whenever i reboot my ibm r40 (with suse 11.1) the computer begins running a test that shows the cpu, tests the system ram and extended ram… and so on
then grub starts loading up.
it brings me to the screen where i’d choose the opensuse or failsafe opensuse…
the slash screen loads up then it brings me to a terminal style screen (i’m guessing this is the kernel) and asks me to log-in. whenever i give it my name and password it says “Error in service module”
The computer was dropped last night and after that it said no hard drive could be found… after a lot of tampering around, i ended up with the computer in this state… is there any hope of fixing it?
The most likely thing seems to be a damaged hard disk, but there seems to be an outside possibility that a cable has become partially dislodged, so if you can get access without too much disassembly, you may want to check that the cables are correctly seated.
If you have access to another machine, grab a copy of PC Doctor from the IBM support site (this is the page for your model - download the bootable CD version).
Run the diagnostics & see what the results are. If it’s just a broken hdd, they are easily replaced; no cables to check looseness of btw.
Thinkpads are amongst the more resilient laptops so you may have got away with the drop - not usually a good idea though
AFAICS you will find the HDD’s connector has moved. I’ve met some dropped laptops in my working life (dropped 2 myself, one from a concrete stairs) , HDD’s were mostly OK, sometimes disconnected, sometimes connectors were broken.
I could not find any actual specs of the R40. If it has a SATA connector, opening one of the cover plates on the back should be enough to find the HDD. Take some screws out, and pull the HDD out, then reseat it (only one way to slide it in). Then boot the machine.
The R40 is closely related to the T30 iirc; it will have a PATA (IDE) drive. The drives sit at the extreme bottom-left corner (so are very susceptible if that corner hits the floor first !!). One screw only to remove and (with the lid slightly open) the drive caddy just slides out. Given the way Thinkpads are built I doubt there is room for the connector to have popped loose (unless the impact has seriously damaged the casing).
I dropped my Z60m (onto a carpet floor once), and had similar problem. Thankfully, all that was required was to remove HDD bay cover and re-seat HDD (partially dislodged as mentioned as likely by Knurt and ignz).
