X1 Extreme (Gen 1) Problems

[ionkc]

Hello,

Recently I've been dealing with problems with my X1 Extreme Gen 1. I will be using my laptop when randomly the screen will turn black and there is flickering at the top of the screen. When this happens, I end up holding the power button to force shut down. When I try to turn on my laptop again, most of the time I will deal with a situation where the power button and keyboard backlight will turn on momentarily, then turn off. This cycle happens repeatedly unless I hold the power button to force the laptop off. Here is an imgur link with three videos that show the issues https://imgur.com/a/4691Vt5. I hope this is not against the rules.

Some things that temporarily fix the problem where the power button and keyboard flashes on and off is fiddling with the angle of the laptop screen, applying pressure to random areas of the keyboard and wrist areas, holding the laptop with one hand (which I assume applies pressure in a specific area). While these seem to work, they don't really target the root of the problem. In regards to the random black screen with flickering, I will try to move the laptop as little as possible. This is also a bandaid fix.

I couldn't find anything else on the Internet that is remotely similar because when the laptop does boot up, it works perfectly fine until the random black screen with flickering occurs.

Thank you for reading. I hope there is a solution out there!

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.

Lesson 1: NEVER ever lift your laptop with one hand.
In many cases this causes the RAM module to become dislocated in its socket.
In your X1E it could perhaps also be the wifi card, which is on the edge.
Reseating will usually help (until your next lift...).

The lines in your LCD may come from a worn LCD-cable, which feeds from the motherboard through the hinges to the LCD, webcam, etc.
Those cables are also connected with rather frail push-down connectors, that need to be handled with extreme care.

Switching on/off problems could be related to W10/W11 that only goes to some sleep when you 'close down', unless you fully switch off.
Not using W10/W11 myself, this is only a guess.
What you can try: switch Windows fully off, remove charger, disconnect internal battery cable, press and hold down the power button for ~20 seconds to discharge/reset the laptop.
Reconnect the battery and reboot.

[ionkc]

Thank you for the welcome and the advice.

I'll make sure to use two hands from now on to lift my laptop! Per your advice, I will check the RAM and the wifi card.
I'm not sure what 'reseating' means. From what I've found on Google, it seems to mean unplugging and replugging (correct me if I'm wrong).

In regards to the LCD lines, I will keep in mind that I should handle them with care. Is there anything specific I need to do with any of the cables?

And finally, regarding your advice on fully switching off my laptop, disconnecting the internal battery cable, and discharging:
I tried this, and sadly it didn't do much.

If I were to give more details on that specific problem..
When I press the power button to turn on my laptop, the following happens:
1. The screen stays black and the Lenovo logo doesn't even show up, so I'm guessing the boot sequence doesn't even start (not too sure on this)
2. I can hear the fans start up and then turn off after a split second. At the same time the fans turn on, my keyboard backlights and the power button will light up for a split second before turning off.
3. The laptop stays silent/off for a few seconds.
4. The fans start up and the backlights turn back on for a split second.
5. So on and so forth. Step 4 will continue indefinitely until I hold the power button to force shut down.
6. After fiddling around with pressure and screen angle, I will get lucky and the laptop will boot properly with no issues. Afterwards, I can use my laptop with no issues. Well, at least until the random black screen and flickering happens.

[RealBlackStuff]

Your unplugging/replugging is the same as reseating.
What happens if you (when powered off) remove the SSD?
Can you then boot e.g. into BIOS?

Any warranty left?

[throwaway]

[Hoping this helps someone going through the same issue]

I had the exact same issue as OP described. For me, moving the ram stick to the other empty slot worked. I am still not sure, what caused the issue in the first place.

[kapildverma]

Hi,

I faced the same issue last year. I tried to fiddle with the connections - plugged/unplugged every cables and sockets, but the problem got worse. The laptop keeps powering up and down in a quick cycles. Took it to the technician, he said that most probably some the CPU solder has gone bad and that mother board needs to be replaced. Did anyone solve the problem?

I was also considering replacing the mother board myself. I see that gen 2 mother boards are cheaper than gen 1. They look similar in appearance, not sure if they are actually compatible. Was any one able to install gen 2 board on gen 1? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

It seems that thinkpads are no longer reliable as they were before. I have another x1 carbon 7th gen which started developing battery errors and now fan errors in just 3-4 years. My previous thinkpad T61 lasted over 12 years, and it was still working when i gave it away.

[BillMorrow]

hello and welcome to the forum..
just FWIW i have 3 X1 extremes, 2 gen1 and one gen2.. all 4k touch..
no issues yet with any of them..
i consider these to be among the best thinkpads ever.. at least for me..

[w0qj]

Greetings!

I've used my X1 Extreme Gen 1 as my daily driver for 2 years, bringing it to/back from work everyday...
It works just fine! No issues at all

I then switched to X1 Extreme Gen 3 as my daily driver for 2 years, bringing it to/back from work everyday...
It also works just fine! No issues at all

(FYI, I've switched from the "4k" X1E Gen 1 to the "FHD" X1E Gen 3 which doubled my usable battery life... and it's definitely worth it for me!)