# IBM Netvista in continuous reboot with windows xp



## Wolf0168 (Nov 25, 2003)

Hi, 
My first time here, I really hope someone can help me.
Have an IBM Netvista type 2257 Model 82u. Intel Celeron 1.0Ghz,128 mgb's ram, 40 gig. harddrive Running windows xp.

The original problem I had was a message that would come up after the Windows Xp start up screen, It read windows root\system 32\ntoskrnl. exe missing or corrupt please restart computer.

I would restart and It would do the same thing over and over,
I tried a safe mode startup and that didn't work either.
I did a system recovery with my service partition and I didn't get 
the error message again. But, Everytime the computer was started it would reach the Win Xp startup screen and then Reboot or freeze up. I think My service Partition might have become corrupt somehow. And I don't have a system recovery cd.
It came preloaded from the factory.

I took the computer to a freind of mine and we installed a different hard drive, loaded an OEM copy of Windows 98se.
It did it's setup thing with no problems, but when the system rebooted after setup we could only run in safemode.

I didn't realize it at the time but My friend had inadvertantly formatted the hard drive to do the installation, and in doing so he destroyed my service partition.

 I don't know what to do ...It seems like it might have a problem on the motherboard....I ran some system diagnostics on it that I got From IBM and everything passed. Help what can I do?

Any Help would be greatly appreciated. Thanx

Wolf0168


----------



## Rockn (Jul 29, 2001)

If it continually comes up in safe mode there is more thna likely a missing driver or a driver that needs updating for an IDE controller or motherboard chipset. I would start off by going to IBM's web site and get the latest driver set for this PC for the OS you are running. They may not have any drivers at all for Win98


----------



## brit (Dec 18, 2003)

Hi there,

A buddy of mine dropped of a simmilar configuration netvista, I had the same problem.
I swapped drives
Changed the power cord and the power supply
changed the ribbon cable
cleaned the computer of dust with compressed air

Still doesn't work .

Seems like either a part on the motherboard is fried or the cpu is overheating causing it to reboot.

If you managed to fix yours some input would be appreciated.

Regards


----------



## JayTheHun (Jun 26, 2002)

IBM may have provided a "System Restore" disc that you could run to restore the Operating System to its original state. Mind you, you will likely lose all information stored on that drive in doing so.


----------



## lpogpo (Jan 6, 2004)

Hello, I have a simillary problem with 2 netvista 6342, after call IBM about this problem, they told me, it's a malfunction of the capacitors around the processeur.
If your motherboard is always under guaranty, contact IBM, and they change it in 24hours..

Sorry for my english, but i'm french...

Good luck for your search

Lpo


----------



## Jostein (Feb 4, 2004)

Yup.. i have the same problem. Some BIM guys are coming over to change the motherboard.










They are leeking. You ca see yellow/green crystals.


----------



## jeannepo (Mar 11, 2004)

AWESOME picture ! My caps on my mobo are leaky ALSO !!! Great info ! I think IBM should stand behind this problem.:up:


----------



## CyberGuru (Jun 28, 2004)

Hello all.

I just got off the phone with IBM. I have a _NetVista A40 _  which is _Type 6831 _  and _Model EAU_ and has been out of warranty since March 2004.

Windows 98 SE installs and runs like a charm. _Windows XP  _ Pro gets installed like a charm but goes in a _reboot loop_.

It turns out that due to the capacitor issue mentioned here, there is an *extended warranty by IBM  * on those motherboards with this issue. They are sending me a new motherboard and will send a box along for me to send the old motherboard to them.

I hope this helps you all out.

Cheers,

KevinH.


----------



## Wilburn (Jul 8, 2004)

CyberGuru et all,
Thanks for your information in this thread!! :up: 
I have a dead Netvista in my hands that wasn't covered by warranty anymore.
It kept rebooting and rebooting, and after replacing every part down to the CPU, I realised it was the mainboard.
(I noticed the leaking caps but hoped that wasn't the source of the problem).
When I realised it was I started to look around for mainboards, but replacement IBM boards were expensive and replacement socket 370 MicroATX boards very hard to find.
Then I stumbled on this thread, called IBM and, because it was a known problem it was also covered by the extended warranty. Going to take it in to an IBM service center (Which they found for me) later today and with a surprising twist my problems seem to be over!
I must say, even tho it took me forever to get a hold of someone at the IBM service number, their service is definately top-notch.


----------



## Massacher (May 31, 2003)

CyberGuru said:


> Windows 98 SE installs and runs like a charm. _Windows XP  _ Pro gets installed like a charm but goes in a _reboot loop_.


hi, at the place where i work there is an IBM computer that is stuck in a reboot loop. it doesn't even get to Windows. it is running Win2000 and when it gets to the part where is says Press F1 for Setup it just keeps on rebooting endlessly.

now i have never used an IBM-based PC before but i can get into the setup by pressing F1. but the problem is there is no option to boot from a floppy. even though i can change the floppy's settings, from either a 3.5" to a 5.25", etc.

i think i may have stuffed something up b/c in the boot.ini file i changed a setting that said:

disk(0)

and i set it to:

disk(1)

but i later found out that there is no disk 1. the 1st HDD is in slot 0 and the 2nd HDD is in slot 2. slot 1 and 3 have no disk drives.

the details of the computer are as follows:

Product Data
-------------

Machine Type/Model: 6568GBA
Flash EEPROM Revision Level: PIKT15AUS
Boot Block Revision Level: PI15A
System Board Identifier: L56086VIR0
System Serial Number: 905064R
System UID: 8460cbaf09ef2212a221b68a8fcc68b5
BIOS Date: 06/26/2000

System Summary
----------------

Processor: Pentium 3
Processor Speed: 667/133MHz
System Memory: 320MB
Memory Bus Speed: 133MHz
Active Video: Intel(R) 815 Chipset Video BI
Audio Support: Enabled
Fan 2: Operating
Diskette Drive A: 1.44MB 3.5"
IDE Hard Disk Drive 0: 10110MB
IDE Hard Disk Drive 1: Not installed
IDE Hard Disk Drive 2: 40023MB
IDE Hard Disk Drive 3: Not installed

the problem i am having is that i can't get into the BIOS. why won't it let me get into the BIOS?

the computer does have 2 viruses. a keyboard logger and the francette worm. it has had them for a while but they are using Norton's Virus Scanner and it can't repair, quarantine or delete the viruses. i of course found this out before this problem of not being able to boot to Windows or to DOS mode.

some1 could u please help me with this problem of not being able to get into the BIOS or boot into pure DOS?


----------



## OldEngineer (Aug 3, 2004)

Having read this thread, and having a NetVista A21 that also reboots, I checked the capacitors. Yes, they too were defective with leakage and bulging. Even though the machine was 2 years out of warranty, they are sending me a replacement motherboard. 

Conversely, stay away from Dell. They have brain-dead technical and customer support.


----------



## Massacher (May 31, 2003)

i figured out what the problem was. the computer had and still has a blaster worm virus on it that modified the boot.ini file. needless to say it is going to be flushed and everything installed from scratch.


----------



## GerryC (Aug 7, 2004)

I had a similar problem with my 2.5 year old IBM NetVista A20i which had started to spontaneously reboot when it was about 2 years old. The problem happened more frequently as time went by and it had come to the stage where the machine was unusable. At first I thought it was the power supply but when I set a power up password on the machine it did not prompt for the password when it spontaneously rebooted. This indicated that the power was not atually dropping when the problem happened. At this stage I was stumped and on the verge of chucking out the machine.

Then I read this thread and when I checked the capacitors they did look like they were leaking as described. The photo was expecially helpful.

Together with several other articles on the internet it (e.g. http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=10115) I felt it was time to contact IBM. When I rang their support centre here in the UK the engineer told me that it was out of warranty and the A20i did NOT have the extended warranty other models have due to the capactor issue. I registered a complaint and their complaints department immediately told me it would be fixed free of charge. Furthermore, they said the engineer was mistaken when he said it was not covered. Within a few days they sent an engineer around to replace the motherboard and it has been working fine ever since.

Many thanks for this helpful information.

GerryC


----------



## JEBBEJ (Aug 12, 2004)

Hi guys,

Found this thread searching for answers to my IBM Netvista rebooting problem. I've been tearing my hair out trying to figure out what the heck the problem was.

I called IBM last week. I told them what my problem was, what I had done so far. They ask for the model number and the purchase date, then immediately told me that my machine was out of warranty and any support would have to be charged. I told them that I wasn't ready to pay for help and that all I figured I needed was the recovery CD.

After I received the CD and ran it, I still had the same problem. For the past week I've been searching the net, and IBM's website looking for answers to resolve this issue. I've swapped out memory, power supply, hard drive, cables, reseated the processor, swapped out the processor, done everything except swap out the mobo.

Finally, being at my wits end, I contacted my brother (who is also very knowledgeable with pc's. He had no new ideas, but searching the net ran accross the bad capacitor issue along with this forum. After looking at my mobo, I realized that this is my problem. (check out my pics at http://www.jebswebsite.com/misc_pics/ibm_mobo_capacitors.jpg) THANKS GUYS, YOU SAVED ME!

Now I know when your in business, you don't want to give away any more than you have to. But when you have a customer contacting you that has a machine that you know has a partictular problem with the symptoms the customer just discribed, and you are waving warranty dates for the problem, why would you not try and offer help???

I think this is downright dishonesty. I wonder how many people out there have a machine that they are using for a door stop because they have the same problem. They might have even called IBM and ask for help, but didn't want to pay for the support.

It would be a totally different matter if this problem was caused by age. But these guys know they have a problem, and are not even lifting a finger to help the cutomers that are calling asking for help.

If they would have told me during my first phone call about the problem and offered help, I would have thought they were the greatest company in the world, and the next time I needed a pc, I would go straight to them.

Now how do you think I feel about them? I will never, never buy another IBM pc or pc product. I've always recommended to the people I've built pc for to spend the extra for an IBM processor. Not now.

IBM, you are creating more problems than you think with this attitude.

Thanks for listening guys!

JEBBEJ

Stop by and visit
JEB's (fishing) webpage at
http://www.jebswebsite.com


----------



## Jr61_ca (Sep 27, 2004)

2 weeks ago my pc shut off by itself. At the time I thought someone might have knocked the power bar by mistake. I restarted it without any problems.
Last Tuesday I installed the windows Service pack 2. wednesday whil using my computer, it shut down again, on its own. I attempted to restart it but I only had the IBM logo and the Intel Logo on the screen. The PC does not seem to be able to boot up. The indicator light for the hard drive comes on for a few seconds, as does the cdrom light and the dvd burner light. The diskette drive indicator does not light up. I thought it might be the condensor problem but they look fine. No leakage or swelling. I attempted to use the recovery cd, again, nothing. Its is as if the system will not boot at all. anyone have any idea what this could be?

Thanks,


----------



## rdiks (Oct 5, 2004)

I have the same problem with a Netvista 6643 and I realize that it is a rather old model (2001). After a quick look on the motherboard I noticed the same problem, leaking caps  . 

Just send a mail to IBM service NL and hope to receive some good news.

Thanks for your stories, else I was still trying and trying...
Bye from The Netherlands,
Richard


----------



## bigred-9 (Oct 15, 2004)

Being a former IBM tech support agent (3 years) I can tell you that we were told to never admit there being any issues regarding any of our machines. 

I just picked up 2 Netvista 6270 A20's that seem to have a 3 year warranty which I'm sure has expired. Neither one of them power on and I will be checking the caps tomorrow and will call for replacements as soon as it is verified that is the problem.

I do not require a tech to come onsite as I can do this in my sleep, will certainly be insteresting to hear how the tech support for big blue is after being out of there for over a year now (moved on to Toshiba tech support).

I'll keep you guys posted.


----------



## rex cal hoon (Nov 10, 2004)

Yes, I read your first entry, didn't get a chance to go any further than that but i skimmed over a few and the guy which said the thing about the capacitors was right, they are faulty. I have the exact same machine as yours, same problem. After i updated my bios it started doing that same thing. Anyway searched and searched to find the problem everywhere on the web, found out a few hints here and there about this issue with the capacitors. Its not very well known issue but a big problem, i found out there's like 20,000 of these capacitor in ibms computers around the world. I phoned directly to IBM and confronted them about this problem i was having with my computer. They went through the steps to try and help to no avail. I then mentioned this issue about the capacitors, thats when i had found out the facts about this. My computer was out of warranty also but they had no problem taking it and fixing these things without a charge to me, other than shipping. If i were u i'd be phoning them up and getting them to fix it for u. If u haven't done so already.

Hope it helped


----------



## clo (Nov 11, 2004)

Massacheri,

I was having the same problem getting into the BIOS. I pulled the battery and unplugged the computer for about 10 minutes. After that, I put the battery back in and booted up. I hit F1 and it let me into the BIOS. Unfortunately, I have the capacitor issue everyone else is having, so getting into the BIOS did not really help (I did feel better though).

Chris


----------



## jessie~Lynn (Nov 26, 2004)

I too have a IBM NetVist and suffering from the exact same symptoms of constant rebooting. The problem was driving me nuts and no type of troubleshooting would work.

Finally I caved in and brought it to a repair shop and the guy told me the capacitors  were swollen and a new Motherboard was needed. After calling IBM I found out a new motherboard was $385. I was then debating weather or not it was worth spending the almost $400 for a new motherboard or just buy a new computer…

After debating for a long Time I decided to buy the part but before I did, wanted to do a little bit more research on the internet about the motherboard and if the capacitor thing was a common problem.

Well lucky enough I found this Thread!! After reading that people with the same problem got their computers fixed for free I immediately called IBM. After explaining the situation I'm now getting a new motherboard for free. This is great considering my computer is about 3 years old and warranty ran out ages ago. IBM got really great customer service!!! If I haven't stumbled on this thread I'd now be $400 bucks in the hole.

Thanx Guys!    
:up:


----------



## bigred-9 (Oct 15, 2004)

Here is an update, only 1 of my machines had the bulging capacitors but when I spoke with the local IBM servicer (that the tech support provided me) he said that it didn't matter that the other motherboard was not bulging, as long as it was not working and the machine was one of the ones on the bulging cap list.

So he ordered me 2 new boards and both machines are working aces.

Bigred-9


----------



## jerasmus (Dec 13, 2004)

This site has been most helpful. Thank you to all of you who shared your experience with IBM NetVistas and leaking capacitors. I too experienced this problem with a NetVista A40. It happened a couple of months after the PC went out of warranty. It started out with Windows locking up and constantly rebooting and progressed to not being able to reinstall windows. I contacted IBM tech support and described the leaking capacitors problem and they said no problem we will send you a replacement motherboard at no cost to you.


----------



## The sweeney (Dec 21, 2004)

I have 3 out of 8 Netvista 6569rgb with a problem not coming out of sleep mode which they insist on doing even though the power management has not been enabled in BIOS or Windows 2k. I have to power off then on to get the things to work. Is it possible this is the same capacitor problem? Anyone else had this?


----------



## quixotic (Apr 14, 2003)

It is also very common for a BSOD to cause this as the default is for the system to reboot on error.

the key

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl]
"AutoReboot"=dword:00000000

Will prevent this, see if it will boot into safe mode and change the setting in the gui under system properties/advances/startup and recovery/settings/automaticly reboot , or if not use an offline registry editor such as the ERD Commander http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/erdcommander2002.asp?pid=erd 
from winternals.com. It may give an indication of a particular driver or software causing a BSOD and therefor a reboot.


----------



## JEBBEJ (Aug 12, 2004)

Although you are probably correct, if the issue is on a Netvista built circa 2001-2002, the cause is most likely the mobo capacitors.

JEBBEJ


----------



## lousai (Jun 29, 2005)

Guy:

I need some advise on the sequence of on/off swiych, reset, HDD led at the Power LED Light, as i am changing casing now, have no idea which one to connect to..


Many Thanks


----------



## BannerGuy (Mar 30, 2005)

Just to reitterate what many people have said in this (JEBBEJ most recently) this is a fairly common issue with this circa of PC. E1U/TAU models have also run into this issue. I help to service over 950 PC's and in the process of rolling these older 800Mhz+ models out of service I would bet that 1 in 10 of them have had this issue at some point. Not all CAPs leak, but if they are not FLAT across the top of the CAP then you can pretty much call them bad. Someone else mentioned that the motherboards are out of warranty (true...) so if you have this issue, more than likey you wont get much help.


----------



## JEBBEJ (Aug 12, 2004)

lousai said:


> Guy:
> 
> I need some advise on the sequence of on/off swiych, reset, HDD led at the Power LED Light, as i am changing casing now, have no idea which one to connect to..
> 
> Many Thanks


Lousia,

 Hopefully, you haven't disconnected the LEDs from your old case. If you haven't :up:, the easiest way would be to duplicate in the new case they way you have them in the old. But if you've already moved passed this point :down: , or want a more detailed answer  , read on...

First off, lets discuss the LEDs (the wires and their connectors). Your new case (assuming it is a NEW case and not a used or hand-me-down) should have an instruction manual that lists the LEDs and how to connect them properly.

Although cases do not always have the same LEDs or will have more or less than another, the major ones will be the same.

If the LEDs from the case are not labeled, you can trace them back to the cases front panel to determine their source (description of each is listed below).

As for your mobo... If you don't have a case manual or your case is used, the cases LEDs themselves should be marked as to what they are for (Speaker, PowerSW, etc). If they are, use them to reference them to the same LEDs from your old (IBM?) case, and/or the pins on your mobo.

Note the wire orientation...Dark colored wires usually attach to the positive leads, and white wires usually attach to the negative leads (excerpt from my ASUS manual). If you have them crossed, you won't blow your mobo up, the LED just will not light. In this case just switch the connector orientation, and it should work.

As for LED connector labels... Normal LEDs are as follows:

SPEAKER = connects to the case speaker (you need this to hear the BIOS startup beeps in case you have booting issues).

POWER SW (or ATX POWER SW) = connects to the cases power (ON) switch.

RESET SW = connects to the cases RESET switch.

POWER LED = connects to the green case light.

H.D.D. LED = H.D.D. means the (main) hard drive. Connects to the red case light. Blinks when the drive is accessed.

These are the main LEDs, and the ones that should be connected. Realistically, unless the mobo has any default features that would necessitate having more than the power up LED connected, that is the only one you really need to have connected (POWER SW).

Depending on how fancy of a case you have will determine whether you have any others. If you do have additional LEDs, it's not important that they be connected unless you will be using those (advanced) features. Such advanced feature LEDs may be:

MSG LED = if connected, usually blinks when pc is in standby mode.

KEYBOARD LOCK = Allows for locking the keyboard via the systems BIOS.

SMI LEAD = Stand for "System Management Interrupt Lead". Used in some Pre-configured PCs for tampering protection.

Hope this info helps...JEBBEJ


----------



## the_b_man (Jul 25, 2005)

I've got a lab full of old IBM NetVista P3/800's that are dying off one at a time to this very problem.

Considering the age of the computers, would the motherboards still be covered under IBM's warranty? How do I contact IBM to find out?

tia.


----------



## bigred-9 (Oct 15, 2004)

Look up the number for IBM tech support general number is 1-800-IBM-4YOU, and in regards to the replacement boards last I heard there was not an expriy date, but better call big blue for verification. OH yeah and when you call they will act all dumb about this problem, tell them you have seen online about this warranty extension.


----------



## Feral (Jul 27, 2005)

heheh how did I know I would find you here Big Red...

Speaking of These Netvistas

I bought 2 from a RFD member one board is toast has one bulged cap and won;t install windows I call up Big blue they ask how many of these systems I have I say 3 and they said ok were sending you 3 new board just dispose of the old boards once replaced

Odd thing is I ran the Diagnostics it passed everything.. when I install XP Pro it will get to Installing Devices, get about 1/2 to 2/3 the way and the screen will blank out perminantly and stay that way.. I would have to restart and it will crap out EXACTLY where it left off after I format the drive.. 7 times before I got fedup and searched

so I now have 1 spare board and getting my 2 netvista boards to repair the 2


----------



## JEBBEJ (Aug 12, 2004)

_"Odd thing is I ran the Diagnostics it passed everything.. "_ - Yea, I had same problem when it would actually finish the diagnostics, but most times, the diagnostics would just stop running. So much for "IBM's Diagnostic" software!

If you decide to reinstall windows from a "Recovery CD" (not supplied with the PC (but available from IBM - cost me $40.31 - the backup software was SUPPOSE TO SUFFICIENT FOR ANY PROBLEMS" I was told by IBM when I called and ask for a CD) and continue to use the automatically installed diagnostic and recovery software that gave you that bad test result, make sure you download and install the updates to this software. According to IBM, it "fixes" many problems as well as would inform you of the bad capacitors if you installed and ran "before" you install the new mobo's (I had not tested this).

_"when I install XP Pro it will get to Installing Devices, get about 1/2 to 2/3 the way and the screen will blank out perminantly and stay that way.. I would have to restart and it will crap out EXACTLY where it left off after I format the drive.."_ - Yep, that's what it does!!

FYI, Anyone looking to buy and new "NETVISTA's" or "THINKPAD's", they are no longer made by IBM. IBM sold off their PC business last year and granted licence's to companies in China and Japan to use the names. I saw a comercial on TV recently for the Thinkpads. They are called Thinkpads, but have an additional name attached to them (don't remember what it was).

Hope this helps...JEBBEJ


----------



## One2One (Aug 11, 2005)

Well, good news is this thread totally clued me in to my netvista issue. bad news is IBM ended the extended warenty on these boards june 30th 2005. so.. this machine is now a paperweight! Thanks for the info though.


----------



## Feral (Jul 27, 2005)

One2One said:


> Well, good news is this thread totally clued me in to my netvista issue. bad news is IBM ended the extended warenty on these boards june 30th 2005. so.. this machine is now a paperweight! Thanks for the info though.


Shhwaaaa 

they didn;t tell me that and I got my 3 boards like they said they would send and I didn;t pay a penny just tell them to honor there Warranty about you have the right to the new board being YOU BOUGHT THE BOARD from them... the rep pulled the same crap but as soon as I mentioned bringing in a lawyer about there KNOWN defective crap and how they should HONOR there Problem machines and repaired them he authorized it


----------



## jp1203 (Jul 21, 2005)

Wolf0168 said:


> Hi,
> My first time here, I really hope someone can help me.
> Have an IBM Netvista type 2257 Model 82u. Intel Celeron 1.0Ghz,128 mgb's ram, 40 gig. harddrive Running windows xp.


You're crazy running XP with 128 RAM. Most people put AT LEAST 256, and I wouldn't run XP w/o 512 from the performance I've seen on some PCs. I don't have XP. I don't like it, but that's another story...


----------



## jp1203 (Jul 21, 2005)

JEBBEJ said:


> _
> 
> FYI, Anyone looking to buy and new "NETVISTA's" or "THINKPAD's", they are no longer made by IBM. IBM sold off their PC business last year and granted licence's to companies in China and Japan to use the names. I saw a comercial on TV recently for the Thinkpads. They are called Thinkpads, but have an additional name attached to them (don't remember what it was).
> 
> Hope this helps...JEBBEJ_


_

It's Lenovo, they are essentially partners._


----------



## schut (Aug 26, 2005)

I have one of these and now it's trash!!! 

Edited for language. Please refrain from doing this again.


----------



## Feral (Jul 27, 2005)

schut said:


> I have one of these and now it's trash!!!


just call IBM and tell them 

Edited quoted post for language.


----------



## rgodinez (Aug 28, 2005)

I've called IBM in Spain, and they have told me that there is no extended warranty for my model (nor for others, I suppose) NetVista 6380-K2G .

So I've buyed the capacitors and have changed them by myself, and voila! IT'S UP AND RUNNING!!

As you can see partially in the posted photo by Jostein (see first page in this thread), around the processor there are 9 capacitors of 1200 microF and 10V (the blue ones), and 4 capacitors of 1500 microF and 6.3V (the green ones).

It is very easy to use the soldering iron to take out the bad capacitors and to put the new ones, and the 13 capacitors are available at cost of 10 (here in Spain, I suppose it could be general price less than 10$ also).
Be careful with polarity: positive hole is marked in mother board with "+" sign near it, and is square shaped.
Positive wire in capacitors is the longest, and negative is also visibly marked along the side of the capacitor's body with bold "-" sign.

Come on, let us revive our dead NetVista!

Hope this helps,
Rafa.


----------



## Feral (Jul 27, 2005)

If need be just message and I could repair them for you, I have 8 years in electronics and I am Certified


----------



## Kristech (Aug 29, 2005)

I have exactly the same problem with IBM Netvista 2257 B4U, the computer goes in a reboot loop. I spent hours trying to figure out the problem with no results, then I went on the internet and I found this forum. I opened the computer case and noticed leaks on the capacitors. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR SHARING THIS INFORMATION!!!( It was very helpful.)

I Called technical support and they told me to pay for support, I told them that I have heard about the problems with capacitors but they told me that the recall warranty has expired as of July 2005. I will try to contact their consumer advocate department since it is not even 30 days since they decided to end the recall.
:up:


----------



## johnny2005 (Sep 8, 2005)

I recently bought two NetVistas from an auction and both motherboards had blown capacitors. After hours of troubleshooting, then reading this post, I decided to call IBM Tech Support in Canada (1-800-565-3344). I told them the mainboards had bad capacitors and after asking for the serial numbers, they are sending out two replacement boards free of charge  . Keep in mind this is after warranty and after the recall deadline (I called on Sept.8, 2005). If anyone in Canada is having this issue, you can probably get a free replacement too. My machines were NetVista A40p 6579-PDU.


----------



## Viperz (Sep 10, 2005)

Ok, to make a long story short I was asked to look at a similar machine for a friend of mine. After several hours of the machine constantly rebooting I finally decided to format the drive and reinstall Windows 98SE. The machine ran for about 6 hours with no trouble other then Windows update killing the network drivers so I had to reinstall them. I replaced the machine in the cabinet it was in and on the next day went to install some more drivers found it rebooting once more. This time I did a full breakdown of the case and found deposits on the motherboard. Not knowing what cased this I went to an online auction site and purchase another working machine with a broken TFT screen. Now a week later the second machine arrives and I move the screen from the first machine to the second only to find they are not compatible. The old machine was a 6643-11U with a 100 model monitor; the new was a 6643-22U with a 200 model monitor. It was at this point that I discovered this forum and proceeded to contact IBM to find out what could be done. The first time I called I didnt' get very far because I didn't have the serial number handy, so I called back again the next day.
When I called the second time I started getting a run-around about this particular machine not having this problem. After going through a few phone people I was able to get moved along to someone in the customer care department. I was pretty much getting the deadened here and tried to move forward till the guy found out it wasn't actually my machine I was calling about. He told me the actual owner would have to call and I was starting to get pretty upset with the BS they were giving me. He told me my only choice was to pay for onsite repair or just buy the motherboard from them for $276! Anyway, I pressed some more and was able to get to his boss whom was finally willing to at least listen to what I had. I sent him some digital pics to show the 4 leaking and one busted caps on the board and he moved me along to another tech guy. After about another week I was finally able to get the board replaced for free (which they next day'd and paid for the return of the defective board).
As I told several of the people I spoke to, I was stuck with the particular machine for this application because it was build into a diagnostic cabinet and there was no way to just replace the machine with something cheaper and faster. I wasnt looking to get something for totally nothing, but $300 for a socket 370 motherboard is outrageous. (IMO) Thankfully the folks at Lenovo did good by me, thanks for the input here.


----------



## myfoothurts (Sep 14, 2005)

I had the same problem, windows gets as far as splash screen and freezes then reboots, I first reinstalled wxp, it still did the same, then I replaced the hdd, ram, and nothing, so after reading this thread I called IBM and there sending me a new Motherboard in 2-3 days for free even though my warranty was finished last year.

Thanx everyone for the advice, it actually worked!!!

Will post back when the new board arrives!!!


----------



## massifr (Sep 19, 2005)

I've bought 5 second hand NetVista Type 6578 (with Pentium III 866).
Three of them work fine.
The other two always freeze, but not at the same point every time.

On one of the two i was able to install WinXP, but then it freezes every time
I try to reboot the PC.
I tried Knoppix 3.9 and the Debian Sarge Installer CD, but they freeze too:
not at the same point every time, even if the freezing point is not completely
aleatory: there are SOME points at which the freeze happens.

I can see no leaking from the capacitors. One or two for both PC have
a slightly expanded, rounded top, but no leakage.

Do you think it's the same problem?


----------



## BannerGuy (Mar 30, 2005)

Massifr,

Welcome to TSG!!

The CAPS dont have to be leaking for them to be bad, the expanded and round top of the caps is a sign that they have gone bad... sorry.


----------



## massifr (Sep 19, 2005)

BannerGuy said:


> ... is a sign that they have gone bad... sorry.


I'm not sorry, because now I know the solution (replacing the caps).
Thanks.

I've contacted the person who sold me those NetVistas and he seemed to be aware of the capacitors' problem. Anyway he offered me to replace them at no charge.

The thing I'd like to know is: were the caps mounted by IBM to be faulty or is the motherboard's layout that make the caps go bad? In other words, am I going to experience the same problem some time after I'll have replaced them?


----------



## iron4umx (Sep 20, 2005)

it's weird, I had computers, that had those capacitors like super leaking, and they still worked, bearly )


----------



## iron4umx (Sep 20, 2005)

It would be temporaly if you don't put the proper ventilation, you know, net vistas shut of the fans automaticly, witch in my opinion is kind of krazzy, I WHANT MY FANS ON 24/7/365 YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡


UP THE FANS, LET THERE BE NOISE¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡


----------



## massifr (Sep 19, 2005)

iron4umx said:


> It would be temporaly if you don't put the proper ventilation


So the caps go bad for the heat generated by the CPU.
In other words, the problem has not an electrical cause.
Is this right?


----------



## BannerGuy (Mar 30, 2005)

Well you could look at it this way... most of these CPU's are about 4 years old, some less, some more... but it took 4 years for this issue to arise. Part of the issue seemed to be the quality of the product put on the board... This doesn't seem to be a consistant issue with all of them, just some of them. If you keep these PC's for 4 more years you *might* see this issue again, but by then they will be so outdated, why worry about it, you might be able to find anything that will run on them.


----------



## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

massifr said:


> So the caps go bad for the heat generated by the CPU.
> In other words, the problem has not an electrical cause.
> Is this right?


This is not ordinarily correct. If the environment is hot enough to cause your electrolytics to fail, it is too hot period.

Electrolytics have been the bane of the electronics industry for years. Periodically a manufacturer (can be any of the manufacturers) puts out a bad batch that fail early, and a whole bunch of electronics (not just computers) are affected. There are many reasons why this happens, but I won't go into it.

Suffice it to say that changing the caps is more than likely a permanent repair. Unless, of course, you are unlucky enough to have purchased defective replacement caps. Which could happen.


----------



## StumpedTechy (Jul 7, 2004)

> were the caps mounted by IBM to be faulty or is the motherboard's layout that make the caps go bad? In other words, am I going to experience the same problem some time after I'll have replaced them?


Ugh I wish everyone on this thread would get their facts straight....

Read these links - http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2003Feb/bch20030207018535.htm

and

http://www.badcaps.net/ more specifically - http://www.badcaps.net/causes/

There was a flawed electrolyte formula that has been passed all over the place and it has hit MANY motherboard manufacturers.

This is not just an IBM issue or a Dell issue this is all over.

As is with any large company thought they do have new trainees and whatnot that are just as clueles as the next person and have no CLUE about this.

I have had to replace many boards but the nice thing is I also know how to solder and buy capactiors. You can get the parts to fix the board yourself for about 10$ to 50$ if its out of warranty.

Also the second link I provided does board repairs AND sells the actual cap kits you need to fix your board.


----------



## Feral (Jul 27, 2005)

StumpedTechy said:


> Ugh I wish everyone on this thread would get their facts straight....
> 
> Read these links - http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2003Feb/bch20030207018535.htm
> 
> ...


ahhh yup
the caps were a bad build you can tell these by the + on the Metal portion on the top.. all of the boards on this post that people are having problems with are from the same manufacturer

since my last post I have repaired quite a few.. 
as a precaution I replace ALL the caps on the boards with the same newer style which have a K on the tops
just because one or 2-4 go theres more then 4 on the board and just because there not blistered nor cracked doesn't mean there not bad I have a few caps that are perfectly normal looking that ARE actually bad upon opening one ( Wearing gloves) it was noted it was dry as a bone
as an Example I have scanned a customer trade-in board ( Customer dropped off the old board picked up a refurbished one that had all the caps replaced if you notice NONE of the caps are blistered or split but I do know the cap with the 4 dots and the surrounding are the ones that are causing the problems

and all you DIY peeps Caps cannot be tested Via a Multimeter even damaged caps yeild the same readings hence if I get one with those symptoms there all replaced who knows another one down the road can split or blister
There IS a Meter designed SPICIFCALLY for caps but they can be pricy depending on the model, complexity and manufacturer of it

this board will have all the caps replaced and will become a customer tradein


----------



## Feral (Jul 27, 2005)

iron4umx said:


> It would be temporaly if you don't put the proper ventilation, you know, net vistas shut of the fans automaticly, witch in my opinion is kind of krazzy, I WHANT MY FANS ON 24/7/365 YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡
> 
> UP THE FANS, LET THERE BE NOISE¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡


you are in fact incorrect... caps go because the solution inside becomes unstable and produces a gas called hydrogen and they Burst, when they burst they will still work but ONLY until the Electrolyte inside Evaporates (Drys out.. when a system is becomming unstable it ususally means the caps are drying out or the electrolyte is eating the board and shorting it.. Electrolyte contains an acid which will damage the board and equipment.. they can be mounted ANYWHERE on the board in fact here is a motherboard with the same problem and its theres blown Caps Everywhere (This is a Lucky Star Slot one mobo ( Now I see why Lucky Star went bankrupt, cuz they used sub standard caps.. this board will be repaired and returned to its owner

aswell as if you use HIGH Quality Caps no mater where there located they will not go

as for the netvistas controlling the fans they do not.. I run one with no covers and the 3 fans are ALWAYS running... the only time I found a fan not running is because it was seized


----------



## Fatdaddy144 (Nov 22, 2005)

IBM has impressed, and I NEVER thought it would happen. With the information received via this fourm I went to the IBM website and opened 2 support requests and stated that I received information that the warranty was extened for the mainboard as the capacitor issue was a "Known Issue" they promptly called me back to verify the issue and shipping address. CASE CLOSED. Not bad for a unit I paid $2.00 for.

IBM NetVista Model: 6648

PIII 933Mhz


----------



## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

We must be coming up high in the Google searches


----------



## drewlane (Jun 10, 2004)

Fatdaddy144 said:


> IBM has impressed, and I NEVER thought it would happen. With the information received via this fourm I went to the IBM website and opened 2 support requests and stated that I received information that the warranty was extened for the mainboard as the capacitor issue was a "Known Issue" they promptly called me back to verify the issue and shipping address. CASE CLOSED. Not bad for a unit I paid $2.00 for.


Rats. I have the same problem with my Netvista 2254. I can see at least 4 caps around the cpu bulging/leaking and the computer is in a continuous reboot cycle.

I opened a service request and got a call back a few minutes later from IBM! I was impressed as this was Xmas eve! 

However, they said the ECA had expired for my mobo. 

What did you say exactly? I guess mine is a little older but I was hoping for a miracle.


----------



## Krizze (Oct 13, 2007)

I got same reboot problem! 
I have tested rams and powers...
Here pics my capacitors "warning big pictures": http://www.krizzen.net/photos/hardware/konkat/


----------

