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IBM 600X 301 Errors


301 error code Do you have an IBM 600X (and possibly other Thinkpads) which you cannot boot or access the BIOS because of the "301" keyboard error? If your keyboard has a key that is stuck "down", then the power-on self-test (POST) will indicate the "301" error code, along with a code which tells you exactly which key is causing the problem. For example, in the picture to the left there is a "15" in front of the 301 error code. This means that one of the keys is stuck down. How do I know which one? Each key sends out a byte or a series of bytes when pressed down or released. These are called scancodes. If you search around the net you can find tables and charts which lists the various standards for key scancodes. This information is not in the Hardware Maintenance Manual. So to answer a question I saw posed at the Thinkpads.com 600X forum, I decided to document all of the possible error codes you may see when encountering a stuck key. The most useful table is presented first; a listing in numerical order of all of the error codes with the associated key(s):

Code Key
01 03 04 05 06 07 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E
F9 F5 F3 F1 F2 F12 F10 F8 F6 F4 Tab `

Code Key
11 12 14 15 16 1A 1B 1C 1D 1E 21 22
L Alt L Shift L Ctrl q 1 z s a w 2 c x

Code Key
23 24 25 26 29 2A 2B 2C 2D 2E 31 32
d e 4 3 Space v f t r 5 n b

Code Key
33 34 35 36 3A 3B 3C 3D 3E 41 42 43
h g y 6 m j u 7 8 , k i

Code Key
44 45 45 49 4A 4B 4C 4D 4E 52 54 55
o 0 (zero) 9 . / l (el) ; p - ' [ =

Code Key
58 59 5A 5B 5D 66 76 77 7E 83 E0 E0
Caps Lock R Shift Enter ] \ Backspace Esc F11 ScrLk F7 R Alt PrtSc

Code Key
E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E1
R Ctrl End L Arrow Home Insert Delete Down Arrow R Arrow Up Arrow PgDn PgUp Pause

Here's a different table arranged in the physical layout of the 600X keyboard:

Key Code
Esc PrtSc ScrLk Pause Insert Home PgUp
76  E0* 7E  E1  E0* E0* E0*

Key Code
F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 Delete End PgDn
05+ 06  04  0C  03  0B  83  0A  01  09  78# 07$ E0* E0* E0*

Key Code
` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - = Backspace
0E 16 1E 26 25 2E 36 3D 3E 46 45 4E 55 66

Key Code
Tab q w e r t y u i o p [ ] \
0D 15 1D 24 2D 2C 35 3C 43 44 4D 54 5B 5D

Key Code
CapsLock a s d f g h j k l ; ' Enter
58 1C 1B 23 2B 34 33 3B 42 4B 4C 52 5A

Key Code
L Shift z x c v b n m , . / R Shift
12 1A 22 21 2A 32 31 3A 41 49 4A 59

Key Code
Fn L Ctrl L Alt Space R Alt R Ctrl Up Arrow Left Arrow Down Arrow Right Arrow
 % 14  11  29  E0* E0* E0* E0* E0* E0*

* (multiple) - this error code occurs with multiple keys
+ (F1) - will not cause error code; allows access to Easy Setup (BIOS)
# (F11) - may not cause error code; possible access to recovery partition
$ (F12) - will not cause error code; allows access to boot device menu
% (Fn) - does not cause any error code to be generated


Raymond Kawakami
San Jose, CA
E-Mail: r k a w a k a m i AT y a h o o DOT COM
Copyright 2006
Version 1.0 - Released September 6, 2006

All photos were taken by me using a Canon A10 camera and prepared for web posting using Paint Shop Pro 7. You have permission to link to this page but not to claim it as your own.