That sounds incredibly frustrating, especially for a "new" refurbished machine. It’s that special kind of tech-rage where you want to treat the laptop like a frisbee, but the "refurbished" sticker reminds you that you still need it to work.
Since a hard restart is the only thing bringing it back to life, the system isn't just "sleeping"—it’s likely hanging or the display driver is losing its mind. Before you take it back to Best Buy, let's run through the most likely culprits for the T490.
This is a very common cause for random blackouts on ThinkPads of this era. The Intel graphics driver tries to save power by refreshing the screen less often, and sometimes it just... forgets to turn back on.
- Open the Intel Graphics Command Center (search for it in the Start menu).
- Go to System > Power.
- Find Panel Self Refresh and toggle it to Off for both "On Battery" and "Plugged In."
The T490 belongs to a generation of ThinkPads that had a major bug in the Thunderbolt controller firmware. If left unpatched, it can cause the controller to wear out, leading to display issues, charging problems, and eventually total motherboard failure.
- Download Lenovo Vantage from the Microsoft Store.
- Run all System Updates.
- Specifically, look for Thunderbolt Firmware and BIOS updates. This is non-negotiable for a T490.
ThinkPads use a magnetic "Hall effect" sensor to tell when the lid is closed. If you have a phone, a smartwatch with a magnetic band, or even a bracelet near the palm rest (usually around the edges or the power button), the laptop might think you’ve closed the lid and shut off the screen.
- Test: Next time it happens, make sure no magnets are nearby.
When the screen goes black, try to plug the laptop into an external monitor or TV via HDMI.
- If the external monitor works: The problem is likely your LCD panel or the internal display cable (the eDP cable) being loose.
- If the external monitor is also black: Your graphics driver or the motherboard is crashing entirely.
Since you bought this from Best Buy, you likely have a 90-day warranty (or at least a 14-15 day return window).
[!IMPORTANT] If updating the drivers and disabling "Panel Self Refresh" doesn't fix it within 48 hours, return it or exchange it. Refurbished units can sometimes have "ghost" hardware issues—like a hairline crack in the motherboard—that only appear when the machine reaches a certain temperature.
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