$50 REWARD offered for solving this problem

[Shepherd1000]

Please forgive the re-post, but with this reward offered, the context of this problem has changed.
Well this is the longest I've ever had to dwell on a computer problem without getting it resolved. To recap:
My laptop, an HP N5495 running Windows XP, has been having problems with locking up at the Windows XP startup screen, right as that screen appears on booting, but before the little bar even begins to scroll horizontally on that screen. This lock up *only* occurs when the computer has not been running for at least 6 hours. I've done virus scans, spyware scans, fresh installs of Windows XP, updated my BIOS, and everything imaginable to solve the problem. Finally, I had to conclude that the problem must be hardware related. So I took it to a very knowledgeable network tech to run diagnostic tests on the laptop. He found no hardware problems. Next, I bit the bullet and took the computer to an HP service center, and they could find no hardware problem. So does any genius out there have any idea what the problem could be!?!?! I'll even send $50 to the first (or any) person who provides the information leading to the correction of this problem.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

You probably have already, but are there any IRQ conflicts, if you havent checked look in the device manager, under a piece of hardware go to propeties then the Resources tab, and at the bottom it says if there are any conflicts, you might have to do it for everything on the list though.

[Force Flow]

What's the approximate room temperature it's running at?

[Panama Red]

Have you tried this?

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...name=c00039054

Looks like the problem isn't unique to you if there's a fix at the HP site, eh?

[Shepherd1000]

WhatsThisBoxFor?: Nope, no IRQ conlicts.

Force Flow: Room temperature is 70 degrees F.

Panama Red: Yep, saw that bulletin and tried everything metioned there, but to no avail. It is noteworthy, however, that I don't think that my problem is the same as the two types of problems that are described there ("Windows hangs, freezes, or stops responding at the initial Windows Welcome or log on screen"). My freeze happens before Windows even loads. The freeze occurs immediately upon the appearance of the Windows boot screen, before the little horizontally scrolling bar even appears.

Thanks for the suggestions, though, guys. Please keep 'em coming.

[Panama Red]

Have you tried testing your memory module with Memtest86? If not, download the program, make a boot floppy, set the floppy to first boot device and let the program run for at least two full passes.

www.memtest86.com

[Shepherd1000]

Yes, both memory modules were tested with Memtest86 for 6 full passes--and not a a single error That's better than my desktop ever did!

[Panama Red]

How bout this from MS KB? You tried this yet?

http://support.microsoft.com/default...4427#appliesto

[Shepherd1000]

Originally posted by Panama Red How bout this from MS KB? You tried this yet? http://support.microsoft.com/default...4427#appliesto

Well, I couldn't try that, because I've never received that error message, and thus, I've never been given the option to "Delete restoration data and proceed to system boot menu". But thanks for the suggestion.
You know, maybe I've been lucky in life, but I've never, ever encountered an insurmountable problem. Until perhaps now. I love challenges, and I hate to give up. But, after what I've been through with this, I really am beginning to think that the problem has no solution.

[Panama Red]

Did you see the info at the bottom of the article regarding Power settings and Hibernation? Since notebook computers have power saving/battery life saving features built in, I'm wondering if changing those settings would have an effect.

[JFrizzle]

well, if you can get ur hands on another hard drive that you know boots up correctly, id throw that in and see what happens, and if it still does it, its obviously a hardware problem, and if not, then jus get a new hard drive and ur problems fixed. just a thought.

[Shepherd1000]

Yes, I saw that. Personally, I find hibernation mode to be a nuisance, so I've never had it enabled.

[theneutronbomb]

Maybe their is a bad command file like command.com on your msdos. Im trying to help you.





thanks

[Shepherd1000]

JFrizzle: I did just that, because that was my number one suspicion, once I thought that I had narrowed down the problem to hardware. So I put in a working hard drive from another laptop. The same freeze on bootup occurred, in exactly the same place. But thanks for the suggestion.

theneutronbomb: I don't know about your idea. How would I check it out?

[theneutronbomb]

I am sorry. I am not good at putting thing into words.

How about this

http://freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml
why dont you create a bootdisk and format your hardrive and reload windows. Bot this probally wont work becuase i am only 14 yrs old.

Thanks

[Shepherd1000]

theneutronbomb: I'm not quite sure that I'm following you. But if what you're suggesting is a clean install of Windows (which involves first formatting the hard drive), I've done it multiple times and the problem persists.

[JFrizzle]

lol, this is crazy. im just pullin this out of know where so if its dumb, just ignore me, but if it was me I would probably try installing Linux on the hard drive. It cant hurt, and if it works, your laptop lives on, only with linux instead of windows

[Shepherd1000]

I'm too much a fan of Windows to want to do that.

[JFrizzle]

lol, yea I feel you.. but just incase you never figure this out, id rather have a laptop with linux on it, then a huge paperweight.

[Panama Red]

Ok, here's another MS KB article. Involves usb conflicts and bios correction.

http://support.microsoft.com/default...&Product=winxp

[JFrizzle]

.

[gbirke]

If you put another hard drive in from a working laptop and didn't reformat it or reload XP before doing so and still have the same problem. It has to be a hardware problem, it is the only possiblilty left.

[MaxRat]

not sure but this sounds to me like a power problem....either in the supply itself or more likely the motherboard!

lets think for a minute....he says this only happens After the pc has been OFF for six hours....if this was software or minor hardware the same problem would happen on every reboot...

I have had this problem on a desktop...where when I am done computing I always shut the pc down and turn the power supply switch to the off position...

I find that if I turn the supply switch on then try to boot right away this problem happens.....but, if I wait just a few seconds after I turn the switch on too boot then all is fine!

It sounds like the main board is not holding power after shut down.....first I would test the battery...don't know if that would help..but would try testing the board.....Terry

[Shepherd1000]

Originally posted by gsrat not sure but this sounds to me like a power problem....either in the supply itself or more likely the motherboard!... It sounds like the main board is not holding power after shut down.....first I would test the battery...don't know if that would help..but would try testing the board.....Terry

I've had diagnostics run on all of the hardware components, including the motherboard. I've done these diagnostics, a tech friend of mine has done them with his software, and they've been done by HP service personnel. All hardware components, including the motherboard, pass these diagnostic tests. Assuming that the results of these independently run tests are accurate (and I have every reason to believe that they are), that leaves two possible categories of causes for the problem--software and BIOS. Since the problem laptop still exhibits the same problem, even when a working hard drive from another laptop running XP is installed into the problem laptop, that seems to eliminate software as the culprit. Which seems to leave BIOS as the only other possible culprit. Yet, the version BIOS that is currently installed (and that has recently been redownloaded and reinstalled numerous times in an attempt to solve this problem), is the same version that was working for the previous two years without the boot lockup problem. So what does this leave us as the cause of the problem? Nada!

[JFrizzle]

lol... linux it is

[Spartan]

Well I don't think this is a difficult problem at all. The solution seems quite simple to me......

a couple of well placed .45 calibre holes or approx. 1/4 stick dynamite should do the trick nicely.

Just trying to lighten the mood..............


Spartan

[juppy]

After all the tests you've run on it, that doesn't leave a whole lot left to pick from. One thing I didn't notice you mentioning though....you said the network tech checked out all of the hardware with diagnostics, but did you have anyone (like an electronics repair shop) look for bad or cracked solder joints? I ask because we had a tv that would act like that. If you left it on all the time it would run flawlessly, but if you turned it off for several hours and then tried to turn it on and watch it again, the screen would show nothing but static for at least 30 minutes. Turned out to be a cracked (meaning not connecting good) solder joint on the tuner board. When the solder joint is cold after not being used for awhile, it would not be touching the lead that goes through it, thus an open circuit. After it would heat up awhile, the joint and lead would expand enough from the heat that they would connect and work fine. So I'd say if you know how to check for solder cracks do that, and if not, find someone that does.

[Shepherd1000]

Originally posted by gsrat lets think for a minute....he says this only happens After the pc has been OFF for six hours....if this was software or minor hardware the same problem would happen on every reboot... It sounds like the main board is not holding power after shut down.....first I would test the battery...don't know if that would help..but would try testing the board.....Terry

Not being a tech, I'm not sure about this. I know that capacitors hold charges, but I didn't know that a motherboard would be expected to hold any power for more than an hour or so after being powered down. What exactly could be defectively draining over a six hour period of nonuse that could result in these freezes on boot up?

[Shepherd1000]

juppy: Now *that* sounds like a great hypothesis! I myself don't know how to check for solder cracks (except perhaps by checking for continuity with a voltmeter). But I do know someone who could do this for me. I'll let you know if that turns out to be the problem.

[MaxRat]

this may also be a problem related to graphics? try reverting back to a less graphics driver or have the Lcd screen checked too.... like one person here says

"If every thing looks fine, abviously we overlooked something"