESC / Fn / etc during power-on).
> 
> But that lenovo pdf says
>  1. Make sure that every connector is connected tightly and correctly.
>  2. DIMM.
>  3. System board.
> 
> for your symptoms.
> 
> That said, my first suspicion would be a dead harddisk, just because
> they happen and you hear noise (but it migth just be the disk getting
> power on its own, and making noise even with a dead system board).

I suspect it is disk spinning up on its own. Confused bios and
harddisk dying at the same time seems like a lot of coincidence. (And
it dies before initializing RAM, normally disk is way after that).

I have spinning rust which is easy to reach, plus SSD which is not. I
removed HDD, and now only reaction on power button is that power LED
starts blinking.

Nothing else, no CPU fan, nothing. No beeps with removed
RAMs. I'd expect BIOS to initialize RAM, and then to access EFI
variables. AFAICT it does not get there. So either hardware died, or
EC is very confused and fails to boot main CPU.

Not sure how EC keeps its state (not from CMOS battery -- right?) so I
guess I should leave it without power for several hours hoping it
clears the fault...?

Best regards (and thanks for help),
								Pavel
-- 
People of Russia, stop Putin before his war on Ukraine escalates.

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