[Sode no Shirayuki]

Laptop no longer boots.

Laptop: Compaq Presario V6107US Notebook PC

Laptop specifications: http://h10025.www1.h...253901&sw_lang=

When have I started experiencing this problem: Page 12 post #4 of the following thread: http://www.bleepingc...l/page__st__165

The rest of the thread explains any problems I was experiencing recently prior to the boot problems and what measures I took to fix them.

Notes:

This occurred earlier this year and I intended to post about it but I didn't get around to it until now.

I took the laptop apart to see if there was anything I could do to fix the problem, however, I ended up putting it back together because I couldn't go any further because I didn't have a screw driver small enough.

I just managed to get the laptop to remain turned on after pressing the power button and spam pressing the F10 button. I managed to do this twice now. However, it doesn't boot to anything - THere's just a blank black screen.

I'm wondering if there's anything I can try on my own to get this laptop booted as well as get some ideas what the problem could specifically be (if it's hardware).

Edit: I just can't understand why the laptop was working just fine until I restarted the computer to finish the ZoneAlarm Free installation process.

Edit 2: I've never been to a computer repair shop before. Will they charge me just to identify the problem or will they only charge me to fix it after they identify the problem?

Edited by Sode no Shirayuki, 21 December 2011 - 02:50 PM.

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So, 33 minutes later and the computer is still turned on. There's a blank black screen and I don't think the hard drive light is powered on. Aside from that everything seems fine. I have an external fan plugged into the laptop and it's running as well.

[Sode no Shirayuki]

So, 33 minutes later and the computer is still turned on. There's a blank black screen and I don't think the hard drive light is powered on. Aside from that everything seems fine. I have an external fan plugged into the laptop and it's running as well.

[rshaffer61]

Sorry for the long pause in responding. First question I have is do you get any post beeps when you turn on the laptop?
Is there more then one beep and if so how many?

[Sode no Shirayuki]

No worries. I understand people help out in their free time. It's nice to have a place like this one can go to for technical assistance. That said, there are no beeps when I turn on the laptop. However, I'm not sure if this counts, but as soon as the laptop shuts itself off, there is a slight beep-like sound at that moment.

The laptop is still turned on and sitting at a blank black screen. The hard drive light doesn't appear to be lit up. Something's changed. There's a light with an icon above it that looks like a lightning bolt. That light is no longer lit up. Aside from those two lights, everything is lit up.

Edit: Yeah, the hard drive light is not lit up. It's easier to tell since that other light is no longer lit up.

Observations:

- Hard drive light is not lit up
- Light with lightning bolt icon is not lit up
- Computer is powered on and the power light is lit up
- Blank black screen
- Connected external fan is being powered by laptop successfully
- CD/DVD drive doesn't open but lights up when the button is pressed
- All other lights are lit up (-/+ volume, mute/non-mute volume, etc.)
- When I interact with the mute/non-mute, volume control buttons I get a sound

Edit 2: I unplugged the power adapter and plugged it back in. The light with the lightning bolt icon is now lit up, again. That light must belong to the power adapter. Even though the light wasn't lit up, the power adapter must've still been providing power to the laptop because the battery hasn't worked for a long time.

Edit 3: Ah, the power adapter light just went back off. >.> Though, like I said the adapter must still be providing power despite that.

Edit 4: Oh, the light with the lightning bolt icon isn't related to the power adapter. It just signifies whether or not the battery is charging. So I guess it's probably okay that it's not lit up. In fact, it isn't lit up on my working laptop either. Though, the power indicator light is lit up. I think it's that blue ring on the side of the laptop where the power adapter is plugged in.

Edited by Sode no Shirayuki, 21 December 2011 - 06:03 PM.

[rshaffer61]

OK I see possibly 2 different directions here we can take.
First is the system is booting but no video. If you have a external monitor you can try connecting that to the laptop to see if it will get video then. If not then the issue would be the hard drive or possibly the motherboard.
The shining spot is you can take the hard drive out and put it in a external enclosure and attach it to another laptop or desktop to get the data you need to save off it.

[Sode no Shirayuki]

I tried connecting a monitor to it and that didn't help. I shut the computer down and attempted to turn it back on, again. The computer immediately shuts itself off. I've already tried removing the hard drive and putting it back in a while ago and that didn't help. So, the issue is most likely a hardware problem, right? Is there anything else I can try? I'm wondering if taking the laptop further apart would help at all. I just want to make sure I've exhausted all possibilities before ditching it.

A motherboard would probably cost around 100 dollars, right? Not to mention the cost to install it. A better investment would be to put that money towards a new laptop with Win7 64-bit and 4 GB+ of RAM.

Edited by Sode no Shirayuki, 21 December 2011 - 09:18 PM.

[rshaffer61]

Replacement of a laptop motherboard is not worth it now. I agree with purchasing another laptop.
Take the hard drive out and get a external enclosure. Then connect it to your new laptop and you can access it then to get your data off it. Once that is done then you format it and use it for a secondary drive for storage on your new laptop.

[Sode no Shirayuki]

Thanks for the help. I now feel more confident about just ditching it. Though, I don't have any need to get a new laptop. Not right now, anyway. I still have the laptop I'm using right now as well as a desktop. Both are old but they're running quite well. I do have another issue. Can I post it here or should I create a new thread?

[rshaffer61]

Go ahead and post it here and I'll try to help.

[Sode no Shirayuki]

Okay, cool.

I'm having trouble with my desktop monitor.

http://www.bild.me/b...19_01-00-15.jpg

The interesting thing is, though, these lines do not appear on all applications. To name a few:

Appear on:

Desktop
Firefox 8

Do not appear on:

All folders
Internet Explorer
Google Chrome
Firefox 9
NCSoft games
RuneScape client

Edited by Sode no Shirayuki, 22 December 2011 - 10:56 AM.

[rshaffer61]

Artifacts from video. Has the video card been replaced recently in the desktop?

[Sode no Shirayuki]

Nope.

[rshaffer61]

OK first thing is to see if the video driver is up to date.

Please Run the PCPitstop.com OverDrive Full Tests

Here's how:

You must use your Internet Explorer for this procedure. (doesn't work so well in Firefox or others). If your machine is running Vista or Windows 7, you must Select IE to “Run as Administrator”. After completing PCPitstop OverDrive you can close your IE browser and re-open it Normally so that you are no longer running as administrator.

Go to: http://www.pcpitstop.com
Click on "Free Computer Check-up" listed below PC Pitstop OverDrive
In the User Login - Click on "Sign up FREE!"
You'll need to submit a valid email address and create your own password, then click - Create Account(button)

Now enter your email address and password to Log in, Select - Scan this system Now!(button)
You will then be asked to download an ActiveX component and allow it to install.
It is safe and does not compromise your privacy.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install the ActiveX and to allow the Full Tests to be run on your machine.

The Full Tests take about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes on most machines.
When complete, a Results - Summary - Recommended Fixes will be displayed.

Please post the URL internet address, from your Results, back here into this Topic Thread so that we can review the configuration and present performance levels of your machine.

Note: During the graphics 2D and graphics 3D testing, your screen will display some rapidly moving objects.
If you are sensitive to visual flashing, it may cause dizziness. Therefore, look away from the screen during that portion of the testing.

After reviewing the results we will be more informed and may be able to provide better recommendations for you to work towards improving your machine's performance.

While PCPitstop does offer a variety of Paid Products, the PCPitstop OverDrive testing is FREE. Please ignore the references to Paid Products. We prefer to provide manual solution instructions that you can apply directly to your machine.

Best Regards

[Sode no Shirayuki]

Okay, I'll get on that right now.

[Sode no Shirayuki]

Done.

http://www.pcpitstop...?conid=24711097