Just recently my laptop stopped booting up all together
I have a Voodoo M515 laptop, about 1 year old. Just recently, it stopped booting up all together. I turn the power on, the fans engage and a few indicator lights come on. It is not even attempting to boot up. I have tried an external monitor. I called their tech support and they suggested it may have been the motherboard going bad. I replaced the motherboard and nothing was resolved, so I sent that board back. What is strange is that even when the power is ‘on,’ I am unable to even open the DVD/CD drive. I tried taking out one of the RAM bars because I was told that it would beep if that was the problem. It is apparently not, because nothing different happened. Could it be the processor or the video card? Maybe a power issue? I know that my battery isn’t holding a charge, it must be plugged in to function. The cost for me to send it back to Voodoo far supersedes the value of the laptop at this point. My only hope is to pinpoint the problem and do it myself, which would require a hearty nudge in the right direction. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.
Here’s what you can try.
Make sure that the AC adapter outputs correct voltage. It’s possible that the adapter is bad and doesn’t provide enough power to boot up the laptop. Find a multimeter and test it. Try starting the laptop from the AC power without the battery installed. On most laptops the battery connects directly to the motherboard and if the battery fails badly, it might cause the entire system to stop booting.
Also it could be just a failed memory module. Who said that the laptop will beep if there is no memory? I’ve seen hundreds laptop and only few of them give you a beep error if the memory is missing. In most cases the laptop without memory module just will not boot up. I would recommend testing the laptop with a known good memory module. It can fix the problem. If you have two memory slots, move the memory module from the slot A into the slot B and test again.
Could it be the processor? Yes, it could be but from my experience laptop processors fail very rarely. I’ve been working with laptops for almost two years and repaired hundreds on them, but so far I’ve seen not more then 7-8 failed CPUs. May be I’m just lucky.
Could it be the video card? I don’t think so. You still should see some signs of life even with a failed video card. Not sure 100%.
When I have a laptop with a problem like yours and nothing help I usually take it apart completely and assemble it outside the laptop base. For this test I minimize the system as much as possible. Only three major parts are needed: the system board, the CPU (with cooling module) and the memory. After everything is connected, I hook up an external monitor, plug the AC adapter and turn it on. If I can boot the system with video output on the external screen then nothing is wrong with my major parts and I assemble the laptop back, testing after each step. If I cannot get any video and the system is still “dead”, then one of three major parts is damaged and here you just have to use test parts to find with one is failing. If you don’t have any spare parts, you’ll have to guess.
January 20th, 2007 at 2:16 am
Hi, I have a laptop HP Pavilion zv5000, I turned it off one day and I can’t even turn it on at all, no matter what. It’s getting power, I know that because when I plug in the AC adapter to it, it shows that it’s getting power. It’s not the battery, I know that. I tried almost everything to try and boot up this computer. When I press the power button, NOTHING HAPPENS. I tried to turn it on with just AC power, STILL NOTHING. I tried with just battery, STILL NOTHING. I tried with battery and AC power, STILL NOTHING. It’s really starting to tick me off.
Please help me out,
Thank you.
January 19th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I have an HP Pavilion ZD8000. Yesterday, I had the laptop plugged in and was surfing the net. I went to go get the mail and when I returned the laptop turned off. The adapter was plugged in (trippled checked that), but there was no LED light. The battery should have been at 100%, so I tried to turn it on without the adapter, no luck. Help!!! What’s wrong?
January 18th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Dear Laptop Freak:
I have a Toshiba Satellite M35X-S149. For the last two days, when starting up from hibernation or plain old “off”, the device is having problems booting up. For instance, if I start from off and hit the power button, the fan starts, the blue power light around the on button lights up, all other LEDs related to power turn on. However, the HDD and its associated LED do not turn on. I have tried it with and with out the battery pack. I am using an externally powered chill pad, so heat should not be an issue, especially on cold starts.
I did try and just leave power on instead of immediately turning the device off and back on again. I noted that the laptop begins booting after about 30-60 seconds after initially hitting the power button.
I have had the laptop for 2 years and 1 month. The motherboard has been replaced while under the 1-year warranty, and overheating problems were also repaired under warranty. I was notified about the class action suit, but because I have a “red” dot on my model #/ serial # label, I am not eligible for the suit (meaning Toshiba fixed the error one of the two times it was in for repair; the first time didn’t fix anything but erase my files. I had to tell Toshiba it was actually overheating and what to fix a few days later for the second repair.)
Is there anything that could be causing this? Could the internal fan or heatsink be clogged? Please tell me this isn’t the motherboard, as I don’t have the $$$ for repairs let alone a new laptop (which might be a Mac with both OS X and Windows).
Thank you,
Brian
January 9th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Joan,
From my experience, laptop motherboards fail much more often than processors. I think you might have a faulty motherboard. A flashing orange power LED usually indicates a problem with the motherboard. I cannot say that I’m 100% correct, but that’s what I think.
I believe when you have a bad CPU, the power LED will not flash orange if you turn on the laptop. With a bad CPU the power LED lights up normally, but the laptop fails to boot.
January 8th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
Ryan,
Connect an external monitor and set the laptop to output video on both screens – internal LCD and external monitor. When the LCD goes off the external monitor goes off too?
I think it could be memory related problem. Try reseating the memory module/modules. Move the module from one slot to the other. Test memory with Memtest 86+.
January 8th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
My Acer Aspire 3003WLCi, also won’t boot, i’ve tried the turning on with just mainboard, memory, and processor and the same happens (tries to turn on just as i plug it, power led keeps flashing in a orange color) if i remove the memory, same happens, but if i remove the processor, it will just try to power on, and led will flash once and it will turn off by itself, is it safe to assume the Processor is the faulty one (memory is known working)
January 6th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Hi. I got the same problem with my IBM Thinkpad R50e. The last thing I remember doing that could have possibly be the cause was running the Software Update program provided by IBM/Lenovo. It updated the BIOS. After several days, I noticed that the laptop just suddenly loses video display while I am using it, the battery led as well as the “Z” led are on but there is no display. I try rebooting it by pressing the power button for 5 seconds or more, then it just turns itself off and on but only with the cpu fan running, leds lighting on but no boot up at all nor any display. This is the same even when I remove the battery or just used plain AC power. This problem seen intermittent sometimes. On some occasion, the laptop works fine for hours but if you move it, it looses display and the problem occurs. I tried putting pressure on the keyboard part by tapping it hard, then I try turning the laptop on and suddenly it works. Yesterday, I was able to boot up, then I immediately inserted a Windows XP CD and reformatted/reinstalled everything. Without having to install drivers and just plain Windows XP and Office 2003, the system seem okay. I tried moving it, tapping it, moving the LCD, etc and the display is still okay. Then I installed the Ethernet Driver, then the problem appeared. I tried booting up for several times then after getting access, I tried running Software Update again. After all drivers were installed, my laptop’s problem of no boot-up and no display re-occured. I am wondering if this is due to a bad driver or peripheral that causes trouble upon activation or whether this has something to do with motherboard, memory or processor? I do not know if Lenovo has a fix with this but this problem seem to be rampant with R50e. I just hope that any of you guys out there can help. Thanks.
January 2nd, 2007 at 7:24 am
Laptop Freak,
Thanks alot, I checked that and found out one of the two modules was gone.
Cheers,
happy new year (i know it late)
Drake
December 27th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Drake,
There is no simple answer to your question. In order to successfully boot any computer with video you need four main parts: system board, video card (most likely integrated into the system board), processor and memory. If one of these components fails, you’ll get no video on startup. Check the memory module first.
December 27th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
Sorry Rose,
I just cannot say what exactly is wrong. You mentioned that you cannot see the file system, so it’s possible that the file system got corrupted and you’ll have to reinstall Windows. It happened to me before too. I had a hard drive full of stuff and one morning all data just disappeared. I tried to access the hard drive but it asked me “The hard drive is not formatted. Do you want to format it?” I scanned the hard drive with 5 different data recovery utilities and didn’t find anything!
After that I just reformatted the hard drive and I’m still using it without any problem. It happened about 3 years ago.
December 27th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Hi,
My laptop no longer boots. I just get power but no display and no post.
What should I try?
Thank You
December 26th, 2006 at 5:24 am
my computer doesn´t say “no bootable device” it only ask for: insert boot disk and press any key! i also noticed that it doesn´t have a fat or fat32, everything was working well! i don´t understand why it is doing this!!!! let me know something please!!! my computer is a AIRIS (from spain) thanks rose
December 23rd, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Ian,
You said the laptop will not boot, so you will not get any video on startup? Can you access and remove the laptop hard drive? Can you boot the laptop when the hard drive is removed?
December 23rd, 2006 at 7:24 pm
Rose,
Do you get this message on start up: “No bootable device — insert boot disk and press any key”?
If you have a floppy drive, make sure that there is no floppy disk inside it. Remove the floppy and try booting again. It’s also possible you have a failed hard drive and the computer cannot see and boot from it. You can test the hard drive with Hitachi’s drive fitness test utility. I cannot say exactly why you are getting this message, there could be many different reasons and it’s impossible to troubleshoot it over the Internet.
December 23rd, 2006 at 10:53 am
I have a ACER TravelMate 4600 notebook.The other day when my girlfriend was using the machine a message appeared regarding Standby/sleep having a problem, but she replied ok and then forgot to mention the problem and processed to close to lid without shutting the system down. Now the machine wont reboot. The power on light is on and after a couple of seconds everything stops without booting up at all, it would appear to have dropped into standby mode but wont come out. I have tried removing the battery and powering uo but to no avail. Please help.
Ian
December 22nd, 2006 at 3:09 am
my computer was working well, when i started the system the following day, it asked me to insert the boot-disk and press any key.
i have not backed-up my files(i don´t know how) but why would it ask me for that! when the day before it was running well? i try to see if fdisk would help! but it tells me that there is none!!!! How could that happen!
what do you think is wrong?
thanks rose
December 20th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
David,
Find a multimeter and test the AC adapter, make sure that the output voltage is correct. I don’t think that the adapter is bad because according to the flashing LED the battery is getting charged, but I would do it just in case. Who knows?
The memory is good, so it must be either a bad motherboard or fried CPU. Nothing else left. Unfortunately, there is no way to find out which one is bad until you replace it. From my experience, laptop motherboards fail much more often the processors and if I would have to chose, I would go with the motherboard. But, there is no guaranty. Sorry man, that’s a tough choice.
December 20th, 2006 at 7:54 pm
Haresh,
Your laptop will not boot up into Windows or you have no video at all? Find a test memory module and test the laptop with it. It’s hard to say what is wrong just basing on your description. It could be something simple as a failed memory module or serious like a dead CPU or motherboard. If you have a second laptop that uses the same type of memory as Satellite P30, remove it from the Satellite and install into the second laptop. See if you can boot the second laptop. By the way, for testing memory I use Memtest 86+ utility.
December 20th, 2006 at 6:44 am
Well, here i am again with the same old problem with my IBM ThinkPad R50e. Following your advice, i have replaced the memory module and have tried both slots but still with the same results. No POST, no beeps, blank screen and CD/DVD will not open (light on tray stays lit constantly).
I have competely minimised the system down to the motherboard, cpu with cooling module and memory and have connected an external monitor but with the same results.
At switch on i have noticed that the battery light (with the battery installed) turns amber then green and flickers about once every 3 seconds indicating that the battery is being charged, but without the mains lead plugged in the laptop will not switch on using the battery alone!
The only sound i hear from the machine is the fan spinning and i can hear nothing from the hard drive.
I have also noticed that the machine will sometimes not switch on and i have to remove the power lead and re-insert it after a few seconds and only then will it switch on. Never had that problem before!
Have checked all connectors are tight and the power socket on the board does not seem to have any problems.
Sorry if this seems a bit long winded but it`s driving me mad.
Any help would be a big bonus.
Thanks for a great site. Keep up the good work!
December 19th, 2006 at 4:17 am
Hi Owner of Toshiba Satallite P30, which will not BOOT up.
Have power lights but no boot. With or without battery.
Hard Drive removed and tested, this is fine.
Any ideas of memory or mother board tests or fixes
Thanks for Help
December 14th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Brandon,
I don’t think it’s a memory problem either. It sounds like a bad motherboard, I cannot think of anything else.
December 14th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
Tanuj Virani,
It’s hard to say if the problem is software or hardware related. Test the laptop sound with headphones. If the headphones work fine and weird sounds coming only from the external speakers, then probably you have bad speakers.
If you can hear weird sound with headphones and through the external speakers, then it could be corrupted software. Download and reinstall the sound driver, I guess you can find it on the manufacturer’s website. If it doesn’t help, backup the hard drive and reload original Sony software. If you still experience the same problem then I would assume you have a hardware related issue, probably a faulty sound card.
December 14th, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Andrew C,
Test the laptop with a known good memory module. If still nothing, then it’s possible that you have an issue with the motherboard.
December 13th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Hello .. I’ve looked through everything but I can’t find anyone having a problem like mine.
I’m using a 4 year old Compaq Presario 3015US. The first problems started when the computer would just randomly restart. It would boot up just fine, but then it would restart usually 5-10 min after boot. Now it doesn’t boot at all. I have removed the battery, 1 of the 2 memory modules, the optical drive, and have tried with & without HDD.
After tinkering, I’ve been able to make it do 2 different things now (I’ve tried both procedures with each stick of memory one at a time, with the same result – so I don’t think it’s a memory problem):
A) With the memory in one of the slots (I can’t tell them apart) when I *plug in* the outlet power (not even turning it on) the fan starts spinning. No HDD. No screen. Nothing. The power button doesn’t respond at all. The power light (charge/outlet power) is ON, and that is the only light on in the entire system.
B) With the memory in the other slot, when I *plug in* the outlet power (still not turning it on) the fan does not spin, however I can *faintly* hear some activity going on with the HDD. Stil no screen, same power light situation, power button still doesn’t respond, etc.
I’m stuck and I can’t find anything about this in a repair manual or on the web. I would really appreciate any help or suggestions.
Thanks
December 13th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Hello,
I have Sony VAIO laptop. Recently it is creating a lot of problems for me. Every time I try to play music on it, it does not play it properly. It sometime just plays the music with weird sounds. Sometimes it just works fine. What could be the reason for that. It was not like this earlier. I am just having problems recently. I will be thankful if you can help me solve this promlem.
December 13th, 2006 at 5:59 am
Hi There
I Have a similar Problem with my Toshiba Qosmio F10.
The other day it was being used, when the screen froze.
I shut it down by holding the power button down, waited a little while then restarted it.
Ever since that point I get a black screen, the blue light on the power button is on. The green light for mains and the one for Battery is on, the fan works as does the CD/Dvd drive.
The HD light shows no HD access, there is minimal power sound from the Laptop(you get a sound if you pull the Power).
Action Taken
Switched slots on the RAM chip.
Removed HD and tried to start it in the BIOS and with a system disc.
Removed the Battery and power, then reconnect and restart.
If you or anybody can Help I would be most Grateful, as I am mystified.
Andrew
December 11th, 2006 at 10:54 pm
David T,
Minimize the system as much as you can. Remove everything except the system board, CPU and memory and see if you can get any video. If it doesn’t help then I would go with memory replacement. You have a good chance to fix the laptop.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Hi, i`m having big problems with my IBM ThinkPad R50e.
At first it started shutting down every now and then and has gradually got to the point of no boot at all.
Symtoms are…..all indicator lights come on at switch on then Caps lock and Num lock switch off and i`m left with power on, drive in use and battery charge light. No boot, no POST, no beep errors and a blank screen. Also, i can not open the cd/dvd drive although the power light on the tray is lit.
I did manage to to get it to boot ONCE after completely dismantling and re-assembling everything and have swapped the memory module to both slots, checked all connectors and wiring ect. Fan works normally. Power supply checks out ok. I`m hoping that it may just be a faulty memory module and not the system board itself. Are there any other checks that i should make?
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
December 11th, 2006 at 5:32 am
I’m a dope, but ive tried evrything to burn the memtest86 cd but i just cant make it bootable. failing that i do have another laptop. i took a ram stick out of my working laptop, put it in the dell (only has a slot for i stick) and the result is the same. The c: D*.* nul thing was something i found on another site. its was supposed to be able to tell me if my recovery cd needed replacing. i think it was worthless, but there you go. any other stuff i could try, i’m just about ready to wave the white flag. Thanks in advance. otto
December 8th, 2006 at 11:38 pm
Hi There !!!
I have an old Dell latitude cp m233st laptop and its working just fine.I removed its cdrom drive and replaced it to the busted drive of my NEC lavie laptop.It worked well with the NEC for a short period of time then it too got busted.Windows can’t detect it.So I removed it and placed it back again to my Dell latitude laptop too see if it really is busted.When I turned it on using AC power,there is no display,the power indicator lights and the battery indicator blinks green (20-25 seconds interval )and the numlock,capslock and the scrollock lights up at the same time, then the power turns off.When I opened it up, I saw the reserved battery ( 7.2v 40mAh Ni-MH )with traces of dried leakage(but i don’t think it leaked onto the boards),when I tested it, its only 1.8v.Does this causes the trouble or something else.Please help.
Thanks and More Power !!!!