Hi,

I have a t20. At boot I get the errorcode 0189 which is related to the EEPROM as far as I can see. Most suggestions goes on replacing the mobo. I would like to have a look at the EEPROM chip but I have no idea what I am looking for.

Also I would like to know if anybody knows any good links to descriptions of ibm motherboards (what is the different components)......so that I can find the components that I am looking for

Most likely what has happened is that the data within the EEPROM has become corrupted. This generally shows up as a CRC error at boot and gives you a "Stop POST task" message along with the error code. Unless you (or somebody else) was attempting to physically alter that component, there wouldn't be much to see externally. Motherboard replacement is usually the suggested method to "fix" the issue as most people do not have the component(s), skill or equipment to perform the repair themselves.

I don't know of any resource which will identify all of the parts on the motherboard. Since the schematics and parts listing do not appear to be available for any of the Thinkpad systems, we are left with Googling the part numbers (when visible). You can check this thread:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=55300

for two T20 motherboard scans.

Try downloading the Hardware Maintenance Diskette, and re-enter your serial number and so.

I believe you can fix the 0189 with HMD

The HMD worked for me on an R40 with the 0189 issue.

When the message pops up, hit escape to continue.

1. Download the IBM Hardware Maintenance Disk and create a floppy. The filename for version 1.75 is i7tm23us.exe. I found it at ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/i7tm23us.exe

2. If you do not have a floppy drive on your laptop, then use nero to create a bootable CD from the files and boot sector of the floppy disk.

3. Boot your laptop from the CD, then choose the Assign UUID option.

This should do the trick for you.