My Laptop Stopped Working - Help!

[Londoner]

Hi,

my laptop is getting a bit old, and I am planning on getting a new one in a month or so - but I still need this one just now. Unfortunately, it just stopped working - maybe someone can help me troubleshoot it?

It's an HP Pavilion - see my sig below for full details on the model.

This is the sequence of events -

It had been running fine. I switched it off to take it to another location. Put it in my bag. Travelled to my next location. Got it out but it wouldn't switch on.

From what I remember, usually when I plug it in a light shows up on the front - but now no light comes on, so my first guess is that there is something wrong with the power supply.

As I think about it - that might be possible - the laptop was hot and I went outside with it in my bag. It's been a bit cold here lately so maybe its a condensation thing? I can't think of anything else right now.

Anyone have any thoughts on this - and how I might get it working again? How do I test it or troubleshoot to find the soruce of the problem?

Thanks.
Phil

[POISON]

so , u dont use the laptop battery ?

if there is no sign that ur laptop work at all then it might :
1. battery.
2. powersupply.
3. the charger itself !

if the battery causes the problem .. just remove the battery and use the charger ..
if its powersupply or the charger then u may want to replace them or just buy the new laptop ..

good luck

[Londoner]

The battery in this laptop has been no good for quite some time - so if it isn't plugged into the mains, it simply doesn't work.

So the battery is definitely not an issue here - the power supply may be.

I have tried changing fuses in the mains plug, but no response - can anyone advise me further?

Thanks.

[rjfvillarosa]

Two things spring to mind.
The power supply has died, which you have already realised is a possibility and the only way to find out is, either test it with a multimeter or substitute it with a working power supply.
Or as you said "the laptop was hot and I went outside with it in my bag. It's been a bit cold here lately so maybe its a condensation thing?. If it is condensation you may have blown the mobo, to be honset very unlikely because the condensation would have had to have built up inside the laptop.
The last place it worked, was there airconditioning there?

[Londoner]

Hi,

thanks for your reply.

in answer to your question "The last place it worked, was there airconditioning there?"
= no, it was a friend's flat. No air con.

So you think condensation is unlikely to e the problem cause? Good.

Just to clarify, when I say 'power supply' I am referring to the plug, the lead, and the adapter - then I guess there's the internal power supply in whatever form it takes in a Pavilion laptop. I have only seen a desktop verion whihc is a big heavy box with a fan.

So, when you say 'test the power supply' what are you referring to? the lead/adapter/plug - or the internal element?

Many thanks.
Phil

[Londoner]

Hi,

I have some new information.

I found the service manual online and thought I'd look and see if I could find anything. In the process I unplugged the laptop from the mains, and decided to take the battery out and put it somewhere warm - ie, my armpit.

(In my experience, warming up a battery can produce some limited effect.)

I put the battery back in the laptop and pressed the blue power button. This time - the orange light at the front of the laptop flashed.

That's new - it didn't happen before when I was trying to start up with the mains only plugged in.

Althugh I have no idea what this means - if anything. Perhaps that things are not entirely bad? (Hoping)

EDIT: Ok, so apparently the lights along the front are the Main status lights (left to right), power mode, hard disk activity, and battery. The one that flashed orange was the battery - so maybe that wasn't anything special afterall!

[rjfvillarosa]

Does it work on mains power without the battery in place?

[Londoner]

Originally Posted by rjfvillarosa Does it work on mains power without the battery in place?

Man - it just started up!

I am in a state of total disbelief, suprise, and something akin to relief.

So, after the battery light thing I thought maybe I should try it on the mains again - for the 1000th time today - and I guess you had the same thought at the same time.

So I plugged it in - with the battery still in the first time - and it started! I'm more than a little perplexed and cannot quite figure what the problem was.

Is it possible that somehow the battery go dislodged or something and stopped the mains from making proper contact? This laptop will last all of a second in time if the mains power goes off - the battery is worth nothing. It's been a dud for a long time.

But all I have really done is take the batrery out, warm it up, then replace it. All I can think is that in the process, something got corrected.

Any ideas? this makes me nervous!

And - really - thanks again for your support. Pc mech is always the place I come to first with computer issues and I have never been dissappointed yet.

Phil

[rjfvillarosa]

Some laptops will work without the battery in place, others require the battery to make the circuit.
If I had to hazzard a guess I would say your battery overheated and broke the circuit somewhere inside itself. Try keeping the battery as cool as you can until you buy that new laptop.
You said you put it under your arm to warm it up, maybe your body temperature was lower and you cooled it down rather than warmed it up..