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ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 10:24 pm
by Qrani
Yesterday, I was using my ThinkPad 770z, making a DOS boot diskette for a friend who needed it, because I was the only one who owned a computer with the ability for floppies and CDs. All was going well, I had some issues booting to the disk, so I booted to my backup disk. I wanted to edit the code a small amount, and then copy it to the improperly working disk. So I try to go to the C: drive, and get this:
Code: Select all
A:\>c:
Invalid drive specification
A:\>
So I try to boot back into Windows 98 SE, and it just shows the screen saying to insert a bootable floppy disk.
I've tried all of these:
- Taking out HDD, and putting it back in
- Testing other HDDs, with same results
- Doing BIOS check on HDD, giving errors:
- Try to format drive, or run fdisk
Could someone please help me with this issue? I would love to get this computer working again soon.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2019 12:06 pm
by kfzhu1229
Try an older smaller capacity drive. My ThinkPad 600 wouldn't boot and corrupts everything if the primary partition is larger than like 8-10GB. And putting a T4x series hitachi hdd in results in the system not booting at times until I restart it a couple of times. The latest bios may or may not improve this situation.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2019 12:27 pm
by tfflivemb2
Silly question, you removed the floppy from the A drive, right? And checked your boot order?
I almost tossed a ThinkCentre that I am working on, right out the window, because it kept giving me a windows boot error, when I suddenly realized that i still had a thumb drive plugged in, in the back.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2019 9:04 am
by Qrani
The issue Isn't the capacity of the drive, because the drive it came with was an 8gb drive, and I've put 40gb and 160gb drives in it and they all worked fine, until now, where none of the drives I put in it work.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2019 6:15 pm
by kfzhu1229
In my experience putting a overkill kind of high capacity drive confuses the hard drive controller on these older models that it messes with your data eventually (Not instantly, it might work for like 1-2 days and then suddenly stop working and then you plug it to another computer everything is corrupted). Put the original 8GB drive back and see if it works.
Also FYI the largest capacity that I got working reliably on my ThinkPad 600 is 40GB with a 8GB primary partition.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2019 10:54 pm
by Qrani
I already have the original HDD in it, it still doesn't work at all. And yes, the HDD is in the boot order, and it still doesn't work if it's the only drive in it. Also I don't think it not being in the boot order would make it so the DOS wouldn't recognize the drive at all.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 11:11 am
by onespeedbiker
I found this
viewtopic.php?t=51078 the issue seems identical to yours. The fix is a bit cryptic but the process is worth a try.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 3:40 pm
by Qrani
Yes, I've seen that topic before, he was trying to get it to boot into the HDD, which is what I'm trying to do, but that still wouldn't explain why DOS won't recognize any HDD I put in it, whether bootable or not. So I don't think that that is the issue.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2019 4:52 pm
by tfflivemb2
I would double check your pins, to make sure nothing was damaged while removing and replacing the drive.
Since you are getting an HDD error, it could be a coincidence that your hard drive failed, and/or its not seating properly due to the pins. I haven't had my 770X in a VERY long time, so I don't remember if it has a separate caddy and cable to attach to the system board like the 380 series...and the HMM wasn't helpful.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:45 pm
by Qrani
Thanks, but again, I don't think it's an issue with the HDD itself, unless all of a sudden, every single IDE HDD that I have all of a sudden stopped working in the exact same computer but still works fine in all other computers (that use IDE) I have. It's basically impossible to be a HDD specific error.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:53 am
by axur-delmeria
Do you hear the HDD spinning up when it's installed in the 770z? If no, it may be a power circuit issue. If yes, then it's an issue with the IDE port.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 9:11 am
by Qrani
I don't hear the HDD spin up, or any HDD I put in it spin up. Thanks for the help, how do you think I would fix the power circuit if it is the issue?
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:23 pm
by kfzhu1229
Qrani wrote: ↑Sat Nov 30, 2019 9:11 am
I don't hear the HDD spin up, or any HDD I put in it spin up. Thanks for the help, how do you think I would fix the power circuit if it is the issue?
In this case I suggest you try using a multimeter to check for continuity for all the fuses on the power board, and look for pinouts for the special hard drive connector thing and see if that converter is actually working.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:11 pm
by Qrani
This is unrelated but I really don't like how every time I have to take apart this computer something completely unrelated breaks in it, Like how I took it apart to get to the motherboard and now all of a sudden there is a problem with the backlight and I can only see the screen by holding a flashlight to it. I don't even understand how this happens, the backlight inverter is under the screen bezel.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 8:37 pm
by axur-delmeria
Qrani wrote: ↑Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:11 pm
This is unrelated but I really don't like how every time I have to take apart this computer something completely unrelated breaks in it, Like how I took it apart to get to the motherboard and now all of a sudden there is a problem with the backlight and I can only see the screen by holding a flashlight to it. I don't even understand how this happens, the backlight inverter is under the screen bezel.
It's understandable given how old it is.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:12 pm
by kfzhu1229
Qrani wrote: ↑Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:11 pm
This is unrelated but I really don't like how every time I have to take apart this computer something completely unrelated breaks in it, Like how I took it apart to get to the motherboard and now all of a sudden there is a problem with the backlight and I can only see the screen by holding a flashlight to it. I don't even understand how this happens, the backlight inverter is under the screen bezel.
You are actually fortunate to get one that still powers on - mine didn't last 6 months before the power board just complete gave out and it is nearly impossible to figure out what is wrong with the power board, and the replacement is impossible to find (mine is 770ED and the power board is DIFFERENT than the 770 and 770X/Z)
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:36 pm
by Qrani
Well, I've only had it for about 2 months, so...
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:09 pm
by Sudos
gonna chime in here that is indeed probably something with the power board. check solder joints under a magnifying glass and retouch anything that looks out of place. if nothing looks bad, check for shorts on the black rectangular caps. I'm almost certain these are tants, and if that's the case it's about time for them for at least one of them to go anyway. I'd also check the electrolytics near the back, just check everything for shorts.
Never had the power board go in the 770z I had. what killed mine was a bad hinge. one day I was using it and all of a sudden it just gave completely out in the middle of a windows update cycle while I was messing around with XP.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 9:16 am
by tfflivemb2
Qrani wrote: ↑Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:45 pm
Thanks, but again, I don't think it's an issue with the HDD itself, unless all of a sudden, every single IDE HDD that I have all of a sudden stopped working in the exact same computer but still works fine in all other computers (that use IDE) I have. It's basically impossible to be a HDD specific error.
I would also check each of the hard drives to see if you are missing any pins. The reason I mentioned the errors, is because in the past i had a pin break off on an IDE hard drive in the IDE port to the laptop. I had to carefully remove the pin, to get any other drive to be read. It could also be, as suggested above, that maybe something on the system board went bad. Sliding a drive in and out can cause some flexing of joints on the board each time it pushes in or pulls away.
I get that you're frustrated, but I assure you, these are still solid machines. There are no where near the same number of Dells and HPs from the same era still up and running. I still have quite a few thinkpads that are even older that are still running strong.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 8:15 pm
by pkiff
Here's a belated followup that won't really help you.
Qrani wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2019 10:24 pm
- Doing BIOS check on HDD, giving errors:
DEV 071 = means DEVice ID 071, which is HDD-1 (Hard Disk Drive)
I'm not sure what ERR 82 means. I thought I had a list of those error codes somewhere, but I can't seem to locate it. Knowing the specific code probably won't help in this case anyways.
FRU 6010:
The diagnostics is identifying two different FRUs as potential culprits. The 1st two digits are for FRU 60 (1st choice), the last two digits are FRU 10 (2nd choice).
FRU 60 reads:
1. Reseat the hard disk drive (HDD-1)
2. Hard disk drive (HDD-1)
FRU 10 reads:
System board
So that's no help, really. Since you already knew there seemed to be a problem with the HDD. And if it's the system board then you're screwed. And those built-in BIOS checks only ever provide a rough guess at what might be wrong.
Hopefully Steve's suggestion to check the pins will lead somewhere - a bent or blocked pin somewhere could produce the symptoms you describe - not one on the hard drive, but one where the HDD caddy connects to the Thinkpad drive bay, or possibly the connector inside the caddy itself. I'd check the outside caddy to IDE pins and holes first. If you have a spare caddy, you could try it instead of the one you currently have. Those would all be easier and clearer fixes than if you've something gone bad on the board.
If you had an Ultrabay Second HDD adapter, then you could try that as well, to help narrow down where the problem is.
Phil.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 2:38 pm
by Qrani
After looking for any (visible) issues with the power board, I've still found
nothing (visibly) wrong with it. Since I can find them online relatively easily,
I think I will buy one, since they are realatively cheap to find online,
and I don't want to go through more hassle to get it back up and running.
I know someone who has a 770z, that works, so I'm first going to try out his
power board to see if it's actually the issue. As for the (most likely) bad
LCD inverter, I will also borrow one from my friend to see if it works,
the only problem is that I still can't find any of these online. Searching on Ebay
something like "Thinkpad 770 lcd inverter" only brings up LCD inverters for
other ThinkPads. I've been able to find it on Thinkpcparts, but they're
completely out of stock. I've checked the HDD caddy for any pins stuck
in it, which there are none. Oh, and if the HDD functionality still doesn't work
with a new, or at least working, power board, I will do a more thorough check
on the system board.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2019 4:19 pm
by kfzhu1229
What HOW are you able to find power board for cheap? I am not able to find one AT ALL - not on eBay, not even on Taobao! I am in dire need of one (again because mine totally failed, not supplying enough power on the 5V rail because I can get it to temporarily turn on by plugging in a USB male to male cable with the other end connected to a wall adapter) yet I have absolutely no luck with it.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:54 pm
by Qrani
Hello, I've come back to figure out why I can't get this computer working. I tried to get a power board, but after searching all over, I still couldn't find one. I was also not able to find a LCD display inverter. Anyway, I've really been wanting to get this to work because I've recently wanted a computer to run Windows 3.1 on. The only problem is that with every computer I have, I can't get the right drivers. Except for the Thinkpad 770z, which has almost complete compatibility with Windows 3.1/DOS as far as I can tell. So I put enough parts back together on the computer so it would at least boot up, and I could view the BIOS, and go through a diagnostics test. I got a few errors for certain things, with the System Board, I get the error: DEV 086 ERR 22 FRU 0010, with the Display I get the error: DEV 050 ERR 45 FRU 4042, and the HDD gives the error: DEV 017 ERR 82 FRU 6010. It also says that the Memory, PCMCIA-1, Parallel, Serial, DSP, InfraRed, Audio, and USB-1 are OK. I still haven't had the ability to borrow a LCD inverter or power board from my friend, but I hope to do so soon. I'll also try out other part of his to see what other problems there might be with mine. If anyone here doesn't have a Thinkpad 770(z), and finds one of these parts somewhere online, let me know.
https://i.imgur.com/o9E4yAX.png
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2020 12:30 pm
by onespeedbiker
You may want to try Impact Computers; they have a lot of parts for old Thinkpads.
https://www.impactcomputers.com/index.p ... pad%20770z Be advised, if they don't show a part in stock (Ships within 3-5 days), they likely will not be able to source the part to ship.
Re: ThinkPad 770z Can't Read HDD
Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:13 pm
by kfzhu1229
Qrani wrote: ↑Sun Mar 08, 2020 3:54 pm
Hello, I've come back to figure out why I can't get this computer working. I tried to get a power board, but after searching all over, I still couldn't find one. I was also not able to find a LCD display inverter. Anyway, I've really been wanting to get this to work because I've recently wanted a computer to run Windows 3.1 on. The only problem is that with every computer I have, I can't get the right drivers. Except for the Thinkpad 770z, which has almost complete compatibility with Windows 3.1/DOS as far as I can tell. So I put enough parts back together on the computer so it would at least boot up, and I could view the BIOS, and go through a diagnostics test. I got a few errors for certain things, with the System Board, I get the error: DEV 086 ERR 22 FRU 0010, with the Display I get the error: DEV 050 ERR 45 FRU 4042, and the HDD gives the error: DEV 017 ERR 82 FRU 6010. It also says that the Memory, PCMCIA-1, Parallel, Serial, DSP, InfraRed, Audio, and USB-1 are OK. I still haven't had the ability to borrow a LCD inverter or power board from my friend, but I hope to do so soon. I'll also try out other part of his to see what other problems there might be with mine. If anyone here doesn't have a Thinkpad 770(z), and finds one of these parts somewhere online, let me know.
https://i.imgur.com/o9E4yAX.png
I have a 770ED for parts with possibly a dead motherboard and/or power board (power board not included nor compatible), torn keyboard+indicator-LCD cables if you want that. Not sure if the inverter and LCD from that thing are compatible but I am willing to send them at postage costs if you are interested.
And I thought you can get something like a 600 series because almost everything minus the graphics are the same?
