Thoughtpad P50 displays activity, yet screen remains inactive.
Thoughtpad P50 displays activity, yet screen remains inactive.
Hi everyone, I'm big into scavenging hardware from eWaste, and have saved 4 desktops and 1 laptop from the junk pile, either using them myself or giving them to people in need. I've got this Thinkpad P50 I pulled some time ago. It had no ram, so I popped in some ram and now it is giving me some signs of life, although it's not working yet. What it does: - charging LED is on when plugged in - When I press the power button, the fans spin up, the keyboard backlighting turns on, then off after a few seconds, the power button LED comes on and stays on for around a minute. However, there is no display. Nothing comes up. Any ideas on how to fix it?
It has two or four RAM slots depending on the model. The processor is a specific CPU type. Make sure your power supply can handle the required wattage.
It has two RAM slots, both occupied. Regarding the CPU, I’m uncertain because I can’t locate a model number for this laptop beyond the Thinkpad P50. The power supply seems adequate—it’s a universal charger I purchased at Walmart. So far, I’m considering the problem might be with the motherboard or CMOS battery.
The power supply seems unreliable. The P50 needs a 135W charger to work and will keep warning you until you use a higher wattage one. The universal adapter you received is at most 90W and only supports battery charging, which could cause issues if the battery is damaged. It also has two RAM slots beneath a cover—either one under the keyboard or two under the bottom. Slot zero is the top slot under the keyboard; without it being filled, the laptop won’t boot. Verify this, but remember that if the CPU is dual-core, only two RAM slots might be usable, and adding RAM elsewhere will prevent startup. Check the HMM for the P50 to see its RAM configuration for dual sticks. At the very least, remove any RAM and fill just the top slot under the keyboard.
Got everything set and restarted the system! I wasn’t aware there was RAM beneath the keeb. I removed the two sticks there and inserted the ones I own—it started up without problems. It’s still frustrated about the charger, but it appears to maintain a stable battery level during charging, which is helpful as I plan to test its performance for my intended use. Here are the details: CPU - i7-6820HQ @ 2.7 gHz GPU - NVIDIA Quadro M2000M RAM - 16GB SSD - A few Sandisk drives (500GB). I’m planning to use it for writing and light gaming, so I’m confident it can handle the tasks. If it works, I’ll get a better charger right away!