Faulty Laptop, any advice?

alex24

alex24

alex24

Soldato
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1 Jan 2008
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I'm posting this as I've tried everything I could immediately think of:

I have a laptop, a HP dv9655ea. It won't post. All I get is a black screen and the machine stays on until forced off by the power button. Specs of interest are as follows:

AMD Turion 64 X2 2.0 Ghz Dual-Core Processor
Nvidia 8400M GS Graphics
2 x 160GB HDDs (320GB)
2GB of DDR2 Ram

The problem happened suddenly one time when turning on, it had been working fine almost all day before that. Things I have tried:

1. Remove RAM modules and test with alternate sticks - no change
2. Remove all RAM - system beeps but no display output
3. Remove both HDDs - no change
4. Remove and reinsert battery after 10 mins, also boot with no battery - no change
5. Remove CMOS battery for 10 mins and reinsert (no main battery) - no change
6. Inspect as much as possible machine for any signs of damage or overheating without complete disassembly - no immediate evidence

Machine had BIOS updated a few months back and has been working perfectly since. In my experience as a PC technician (desktops mainly though!), this would indicate the machine has some sort of mainboard, or less likely, CPU failure. I understand the GPU used is prone to failure but HP claims this is not an affected model.

Also, should it be plain motherboard failure, bearing in mind the machine is 1 and a half years old and had a 1 year warranty, any way to claim since it's clearly not lasted a reasonable amount of time?

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
Same thing just happened to my five year old IBM Thinkpad T41. Cost me only £450 so it works out £90 a year - not too shabby. I have tried all the steps above like you and for me it seems like motherboard or CPU failure (more likely motherboard, obviously).

Looks like you'll need a new laptop - at least this has pushed me to buying a nice new netbook.

On the warranty issue, you'll have zero luck there. Very little legal protection for you now that you are out of warranty, I'm afraid.

I bet you it is the nV 8400M though...
 
Have you tried an external monitor, and pressing Fn + XX to switch to external display. If it beeps a post sounds like it could be the interter/LCD/Backlight to me...
 
Matt-Page said:
Have you tried an external monitor, and pressing Fn + XX to switch to external display. If it beeps a post sounds like it could be the interter/LCD/Backlight to me...
Click to expand...

Only without any RAM according to the OP's post. That can be avery simple mechanism independent of a POST beep.

I know mine's shafted as the CPU fan stays at full speed and doesn't slow.
 
smids said:
Only without any RAM according to the OP's post. That can be avery simple mechanism independent of a POST beep.

I know mine's shafted as the CPU fan stays at full speed and doesn't slow.
Click to expand...

The OP doesn't mention having tried an external display :confused:
Edit - Ah I see it only beeps with no RAM.

Try an external monitor but it sounds like you will need a new laptop :(
 
Agreed, I haven't tried an external display, but I doubt it would work since the machine would appear not to even POST properly, meaning it's probably not a screen/inverter problem. I will try it when I next get a chance.

I just wanted to explore the available legal options considering it was a medium priced machine, and has only lasted around a year and a half. I understand you usually have no leg to stand on when it's out of warranty, but if anyone with any serious legal knowledge or someone who's done this before could clarify I'd appreciate it. From what I have heard, a product should be expected to function for a reasonable amount of time, despite warranty, up to 7 years? I can't remember the specifics but it seems worth looking into before a new one is shelled out for.

Oh, and as above, I suspect the GFX chip, there's been a lot of reports of similar incidents in the past. Could attempt a repair by changing the chip if this is possible. Is there a standard GFX chip socket/size in these or it that just reserved for the XPS Dells and high end lappies?
 
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I'm not offering any advice on the legal aspect but it doesn't look good as I mentioned above. For reference, I've got a law degree and am training to be a 'wig' (barrister) currently...

Biggest problem is that the burden of proof will be on you. You would have to fork out initial diagnosis/repair costs and perhaps you might find it was the graphics card and could attempt to claim for this (pre-existing failures known for that model). Beyond that, not much else you can chase them for and expect anything out of it.
 
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Proving the fault isn't a problem, I can get it diagnosed properly if it means it can get repaired. Probably will have to leave it now,heading best bet might be ebay with no hdds, someone might be able to fix it, or at least think they can.
 
If its less than 2 years old you can probably get it repaired FOC by HP they did a fix on fail extended warranty on the dv9000 range, give hp customer services a ring.
 
You know, this is very specific and I only say it because smids mentioned this happening to his T41, too. I recently took delivery of a T43 and it turned out to have a fault whereby it would only display anything if pressure was exerted on the PCMCIA, specifically where it connected to the motherboard. I have since sent it back. I suspect the GPU became unseated by cracked solder, which is apparently a common problem in older laptops.

Have you tried reseating any of the components on the board? Could just be a loose connection somewhere. Any recent knocks or bashes that you know of?
 
Thanks for posting.

I haven't tried this yet, it will be a last resort if I cannot get it repaired. I think that perhaps the GFX is at fault as it's a chip that's been known to have issues, and the laptop has been through countless startup cycles as it's typically used for a few min at a time. No major knocks recently or ever, the thing still looks brand new! It is entirely likely a loose connection or deteriorated path on the board has caused this too, but I don't have the time to invest in finding this out yet.

As I said earlier, I'll let you know where it goes!
 
might be worth looking at this clicky i saw a few of the things on a program on bbc1 called don't get done get dom and he was going on about the sale of goods act and being fit for purpose and think with your lappy only being 18 months old it might apply
 
razer1978 said:
might be worth looking at this clicky i saw a few of the things on a program on bbc1 called don't get done get dom and he was going on about the sale of goods act and being fit for purpose and think with your lappy only being 18 months old it might apply
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link, it's nice and clear. Funny you should post that now, i've been putting together a letter to the retailer with information to this effect, stating the SOGA1979's relevant sections. I believe there is some sort of a case since the fault appears to be an inherent one relating to the dodgy nvidia GPUs, at least the guy spoken to at HP technical support certainly suggested that since he pretty much knew what was wrong with little explanation on my part. I'm sure it must be a common issue. For the record, HP refused to cover it as expected, but they offered £270 to repair it or 10% off a similar model from their online store.

EDIT: Also tried an external display which didn't help, same issue as expected. Both HDDs in the laptop have been backed up with Acronis True Image onto my desktop now. Great piece of software if you don't already have it.
 
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randal24 said:
+1 for the gpu croaking, the 8400's are renouned for it.
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And yet HP claim it's not an affected model, despite releasing a BIOS update with a new fan profile to address this exact issue. I think it's something to do with date of manufacture of the bad chips as released by nvidia to it's partners. The problem seems much more widespread than they care to let on, and I think some chips live longer than others, this one must have been fairly poor.
 
alexhull24 said:
Thanks for that link, it's nice and clear. Funny you should post that now, i've been putting together a letter to the retailer with information to this effect, stating the SOGA1979's relevant sections. I believe there is some sort of a case since the fault appears to be an inherent one relating to the dodgy nvidia GPUs, at least the guy spoken to at HP technical support certainly suggested that since he pretty much knew what was wrong with little explanation on my part. I'm sure it must be a common issue. For the record, HP refused to cover it as expected, but they offered £270 to repair it or 10% off a similar model from their online store.

EDIT: Also tried an external display which didn't help, same issue as expected. Both HDDs in the laptop have been backed up with Acronis True Image onto my desktop now. Great piece of software if you don't already have it.
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hope it helps m8, and depending on what they offer you dig your heals in, unless they offer to repair it free of charge :D and if it is down to the gpu as others have said is quite common with that model, and if you do have problems there's watchdog on the bbc and trading standards to fall back on

anyway best of luck and give um hell :D
 
I don't plan on being anything other than polite and clear. I've worked in retail before and I know how annoying it can be when people start throwing around the SOGA without knowing anything about how it really works! They were usually complete bum-holes and often sent mine and my colleagues blood pressure through the roof with their insults and totally unjustified verbal abuse. The law always fell on our side as the merchant in those cases, though in this case I do feel i'm justified to have a try, it'd be stupid not to give it a go at least, I expect the company to reply professionally.
 
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