Any computer people in the house?

[sunnyd]

I may have fried my 2 year old laptop. It won''t turn on.

I was working on it last night on my lap for a few hours. It was working fine, shut if off for two hours or so then FI tried to use it. Nothing! He opened it, it usually comes back from hibernation. He tried the power button, the lights flashed but then went dead. We took out the battery, still nada. A sticker on the bottom looks melted.

Anyone ever had this happen? Is it cooked? This is the last thing we need at the moment...

 

[cellentani]

Uggh - sorry this happened to you! What kind of laptop do you have? I'd heard of one (compaq?) recall because of the processor overheating, or something like that. When you were working, did the laptop get really hot?

ETA: also, run some searches on your particular model and symptoms and see if anyone else has reported a similar problem.

 

[treefrog]

I have heard of some laptops getting dangerously hot. Definitely look into the advice above.

So... you took the battery out and the laptop was plugged in to an outlet... and it still wouldn''t power on?

Can you run through a few basic steps for me:

1) Plug something else into the outlet to make sure the outlet works.
2) Plug the laptop power cord into that outlet. (ok to keep battery removed)
3) Make sure all power connections between outlet and laptop are tight (AC adapter).
4) Your laptop may be different but my HP has a blue light around where the cord connects to the laptop. Do you have any kind of light that indicates the laptop is getting power?
5) Regardless of #4, press and hold the power button for several seconds.
6) Report back to us.

Treefrog

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 8/5/2009 4:10:29 PM
Author: cellentani
Uggh - sorry this happened to you! What kind of laptop do you have? I''d heard of one (compaq?) recall because of the processor overheating, or something like that. When you were working, did the laptop get really hot?

ETA: also, run some searches on your particular model and symptoms and see if anyone else has reported a similar problem.

Oh no! It is a Compaq. It does get hot, but it didn''t seem hotter than usual. Maybe it was too hot for too long?

Good idea, I''ll do that. FI works for Best Buy, so he''s having one of the Geeks look at it. I hope it doesn''t require a new ''puter!

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 8/5/2009 4:39:31 PM
Author: treefrog
I have heard of some laptops getting dangerously hot. Definitely look into the advice above.

So... you took the battery out and the laptop was plugged in to an outlet... and it still wouldn''t power on? Yeah.

Can you run through a few basic steps for me:

1) Plug something else into the outlet to make sure the outlet works. Will do tonight.
2) Plug the laptop power cord into that outlet. (ok to keep battery removed) Tried.
3) Make sure all power connections between outlet and laptop are tight (AC adapter).
4) Your laptop may be different but my HP has a blue light around where the cord connects to the laptop. Do you have any kind of light that indicates the laptop is getting power? Blue light was on.
5) Regardless of #4, press and hold the power button for several seconds. Tried that too.
6) Report back to us. LOL, will do.

Treefrog

Thanks TF!

 

[cellentani]

Date: 8/5/2009 5:07:33 PM
Author: sunnyd

Date: 8/5/2009 4:10:29 PM
Author: cellentani
Uggh - sorry this happened to you! What kind of laptop do you have? I'd heard of one (compaq?) recall because of the processor overheating, or something like that. When you were working, did the laptop get really hot?

ETA: also, run some searches on your particular model and symptoms and see if anyone else has reported a similar problem.

Oh no! It is a Compaq. It does get hot, but it didn't seem hotter than usual. Maybe it was too hot for too long?

Good idea, I'll do that. FI works for Best Buy, so he's having one of the Geeks look at it. I hope it doesn't require a new 'puter!

Hmmm. I've got a Compaq too, and the stupid thing does stuff like that occasionally. Do you have a Presario with an AMD chip or Intel? Do your fans sometimes work overtime? There could be a problem with the heatsink which will allow your computer to reach a certain temp where it will shut down. When my laptop does this annoying thing

, I remove the battery like you did, but I also unplug it. If I just pop out the battery alone, it doesn't seem to help - I've got to do both. Obviously, this is not a fix, but I'm lazy and my compy was fairly cheap. I've heard that Compaq has repair kits for this, so maybe that's an option. Also, when working with the computer on your lap, make sure you're not blocking the vents.

 

[Diva0413]

Hmmm... Maybe the battery is no good? Have you tried plugging the adapter into the wall and turning it on without the battery in?

ETA: I see you tried that already. You might also want to see if another power adapter might do the trick.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 8/5/2009 5:46:22 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 8/5/2009 5:07:33 PM
Author: sunnyd

Date: 8/5/2009 4:10:29 PM
Author: cellentani
Uggh - sorry this happened to you! What kind of laptop do you have? I''d heard of one (compaq?) recall because of the processor overheating, or something like that. When you were working, did the laptop get really hot?

ETA: also, run some searches on your particular model and symptoms and see if anyone else has reported a similar problem.

Oh no! It is a Compaq. It does get hot, but it didn''t seem hotter than usual. Maybe it was too hot for too long?

Good idea, I''ll do that. FI works for Best Buy, so he''s having one of the Geeks look at it. I hope it doesn''t require a new ''puter!

Hmmm. I''ve got a Compaq too, and the stupid thing does stuff like that occasionally. Do you have a Presario with an AMD chip or Intel? Do your fans sometimes work overtime? There could be a problem with the heatsink which will allow your computer to reach a certain temp where it will shut down. When my laptop does this annoying thing

, I remove the battery like you did, but I also unplug it. If I just pop out the battery alone, it doesn''t seem to help - I''ve got to do both. Obviously, this is not a fix, but I''m lazy and my compy was fairly cheap. I''ve heard that Compaq has repair kits for this, so maybe that''s an option. Also, when working with the computer on your lap, make sure you''re not blocking the vents.

I''ll have to try that when I get home. Thanks for your help cellentani!

 

[treefrog]

Date: 8/5/2009 5:53:02 PM
Author: Diva0413
Hmmm... Maybe the battery is no good? Have you tried plugging the adapter into the wall and turning it on without the battery in?

ETA: I see you tried that already. You might also want to see if another power adapter might do the trick.

Great thought but she said the laptop did at least have a power light on so it is at least getting sufficient power for that. I really think it''s just an overheating issue and will be better tonight. I think cellentini is on to something too...

Treefrog

 

[sunnyd]

Well, the unofficial word is that it''s dead. It cooked itself, the stupid thing.

It is getting power, but the fan won''t turn on. If the fan isn''t on, the computer won''t turn on. So the motherboard is fried, meaning I need to pull $800 outta my butt to buy a new one if they can''t fix the motherboard. Great, because it''s not like I need it to print wedding invites or anything...

 

[treefrog]

Oh no. I''m sure that''s pretty much the last thing you needed to hear.

I''m guessing there was only a 1 year warranty on it. Cellentini mentioned a Compaq recall. Have you done any investigating into that? Certainly worth a few minutes on Google.

If there''s any good side in this, your hard drive and data should not have been affected by this.

Does your FI get a nice discount on laptops and/or parts?

Treefrog

 

[cellentani]

Date: 8/6/2009 10:52:06 AM
Author: sunnyd
Well, the unofficial word is that it''s dead. It cooked itself, the stupid thing.

It is getting power, but the fan won''t turn on. If the fan isn''t on, the computer won''t turn on. So the motherboard is fried, meaning I need to pull $800 outta my butt to buy a new one if they can''t fix the motherboard. Great, because it''s not like I need it to print wedding invites or anything...

OUCH!! I''m really sorry to hear this, and now I''m a little nervous about mine. As annoying as it is, I''d get on the phone to Compaq pronto - I think the overheating issue has been widely enough documented that they should offer something (of course, that might just be wishful thinking on my part). Keep us posted - I''m definitely interested in knowing what they say.

 

[gwendolyn]

Oh, hon, that really sucks.

Do you know anyone who''s planning on upgrading their computer soon, where maybe you can get a good deal on their old one?

 

[sunnyd]

I think there was a 2 year warranty, but that doesn''t matter because it''s 2.5 years old. FI did some checking online last night, and found that lots of people have experienced this overheating thing, but no one had had any success resolving it outside of the warranty. Bummer.

Cellentani, I''d say invest in a cooling pad. It''s ironic that this would happen to our computer after FI''s sister was talking about getting one because her laptop had been getting so hot 4 days earlier...

Luckily FI does get a hell of a discount (cost + 5%), but the store doesn''t make much on computers (it''s all in accessories) so it doesn''t save us much. We''re taking it in tonight to see how much it would be to fix it if it''s even possible, otherwise we''re looking at a $500 laptop, which is still painful, but not as much.

Thanks for commiserating with me.

 

[purselover]

I just got one of the new dell minis for about $500 a few months ago and so far I love it, incase you''re interested.

Sorry to hear about your computer I''ve gone through a few laptops myself, computers can be so wonderful and so annoying!

 

[treefrog]

I''m not sure how cost-effective it will be to repair. HOPEFULLY, you''ll be in for some sort of pleasant surprise though.

At $500, I''m guessing you don''t need anything too fancy. Let me know if you have something specific in mind for a possible replacement.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 8/6/2009 2:50:36 PM
Author: treefrog
I''m not sure how cost-effective it will be to repair. HOPEFULLY, you''ll be in for some sort of pleasant surprise though.

At $500, I''m guessing you don''t need anything too fancy. Let me know if you have something specific in mind for a possible replacement.

Me too. Here''s what we''re looking at getting if mine has to be put down:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9377104&type=product&id=1218094855118

I have a techie friend (dad works at Microsoft) who says this would be a great for what we need. We''ll see....

 

[kama_s]

Aww, sunnyd, that sucks. What crappy timing too.

 

[treefrog]

That looks good... if it has to come to that. Let''s hope not.

Not a bad price...especially if you get a bit of a discount.

I checked and could get you this one:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/rts_notebook/rts_notebook/1/storefronts/NW144UA%2523ABA
for $488.49 shipped. It''s very similar - I think the main difference is the processor and video card.

Treefrog

 

[sunnyd]

Happy Update!!

The computer can be fixed under our service plan! Woohooooo!!

If it''s too much to fix, they''ll replace it. Even better!! Happy dance!

 

[treefrog]

Wonderful, wonderful news SunnyD! I bet that news did wonders to your wedding planning stress level!

Treefrog

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 8/7/2009 1:10:31 PM
Author: treefrog
Wonderful, wonderful news SunnyD! I bet that news did wonders to your wedding planning stress level!

Treefrog

LOL, I wish!! Our invites are on the hard drive, so hopefully we get it back to us in 2 weeks like they said. That gives us 2 weeks to get them all printed. Yikes!