5 Second Boot

[scifiguy1]

I have this laptop......

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport...ubmit=Go%20%BB

Trying to fix it for someone.
It boots for 5 seconds (approx.) and shuts down.
I suspect a hardware problem (REALLY!!???)
It was given to this person for free.
Here is what I have done so far.
Booted it with.....
hdd out......
hdd in......
cd rom out.....
cd rom in.......
using battery only.........
using AC only.........
tried with 1 stick of ram ( both slots 1 one at a time)
tried the other stick of ram (same way)
when I took out the keyboard to try switching the ram I found dirt and small shaving of metal under there.
it looks like somebody took it to the beach.
BUT, in the process of changing the ram around IT BOOTED (ONCE)
but it did boot to the desktop ........
when I was there i was checking the specs. out and it locked up and made 1 long beep.
I had to do a hard shutdown after that.
In the back is a card under a cover, I believe it is the wireless card?
It slips into a slot and has 2 wires running to it.
A check on the numbers on with a Google search found this out.......
This card has a small bare spot of wire showing and someone has put a piece of plastic over it to prevent shorting of the wire, BUT maybe that ain`t working.
I do not know..............
What I would like to do is take it apart and see if I can find out more about it.
I believe someone either dropped it or dropped something on it as the hinge on one side has all the plastic missing from it making it look like this is the scenario........
Looking for advice as how to proceed with the disassembly.
What to look for and general instructions.
Thanks you guys and gals......
Dick
( On a side note I got that adapter that glc recommended and am now going to start backing up the files off of that other laptop)
And that is where I sit right now. it will still only boot for 5 seconds

[scifiguy1]

I am waiting hopefully for any advice at all to get going on this.
Thanks again,
Dick

[toomyg]

I know most might not have an extra laptop HD laying around but if you do did you try a different laptop or try booting off a restore CD of some kind to see if it works ?

Just my 2 cents

[not important]

Considering the shape the laptop is in and you think it has been the victim of a good hit it could be a number of things. A good solid drop could have dislodged and/or unseated several things including the CPU from the MOBO. Did you retrieve the files from the HDD and did it seem to be OK?

[Planefreak]

I've had problems with heat before. If fans aren't working things heat up and automatically shut down to prevent damage. If you are missing heatsinks or fans that could be a major issue.