[Thinkpad] Unresolved T20 drive issues - IDE controller?

Hey everyone,
    I havn't posted in a while so if you'll spare me a few minutes I'd like to get your opinions on my problem.

My T20 quietly slipped out of warranty last October and I neglected to take care of things while they were still free(but not so easy). Partly because I didn't feel like pushing IBM a second time...

Here's some background info:T20(13.3" XGA-ITU?),700Mhz,192Mb, Win2k.

I sent the machine, HDD, and 6X dvd back for evaluation before the warr. was up. The DVD was horribly loud and shook/vibrated the whole machine.

They replaced the DVD drive, but now this:

The CDRom will read a CD upon insertion, let me browse around for about a minute or so, then act like no CD was ever inserted. Would spin up to speed and click, repeatedly. At first I thought this was my old CDR's, but it then 'grew' to include OEM CD's also. It's progressed to being very tempermental, reading only it's choice of CD's, when it wants, _with_ the exception of DVDs.(skips on SVid tho FWIW). Sometimes I can remove the drive, insert it, the CD works fine, long enought to get through like 98% of an install. :-P FDD works BTW.

Along those same lines, I think I'm going to be bitten by an IBM HDD again. Haven gone through numerous DeskStar drives(and one TravelStar), I'm no stranger them failing on me. Well when I sent my T20 in I noted repetative clicking, upon boot, and durring normal 'idling'. Their resolution was to replace my 12G drive with a 10.1G. . .

The 'new' HDD in this machine does the same thing, and it worries me. What's a good series of drives to stick with for reliability? Is this clicking the parking of the R/W head, and if so, why so loud?

One other note worth mentioning:
Also every so often on cold boots, I get an I/O conflict with device something or other(sorry, never thought to write it down) The last I looked it up in the FSM, it suggested to check/replace the CMOS bat(or sys board of course) - voltage checked OK. I usually resolve this by removing whatever device is in the ultra bay and re-coldboot.

So what is your opinion? Is this simply luck that both of these crutial drives flop(and/or going to) on me? Or possibly the IDE controller? I havn't had my T20 apart; maybe it's time to pick up a parts system?

Any input appreciated, thx for your time.
-Jamie

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Received on Mon Jan 12 23:50:57 2004