# laptop will not boot up after being dropped



## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

My IBM thinkpad T42 laptop fell just a few inches on to the floor but as a result will not start up.A blue screen comes up saying 'unmountable boot volume' .When I go into BIOS to try and change the settings nothing happens when I press enter. Also when I press F5 and select one of the options pressing enter does nothing. Anyone have any idea what might be wrong?Is it likely the hard drive has dislodged and if so how do I go about fixing it?


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## pip22 (Aug 22, 2004)

Check the drive with the Seagate diagnostic software which can be used to test any make of hard drive.

Download "SeaTools for DOS" from here: | Seagate

Create a CD from the downloaded ISO cd-image, then boot your laptop from it.
The test program will open automatically.
Select the appropriate drive and choose the "Long Generic Test" from the menu.


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

Maybe I'd be as well booting from a windows XP cd


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

it is a longshot but there is always a chance the drive did become dislodge. 

Lenovo Support - Hard drive removal and installation - ThinkPad T40/p, T41/p, T42/p, T43/p


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

I don't think so .I just removed the hard drive and there was no sign of any damage and I was careful to put it back in properly but it's still not working.Is there any other internal components that might have come loose or broken do you think?
Any idea why pressing enter doesnt have any effect?

It look s like I'm going to have to get an engineer to have a look at it.Do I just call IBM tech support?My warranty runs out next week so I hope I can get someone to fix it before then!


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

yep, call ibm for warranty work


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

I cant even boot it up from a disc because they didnt give me one.I havent got a clue what to do and the helplines shut till monday

Does anyoneknow why i t is when I go into bios I can use the up and down keys but not enter?


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## spunk.funk (May 13, 2010)

Probably because the keyboard or part of the motherboard got damaged with the HDD in the drop. Call (IBM) Lenovo Support ASAP


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

Looks like I'll have to wait till monday to phone them now.There doesnt seem to be a 24/7 line available

As I posted elswhere my laptop recently fell on to the floor,just a few inches and not on to a particularly hard surface,but since then will not boot up and has the blue screen with the 'unmountable boot volume' warning coming up
My main problem is that when I go into BIOS to try and change my settings it lets me use the up and down keys to select options but when I press the enter key nothing happens.It's the same when I go into the boot menu. There doesnt seem to be any physical damage to the keyboard so does anyone have any idea why it's not ,letting me use the 'enter' key? The type of laptop is IBM thinkpad t42.


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## Jennifer Blue (Jan 16, 2011)

*Re: why am I unable to change BIOS settings?*

Attach a desktop USB keyboard to the laptop and verify that the problem is with the laptop and not the laptop's keyboard. If it works with the desktop keyboard, you have a problem with the laptop's keyboard. They cost about $15.00 and take about 10 minutes to change-out.


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## DispatchTech (Feb 3, 2011)

Hard drive is toast now. . Need to replace the hard drive. Unscrew the hard drive and you should be able make changes in the bios.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

*Re: why am I unable to change BIOS settings?*

Here is the service manual for your laptop:

Lenovo Support - Hardware Maintenance Manual - ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

please read the forum rules

http://www.techsupportforum.com/misc.php?do=sknetwork&page=rules

don't start multiple threads on the same problem

threads merged


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## DispatchTech (Feb 3, 2011)

You could try a chkdsk. That sometimes will fix errors on a hard drive. But since it was dropped it's hard to say. You will need to have a bootable cd then go into dos and run chkdsk /f. Hope that helps.


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

Sorry about the multiple thread postings. I've just remembered something that might be significant. Just after I dropped the laptop it was saying it could not detect an operating system ,which implies the hard drive was dislodged,but that message doesnt come up anymore so now it is detecting the hard drive.So maybe I just need to reinstall windows? This wouldnt be a problem because I dont have any files I need to keep on it as I've only had the laptop a few weeks. The only problem is I wasn't given an installation disc with the laptop.


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## Jennifer Blue (Jan 16, 2011)

If the HD is bad (hardware), there's nothing to do but replace it. You need to verify this first, before looking at any kind of software options. HD manufacturer's all have downloadable diagnostics in order to determine if the HD is bad or not.

Also, the desktop keyboard suggestion will let you know if it's just the laptop keyboard, or something more serious.


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

I tried attaching the desktop keyboard to it but it didn't work at all


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

lenovo usually have the reinstall disks available for download on their site

unmountable means it cannot see the hard drive

check it is secure

if it is then the heads have been knocked out of alignment replace it


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

pip22 said:


> Check the drive with the Seagate diagnostic software which can be used to test any make of hard drive.
> 
> Download "SeaTools for DOS" from here: | Seagate
> 
> ...


how do I create a bootable CD?


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

dai said:


> lenovo usually have the reinstall disks available for download on their site
> 
> unmountable means it cannot see the hard drive
> 
> ...


is there any way I could realign the heads myself?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

no once out of alignment the drives history


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

The laptops h istory now.I opened it up to see if I could do anything and I've just messed it up even more,..Thats a few hundred quid down the drain .Only had it 4 weeks too


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

you should have tried for a rma instead of opening it,you need a specialist clean lab to be able to open one and the drive survive


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## Jennifer Blue (Jan 16, 2011)

iain43 said:


> The laptops h istory now.I opened it up to see if I could do anything and I've just messed it up even more,..Thats a few hundred quid down the drain .Only had it 4 weeks too


Take it to a qualified laptop repair technician. They can fix the laptop. The HD is probably history.


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

I got the keyboard to work at least...


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## Jennifer Blue (Jan 16, 2011)

So what's the status of the laptop. We can't all just sit around and cry. What we can do is make the best of a bad situation.

What's the status of this laptop? Was the "it's hopeless" post the result of emotion, or is it true technically, and if so how and why.

What's broke that can't be fixed?


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

Thanks for all your help.I phoned the company that I bought the laptop from,(Lenovo), and they say it's probably a corruption of the hard drive and they're sending a new HD in the post ASAP. They're even prepared to ignore the fact my warranty might be slightly out of date,so I'm quite pleased about that.Hopefully this will fix the problem!


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## iain43 (Feb 4, 2011)

I've just received the new hard drive in the post and my laptop is booting up perfectly,so that's one big relief! The only problem is they don't seem to have installed the software that makes my wireless router work so can't connect to the internet with it for now!


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## Jennifer Blue (Jan 16, 2011)

You don't need "software" to connect to a wireless router, you need a password.

Can you see the wireless router in the list of available networks?


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