Laptop repair?

[Less Than Liz]

I'm pretty certain my laptop (HP Pavilion dv1000) just died on me for good. I have no idea what the main problem is, so I realize answering my questions might be difficult because of that. But, generally speaking:

- What do you know about laptop repair? The last time something happened to my laptop, the screen burned out and I was told the cost of repairing it was close to or more than buying a new one, so it was best to just use a monitor. Are most repairs like this (that is, so costly it almost outweighs getting it done)? To add to that, I was going to need a new laptop soon anyways.

- Is there any way to recover your files on a laptop once it sorta...stops turning on? I can't even get the little lightning bolt to show up when I plug the thing in.

What happened was my laptop froze, so I had to restart it by just turning it off and on again using the power button. Then it would kinda turn on, but there was no picture ("no signal") on the monitor I was using (screen's burned out) and I suspect it didn't reboot all the way since my mouse didn't light up and my iPod never said "charging." I can usually see a reaaally faint picture on my laptop screen and even that wasn't there. It didn't work on another monitor either. I restarted it several times and took out CD-Roms and other connections when I did this, too.

I took the battery out for about 15-20 minutes and kept it plugged in. Then I took out the plug (with the battery still removed) and held the power button down for about a minute, since this is what I had to do the last time it went screwy. After I put the battery back and plugged it in, it wouldn't even turn on.

Any ideas? I'm not very tech savvy, so any feedback would be helpful.

[moogle]

I'm going through some laptop trouble as well. Over the last couple weeks it keeps shutting down on its own, freezing, and doing other bizarre things. Seems to be dying... makes sense, seeing as it's seven years old now. I'm probably going to have to get a new one soon, and it seems yours is more far gone than mine at this point.

But I'm not sure if you're saying you can get it to turn on at this point or not. If yes, try and recover as much data that you want to save with a USB flash drive or other removable media first. If not, the only things I can think of would be to replace the battery and/or the charger.

[Polygon]

I work for HP and I repair laptops all the time.

Liz: When it was working would it work on just the AC with no battery in? The power supply could just be bad and you need a new one. Now, there is also the possibility that the DC connector on the laptop has shorted out. The plug where you plug in the power. If you plug it in and wiggle it around, is it loose?

In both cases your battery would not be getting charged and then since it can't get power from the AC once the battery ran out the laptop wouldn't turn on at all. Now, if it's neither of those then it's most likely a bad system board.

As for the data. You can remove the hard drive and put it in another computer and transfer the data off. Any computer shop should be able to do that. Just don't take it to the Geek Squad. They'd probably just end up formatting the hard drive.

Moog: Your problem could be memory, processor, system board, or even something as simple as software. If you want to hit me up on MSN or Google sometime I can help you diagnose if it's a software issue. I can help you with checking the hardware as well.

[moogle]

Moog: Your problem could be memory, processor, system board, or even something as simple as software. If you want to hit me up on MSN or Google sometime I can help you diagnose if it's a software issue. I can help you with checking the hardware as well.

Thanks, but i can't get online now with my laptop, so no IM. I literally have to use my Wii to type this.

Basically there doesn't seem to be enouggh power getting through to power my peripherals. I posted my problem on GameFAQs and 420chan`s /tech/, if you feel like looking. :/

[EDIT EDIT EDIT]

Okay, I found a way to get back online with my laptop, I tried plugging my wireless adaptor into one of my USB 1.1 ports, which actually worked. My 2.0 ports are through a PCMCIA card, because it didn't have any built-in (remember, very old computer here). But still, it seems like a power issue.

Here's the thread I was talking about. (http://disc.420chan.org/tech/res/13341.html) I'm going to try using a live CD today, and see if my computer still shuts off/freezes/doesn't recognize devices.

Also, sorry for hijacking your thread, Liz.

[Less Than Liz]

It USED to work without the battery. Now nothing lights up when plugged in and it doesn't work with or without the battery (or with the battery and no AC. The weird thing is that it worked with the battery/no AC five minutes before it stopped working altogether.)

[Polygon]

Okay, I found a way to get back online with my laptop, I tried plugging my wireless adaptor into one of my USB 1.1 ports, which actually worked. My 2.0 ports are through a PCMCIA card, because it didn't have any built-in (remember, very old computer here). But still, it seems like a power issue.

Here's the thread I was talking about. (http://disc.420chan.org/tech/res/13341.html) I'm going to try using a live CD today, and see if my computer still shuts off/freezes/doesn't recognize devices.

From reading that thread the first thing I would suspect is a clogged fan. They like to get a layer of dust between the fan and the heat sink fins. The dust acts as an insulator and the air can't move through the fins to dissipate the heat. Then the computer shuts down as a safety measure to protect the CPU. You wouldn't be able to feel the heat on the laptop itself. It's very localized on the processor. You can take of the keyboard so you can remove the fan and blow out the dust. It's very simple.

Now, the power can possibly be an issue. The only way to really test it is keep it plugged and see how long it takes to shut down. Then take it somewhere else, somewhere that you know has good power and plug it in there. Keep an eye on it to see if it shuts down. Now, this could be a problem related to your power supply. It might be getting enough power, but not giving the laptop enough.

Now, if you've ruled out these first three things then you're left with three items. The motherboard, processor, and the RAM. You can test the RAM with memtest86. The other two are a bit more cryptic. Now that being said it could still be a software issue, thought not entirely likely based on your symptoms.

It USED to work without the battery. Now nothing lights up when plugged in and it doesn't work with or without the battery (or with the battery and no AC. The weird thing is that it worked with the battery/no AC five minutes before it stopped working altogether.)

Hmm, that would lead me to suspect the voltage regulator on the mother board. However, give the power connection on the laptop a check and see if it's loose. This cold be the problem still. You easiest solution is to try a new power adapter since it's cheap, just to rule that out. If the DC plug on the laptop is loose it's most likely shorting out and it will cost about $10 - $15 for the part and about $120 for a shop to solder it on, and it wouldn't be guaranteed to fix the problem. Now, that leaves us with the voltage regulator. That would mean you need to replace the mother board. That will cost you between $150 - $250 for the board and another $120 to put it in.

At that point you've exceeded the value of the laptop. I'd be willing to help you out and do the labor for free but the parts are still pretty expensive. You might have luck finding a board on eBay if that the issue, but I would only recommend that cautiously.

[Less Than Liz]

I wiggled the DC plug and it was a no go. At this point I'm pretty sure it's not the plug.

My dad's getting it checked out since he's looking at laptops for the business anyways. Once he lets me know what they said, I'll make a decision. Thanks for the input, though.

[Polygon]

Sure, NP. Good luck.

[Data]

I had a problem with my HP a couple months ago. Apparently there's a defect in a number of models. My problem was that all the power lights would come on and the fan would run but I couldn't get an image on the screen. I googled my symptoms and found the hp troubleshooting site describing my exact problems. I emailed them and they sent me a box to send the pc back to them for repairs, no charge to me, even though my warranty was expired. If your dad doesn't figure it out, thoroughly check out the HP site. I'm betting your model is one of those that has had many reported problems and they'll fix it for free.

[Polygon]

Interesting, did they tell you what it was? I don't get kept up on this type of info as I only get to deal with business level stuff.

[jerubal]

I had a problem with my HP a couple months ago. Apparently there's a defect in a number of models. Yeah, same thing happened to a girl I know this summer. Took it to the shop, he put down that it was the motherboard, which he couldn't get any more, and therefore an uneconomical repair. She claimed on insurance... a little bit shifty, but there it is. Heh.

I found the same as Data: It's not an uncommon defect.

[Data]

Ah ok, I finally found what I was looking for.

Nope, Liz's model isn't included in this extended repair warranty, but this might help others with the same issue so I'll link it.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=c01087277#c01087277_identify

[Less Than Liz]

I could use some more input if you folks don't mind. Does the following sound any good (I'd end up paying ~$800 because of a discount, otherwise it'd cost around $1,100)

Toshiba Satellite Pro L350-S1701
- Intel? Core? 2 Duo Processor P8400
2.26GHz, 3MB L2, 1066MHz FSB
- HDD 250GB
- DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive
- Intel? Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with 128MB-
1340MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
- Intel? wireless 802.11a/g/n
- Windows Vista? Business with Downgrade media for Genuine
Windows? XP Professional
- 17" widescreen TruBrite? TFT LCD display at 1440 x 900 native
resolution (WXGA+)
- Card Reader
- Webcam
- Manufacturer Warranty 1 year
(PSLD9U-008007)

o ya and will it play warhammer

[Less Than Liz]

Yeah, Warhammer would've worked fine on my laptop now were it not for the graphics card issue, so that's all I'm trying to figure out, since I'm not sure about the PixelShader thinger.

[Less Than Liz]

Sweet, thanks.