Lenovo N 500 Service Manual

							General checkout 
This chapter presents following information: 
v   
 “What to do first” on page 24 
v 
 
 “Checkout guide” on page 25 
– 
 
 “Diagnostics using PC-Doctor for DOS” on page 26 
– 
 
 “PC-Doctor for Windows” on page 28
v
   
 “Power system checkout” on page 29 
The descriptions in this chapter apply to any Lenovo 3000 model that supports the 
PC-Doctor® for DOS diagnostics program. Some descriptions might not apply to 
your particular computer. 
Before you go to the checkout guide, be sure to read the following important notes. 
   
 
 
Important notes: 
v   
 Only certified trained personnel should service the computer. 
v 
 
 Before replacing any FRU, read the entire page on removing and replacing 
FRUs. 
v 
 
 When you replace FRUs, use new nylon-coated screws. 
v 
 
 Be extremely careful during such write operations as copying, saving, or 
formatting. Drives in the computer that you are servicing sequence might 
have been altered. If you select an incorrect drive, data or programs might be 
overwritten. 
v 
 
 Replace a FRU only with another FRU of the correct model. When you 
replace a FRU, make sure that the model of the machine and the FRU part 
number are correct by referring to the FRU parts list. 
v 
 
 A FRU should not be replaced because of a single, unreproducible failure. 
Single failures can occur for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with 
a hardware defect, such as cosmic radiation, electrostatic discharge, or 
software errors. Consider replacing a FRU only when a problem recurs. If you 
suspect that a FRU is defective, clear the error log and run the test again. If 
the error does not recur, do not replace the FRU. 
v 
 
 Be careful not to replace a nondefective FRU.
 
© Copyright Lenovo 2008, 2009 23  
						

							What to do first 
When you do return a FRU, you must include the following information in the 
parts exchange form or parts return form that you attach to it: 
__ 1.   
 Name and phone number of servicer 
__ 2. 
 
 Date of service 
__ 3. 
 
 Date on which the machine failed 
__ 4. 
 
 Date of purchase 
__ 5. 
 
 Failure symptoms, error codes appearing on the display 
__ 6. 
 
 Procedure index and page number in which the failing FRU was detected 
__ 7. 
 
 Failing FRU name and part number 
__ 8. 
 
 Machine type, model number, and serial number 
__ 9. 
 
 Customer’s name and address
Note
 for warranty: During the warranty period, the customer may be responsible 
for repair costs if the computer damage was caused by misuse, accident, 
modification, unsuitable physical or operating environment, or improper 
maintenance by the customer. 
Following is a list of some common items that are not covered under warranty and 
some symptoms that might indicate that the system was subjected to stress beyond 
normal use. 
Before checking problems with the computer, determine whether the damage is 
covered under the warranty by referring to the following list: 
The following are not covered under warranty: 
v   
 LCD panel cracked from the application of excessive force or from being 
dropped 
v 
 
 Scratched (cosmetic) parts 
v 
 
 Distortion, deformation, or discoloration of the cosmetic parts 
v 
 
 Plastic parts, latches, pins, or connectors that have been cracked or broken by 
excessive force 
v 
 
 Damage caused by liquid spilled into the system 
v 
 
 Damage caused by the improper insertion of a PC Card or the installation of an 
incompatible card 
v 
 
 Improper disc insertion or use of an optical drive 
v 
 
 Diskette drive damage caused by pressure on the diskette drive cover, foreign 
material in the drive, or the insertion of a diskette with multiple labels 
v 
 
 Damaged or bent diskette eject button 
v 
 
 Fuses blown by attachment of a nonsupported device 
v 
 
 Forgotten computer password (making the computer unusable) 
v 
 
 Sticky keys caused by spilling a liquid onto the keyboard 
v 
 
 Use of an incorrect ac adapter on laptop products
The
 following symptoms might indicate damage caused by nonwarranted 
activities: 
v   
 Missing parts might be a symptom of unauthorized service or modification. 
v 
 
 If the spindle of a hard disk drive becomes noisy, it may have been subjected to 
excessive force, or dropped.
 
 
24 Lenovo 3000 N500 Hardware Maintenance Manual 
						

							Checkout guide 
Use the following procedures as a guide in identifying and correcting problems 
with the Lenovo 3000 computer. 
Note: The diagnostic tests are intended to test only Lenovo 3000 products. The use 
of non-Lenovo 3000 products, prototype cards, or modified options can lead to 
false indications of errors and invalid system responses. 
1.   
 Identify the failing symptoms in as much detail as possible. 
2. 
 
 Verify the symptoms. Tr y to re-create the failure by running the diagnostic test 
or by repeating the operation.
 
 
General checkout 25 
						

							Diagnostics using PC-Doctor for DOS 
The Lenovo 3000 computer has a test program called PC-Doctor for DOS (hereafter 
called PC-Doctor.) Yo u can detect errors by running the diagnostics test included in 
PC-Doctor. This section is an overview of the procedure. For details that depend 
on model-unique functions, refer to “Lenovo 3000 N500” on page 43. 
For some possible configurations of the computer, PC-Doctor might not run 
correctly. To avoid this problem, you need to initialize the computer setup by use 
of the BIOS Setup Utility before you run PC-Doctor. On the BIOS Setup Utility 
screen, press F9, Enter, F10, and then Enter. 
Note: When you initialize the computer configuration, some devices are disabled, 
such as the serial port. If you test one of these devices, you will need to enable it 
by using Configuration utility for DOS. The utility is available on the following 
We b site: http://www.lenovo.com/support 
Creating the PC-Doctor diagnostics diskette 
To create the PC-Doctor disk from the Rescue and Recovery® workspace, do as 
follows: 
1. 
 
 Enter the Rescue and Recovery workspace by pressing the Lenovo CareSM 
button during POST. 
2. 
 
 When theRescue and Recovery workspace finishes loading, click Diagnostic 
Diskette. 
3. 
 
 Authenticating the digital signature takes about 15 seconds; then the Lenovo 
3000 computer will reboot into PC-DOS. 
4. 
 
 A batch file automatically starts up to prompt you through the process of 
creating diskettes. Yo u are notified of how many diskettes you will need. 
a. 
 
 Yo u are prompted to insert each diskette in sequence. 
b. 
 
 Typically, all you need to do is to press the Enter key for the floppy drive; 
the system then formats and creates the diskette. 
c. 
 
 Each diskette is erased and formatted with the PC-Doctor for DOS boot 
image.
5.
   
 Once all the diskettes have been created, the Lenovo 3000 computer will reboot. 
The user is asked to remove all diskettes from the drive, or to insert the first 
diskette created if it is desired to run the diagnostics.
Testing the computer 
To run the test, do as follows: 
1. 
 
 Insert the PC-Doctor disk into the diskette drive; then power on the computer. 
If the computer cannot be powered on, go to “Power system checkout” on page 
29, and check the power sources. 
If an error code appears, go to “Symptom-to-FRU index” on page 36. 
On the first screen, select the model and press Enter. Follow the instructions on 
the screen. 
2. 
 
 The main panel of PC-Doctor appears. 
3. 
 
 Select Diagnostics with the arrow keys, and press Enter. 
A pull-down menu appears. (Its exact form depends on the model.) 
 
26 Lenovo 3000 N500 Hardware Maintenance Manual 
						

							Note: PC-Doctor menu does not mean the formal support device list. Some 
unsupported device names may appear in the PC-Doctor menu. 
 
The options on the test menu are as follows: 
 Diagnostics Interactive Tests 
v   
 Run Normal Test 
v 
 
 Run Quick Test 
v 
 
 CPU/Coprocessor 
v 
 
 Systemboard 
v 
 
 Video Adapter 
v 
 
 Fixed Disks 
v 
 
 Diskette Drives 
v 
 
 PM Memory 
v 
 
 Keyboard 
v 
 
 Video 
v 
 
 Mouse 
v 
 
 System Load 
Notes: 
 
v 
 
 In the Keyboard test in Interactive Tests, the Fn key should be held down with 
M key for at least 2 seconds; otherwise, it cannot be sensed. 
v 
 
 Video Adapter test supports only the LCD display on the Lenovo 3000 
computer. If you have an external monitor attached to your computer, detach it 
before running PC-Doctor for DOS.
 
 
4. 
 
 Run the applicable function test. 
5. 
 
 Follow the instructions on the screen. If there is a problem, PC-Doctor shows 
messages describing it. 
6. 
 
 To exit the test, select Quit — Exit Diag. 
To cancel the test, press Esc.
Note:
 After running PC-Doctor, check the time and date on the system and reset 
them if they are incorrect. 
Detecting system information with PC-Doctor 
PC-Doctor can detect the following system information: 
Hardware Info 
v   
 System Configuration 
v 
 
 Memory Contents 
v 
 
 Physical Disk Drives 
v 
 
 Logical Disk Drives 
v 
 
 VGA Information 
v 
 
 IDE Drive Info 
v 
 
 PCI Information 
v 
 
 PNPISA Info 
Diagnostics
Run Normal Test
Run Quick Test
CPU/Coprocessor
Systemboard
Video Adapter
Fixed Disks
Diskette Drives
PM MemoryInteractive Tests Hardware Info Utility Quit F1=Help
PC-DOCTOR 2.0   Copyright 2008  PC-Doctor, Inc. All Rights Reser ved.
Use the cursor keys and ESC to move in menus . Press ENTER to select.
   
 
General checkout 27 
						

							v   
 SMBIOS Info 
v 
 
 VESA LCD Info 
v 
 
 Hardware Events Log
Utility
 
v   
 Run External Tests 
v 
 
 Surface Scan Hard Disk 
v 
 
 Benchmark System 
v 
 
 DOS Shell 
v 
 
 Tech Support Form 
v 
 
 Battery Rundown 
v 
 
 View Test Log 
v 
 
 Print Log 
v 
 
 Save Log 
v 
 
 Full Erase Hard Drive 
v 
 
 Quick Erase Hard Drive
PC-Doctor for Windows 
This product is designed to help you troubleshoot and resolve problems related to 
your computer. Select one of the categories listed below to display symptoms and 
solutions: 
v 
 
 Check System Health 
v 
 
 System and Device Tests 
v 
 
 Lenovo Troubleshooting Center 
v 
 
 System Reports 
v 
 
 Updates and Support
 
 
28 Lenovo 3000 N500 Hardware Maintenance Manual 
						

							Power system checkout 
To verify a symptom, do the following: 
1.   
 Turn off the computer. 
2. 
 
 Remove the battery pack. 
3. 
 
 Connect the ac adapter. 
4. 
 
 Check that power is supplied when you turn on the computer. 
5. 
 
 Turn off the computer. 
6. 
 
 Disconnect the ac adapter and install the charged battery pack. 
7. 
 
 Check that the battery pack supplies power when you turn on the computer.
If
 you suspect a power problem, see the appropriate one of the following power 
supply checkouts: 
v   
 “Checking the AC adapter” 
v 
 
 “Checking operational charging” 
v 
 
 “Checking the battery pack” on page 30
Checking the AC adapter 
Yo u are here because the computer fails only when the AC adapter is used. 
v 
 
 If the power-on indicator does not turn on, check the power cord of the AC 
adapter for correct continuity and installation. 
v 
 
 If the computer does not charge during operation, go to “Checking operational 
charging”
To
 check the AC adapter, do the following: 
1.   
 Unplug the AC adapter cable from the computer. 
2. 
 
 Measure the output voltage at the plug of the AC adapter cable. See the 
following figure: 
 
2
1
(20V)
3
 
Pin Voltage (V dc) 
1 +19 
2 0 
3 Ground 
   
Note: Output voltage of pin no.2 of the AC adapter may different from the one 
you are servicing. 
3. 
 
 If the voltage is not correct, replace the AC adapter. 
4. 
 
 If the voltage is acceptable, do the following: 
v 
 
 Replace the system board. 
v 
 
 If the problem persists, go to “Lenovo 3000 N500” on page 43.
Note:
 Noise from the AC adapter does not always indicate a defect. 
Checking operational charging 
To check whether the battery charges properly during operation, use a discharged 
battery pack or a battery pack that has less than 50% of the total power remaining 
when installed in the computer. 
 
General checkout 29 
						

							Perform operational charging. If the battery status indicator or icon does not turn 
on, remove the battery pack and let it return to room temperature. Reinstall the 
battery pack. If the charge indicator or icon still does not turn on, replace the 
battery pack. 
If the charge indicator still does not turn on, replace the system board. Then 
reinstall the battery pack. If it is still not charged, go to the next section. 
Checking the battery pack 
Battery charging does not start until the Power Meter shows that less than 95% of 
the total power remains; under this condition the battery pack can charge to 100% 
of its capacity. This protects the battery pack from being overcharged or from 
having a shortened life. 
To check your battery, move your cursor to the Power Meter icon in the icon tray 
of the Windows® taskbar and wait for a moment (but do not click), and the 
percentage of battery power remaining is displayed. To get detailed information 
about the battery, double-click the Power Meter icon. 
Note: If the battery pack becomes hot, it may not be able to charge. Remove it 
from the computer and leave it at room temperature for a while. After it cools 
down, reinstall and recharge it. 
To check the battery pack, do the following: 
1.   
 Power off the computer. 
2. 
 
 Remove the battery pack and measure the voltage between battery terminals 1 
(+) and 7 (-). See the following figure: 
 
1(+)2(+)3456(-)7(-)
 
Terminal Voltage (V dc) 
1 + 0 to + 12.6 
7 Ground (-) 
 
 
3. 
 
 If the voltage is less than +11.0 V dc, the battery pack has been discharged. 
Note: Recharging will take at least 3 hours, even if the indicator does not turn 
on. 
If the voltage is still less than +11.0 V dc after recharging, replace the battery. 
4. 
 
 If the voltage is more than +11.0 V dc, measure the resistance between battery 
terminals 5 and 7. The resistance must be 4 to 30 K 
. 
If the resistance is not correct, replace the battery pack. If the resistance is 
correct, replace the system board.
 
30 Lenovo 3000 N500 Hardware Maintenance Manual 
						

							Related service information 
This chapter presents following information: 
v   
 “Restoring the factory contents by using Product Recovery discs” 
v 
 
 “Passwords” on page 32 
v 
 
 “Power management” on page 34 
v 
 
 “Symptom-to-FRU index” on page 36
 
 
 
Restoring the factory contents by using Product Recovery discs 
When the hard disk drive is replaced because of a failure, no Product Recovery 
program is on the new hard disk. In this case, you must use the recovery disc for 
the computer. Order the recovery disc and the hard disk drive at the same time so 
that you can recover the new hard disk drive with the preinstalled software when 
they arrive. For information on which disc to order, see “Recovery discs” on page 
107. 
To install the factory contents by using Product Recovery discs, do the following: 
 
 
1.   
 Make the optical drive the first start up device in the startup sequence. 
 
2.   
 Insert the bootable Rescue and Recovery Startup disc into the optical drive, 
and then start the computer. 
 
3.   
 In the Rescue and Recovery workspace, complete the following procedure: 
a. 
 
 When the Rescue and Recovery workspace opens, click Continue on the 
Welcome window and then click Restore your system. 
b. 
 
 When a message about accessing a USB device is displayed, click OK. 
c. 
 
 In the initial window of the ″Restore your system″ wizard, select Restore 
my hard drive to the original factory state and click Next. 
d. 
 
 In the next window, select I do not want to save any files and click Next. 
e. 
 
 A warning opens not to turn off the computer during the recovery process. 
Click OK.
 4. 
 
 When the Product Recovery window opens, click OK. 
 
5.   
 The Terms and Conditions window opens, select I accept these terms and 
conditions and then click OK. 
 
6.   
 After the files necessary for the product recovery are copied from the Rescue 
and Recovery Startup disc to the hard drive, the system restarts automatically 
and boot back into Rescue and Recovery. Remove the disc and turn off the 
computer. 
 
7.   
 Turn on the computer to continue the recovery process.   
Service We b site:
When
 the latest maintenance diskette and the system program service diskette 
become available, they will be posted on http://www.lenovo.com/spm 
 
Note: The recovery process might take up to 2 hours. 
 
© Copyright Lenovo 2008, 2009 31  
						

							8.   
 After you restart the computer, the computer prompts you for a supplemental 
Rescue and Recovery disc. If you have a supplemental Rescue and Recovery 
disc, click OK and insert the supplemental disc. If you do not have a 
supplemental disc, click No. 
 
9.   
 When prompted, insert the appropriate Product Recovery disc and then click 
OK. The second phase of the recovery process begins. 
10. 
 
 When all of the data has been copied from the last Product Recovery disc in 
the set, a message is displayed prompting you to restart the computer. 
Remove the disc and then click YES, then a message is displayed asking you 
to continue the recovery process. Click Continue to restart your computer, 
then the computer restarts and the third phase of the recovery process begins. 
11 . 
 
 When the recovery process is complete, the Welcome to Microsoft Windows 
screen is displayed. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the 
Windows setup.
Passwords 
As many as three passwords may be needed for any Lenovo 3000 computer: the 
power-on password (POP), the hard-disk password (HDP), and the supervisor 
password (SVP). 
If any of these passwords has been set, a prompt for it appears on the screen 
whenever the computer is turned on. The computer does not start until the 
password is entered. 
Exception: If only an SVP is installed, the password prompt does not appear when 
the operating system is booted. 
Power-on password 
A power-on password (POP) protects the system from being powered on by an 
unauthorized person. The password must be entered before an operating system 
can be booted. 
Hard-disk password 
There are two hard-disk passwords (HDPs): 
v 
 
 User HDP—for the user 
v 
 
 Master HDP—for the system administrator, who can use it to get access to the 
hard disk even if the user has changed the user HDP
Note:
 There are two modes for the HDP: User only and Master + User. The 
Master + User mode requires two HDPs; the system administrator enters both in 
the same operation. The system administrator then provides the user HDP to the 
system user.
Attention:
   If the user HDP has been forgotten, check whether a master HDP has 
been set. If it has, it can be used for access to the hard disk drive. If no master 
HDP is available, neither Lenovo nor Lenovo authorized servicers provide any 
services to reset either the user or the master HDP, or to recover data from the 
hard disk drive. The hard disk drive can be replaced for a scheduled fee.
 
32 Lenovo 3000 N500 Hardware Maintenance Manual