Thinkpads Forum

I have a Thinkpad T410 (Type 2537-BW8)which i got for really cheap. I planned to use it for spare parts.
I noticed it still has a CPU, RAM and Wifi, with a display that has white lines at the bottom.
So i thought if I can fix it up, I can add it to my collection.

This is the problem I am facing with this model now.

1. CPU issue:
CPU is i5-520M, 2 cores 4 threads. On certain times, booting up will show 4 CPUs (in XFCE CPU graph plugin and lscpu). At other times, it shows only 1 cpu. The error i HAVE COME ACROSS IS "ME failed to update for more than 1s, likely hung". This message only appears when 1 cpu only is detected. I bought another two i5 CPUs (620M and 640M) and the problem is still there.

2. This T410 can boot when it is connected to the AC, but only when the palmrest is removed. The battery only 3% capacity left and no CMOS battery. When the palmrest is attached (not screwed on yet), it cannot boot. The Thinklight lights and fan starts then it stops without entering BIOS.

They keyboard ribbon cable is broken bevause I was too rough when handlling it. So I can only use a USB keyboard.
The CPU seems to have some kind of glue on the CPU PCB. There is a tiny section on the Cpu ide that is chipped. My guess it was scavenged for parts previously, and / or someone tried to fix it but did a really bad job at it.

Has someone come across these issues and are there any ways to fix it?

I would say to just keep it for the plastics and get another one, but I don't know how easy they are to come by in Singapore...

When you say "palmrest is connected" - do you mean the touchpad cable is attached? If that makes a difference - it is likely that the touchpad, or touchpad connector on the motherboard is defective.

Regarding the other problem(s) - it may be that the embedded CPU running the management firmware, or some of its ecosystem, has an issue, which is why it sometimes fails to properly initialize. It is possible that some features of the host system do not work correctly, when the embedded FW fails. That embedded CPU is soldered on to the motherboard, and the fact that the problems persist across main CPU swaps, suggests that the motherboard is the culprit.

I am considering keeping it aside as what you suggest because doing this everyday is taking up so much of my time. I will just use other Thinkpads that I have.

Parts I can find later if I want to. It's just now I am thinking of upgrading the maximum CPU and RAM for all my Thinkpads.

Keeping the plastics might no be so feasible. There are cracks on the palmrest (almost half the bezel under the display is broken into 4 pieces, the right side above the CD drive is cracked, the front left display bezel.

As for the palmrest, I have tried it by just placing the palmrest on the skeleton frame as well as connecting the touchpad. Both results are the same, which is it cannot boot.

If remove everything except he display and the motherboard still attached to the skeleton frame, it can boot up.

Banging on the frame when it it switch on does not result in a garbled display. When that happens, I have to disconnect the power to switch it off.

But, the moment I put the frame inside the lower section of the case, just simply tapping the fram when it is in the BIOS or operating system, results in a garbled display.

Yesterday I tried assembling it, and it could boot up at all. The Thinklight comes on, the fan spins, then it stops there.

If it can boot, once the fan stops and it boots into BIOS, the fans start spinning again.

Is it possible that the BIOS is corrupt? I was thinking, maybe I should flash the BIOS.

What I have no is: display, CPU, RAM, motherboard, Wifi card, USB card, CD drive, keyboard with broken flex cable, hard disk caddy.

Anyone have ideas, can let me know what I can do with this.

I love my Thinkpads as much as any other Thinkpadder, but indeed there are limits on how much effort I would spend trying to keep them alive or reviving them as they break.

It looks like you have a partially complete unit with multiple problems, not the least of which seems to be in the motherboard. And even the plastics are broken.

phinktad wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 30, 2025 11:26 pm

What I have no is: display, CPU, RAM, motherboard, Wifi card, USB card, CD drive, keyboard with broken flex cable, hard disk caddy.

I would keep everything that I didn't strike out, and toss the rest in a recycling bin.