laptop issue

mcfar45

mcfar45

Well-Known Member
I have a compaq presario cq61 laptop which as of right now will just display a blank screen at startup. It does not display the bios and doesn't display the grub menu to select an os. The power light comes on but the hard drive activity light stays off. Also the capslock light blinks.

Any suggestions about what is going wrong/what I can do?
 
I'd say that you have burned your hard drive, also did it make cracking noises before this happened?
tho I'm not sure why it doesnt show up bios....
 
RemOfShadows said:
I'd say that you have burned your hard drive, also did it make cracking noises before this happened?
tho I'm not sure why it doesnt show up bios....
Click to expand...

I did not hear any cracking noises as I was away from it for 3 hours.

The fact that the screen is blank and that it isn't showing a bios makes me wonder if I have burned out the screen or possibly the motherboard as well as the hard drive
 
mcfar45 said:
I have a compaq presario cq61 laptop which as of right now will just display a blank screen at startup. It does not display the bios and doesn't display the grub menu to select an os. The power light comes on but the hard drive activity light stays off. Also the capslock light blinks.

Any suggestions about what is going wrong/what I can do?
Click to expand...
can't help you:p if I every have troubles I ask my dad.


But i would say it is the motherboard.
 
Is your laptop still covered under warranty? If not, it is probably better in the long run to buy a new laptop.
 
Had the same problem => results, my old laptop is dead ;(
but now I have a better one :D
Anyway, in my case the laptop overheated and the graphics card got damaged which afterwards also some other parts have been damaged, a change of the graphic card was impossible since it has been coonected solid other parts.

Send it to a check to find out if the laptop can be saved, but I don't think so.
 
Is it completely blank or does it have a blinking underscore?

If the latter, it sounds like you have a corrupted master boot record (MBR). To fix this, follow this guide.

But you said that you couldn't even get BIOS? @_o

That's a bit troubling...
 
Excuse me, computer professional here.

If you have blinking caps lock and num locks, it is CPU/GPU failing to function. It is very common in these line of laptops, which is pretty much all of the machines made in that generation (somewhere between 2003-2008 I assume). Sometimes its just the CPU, however ALOT of the times the GPU has poor solder points, in which you must get the motherboard "reflowed". Alot of people do the oven trick as well.

I have a dv7 which I am in fact going to do the oven trick as of tonight. It has the same problem. If I "preheat the PC" with no heatsink on, the solder softens at the GPU and causes a connection, if its a cold boot, no go.

You may or may not also have another problem in which you may have to check HPs Caps Lock/Num Lock blink codes. Usually both lights blinking once per cycle is CPU/GPU.

TL;DR? These HPs have the same problem XBox360s use to have, the GPU solder is poor and needs to be reflowed.
 
JerzeyLegend said:
Excuse me, computer professional here.

If you have blinking caps lock and num locks, it is CPU/GPU failing to function. It is very common in these line of laptops, which is pretty much all of the machines made in that generation (somewhere between 2003-2008 I assume). Sometimes its just the CPU, however ALOT of the times the GPU has poor solder points, in which you must get the motherboard "reflowed". Alot of people do the oven trick as well.

I have a dv7 which I am in fact going to do the oven trick as of tonight. It has the same problem. If I "preheat the PC" with no heatsink on, the solder softens at the GPU and causes a connection, if its a cold boot, no go.

You may or may not also have another problem in which you may have to check HPs Caps Lock/Num Lock blink codes. Usually both lights blinking once per cycle is CPU/GPU.

TL;DR? These HPs have the same problem XBox360s use to have, the GPU solder is poor and needs to be reflowed.
Click to expand...

Do you wear a badge that says "Computer Professional"?

For someone who claims to be a professional, you do some shady work. The oven trick isn't professional, or a good idea. There are many capacitors, resistors, etc. that can blow up on the motherboard if you overheat it. Professionals have a reflow machine that heats up the GPU alone to re-solder it back in place.

If you want to try reflowing it yourself, search "Reflow with a heat gun" TRY THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!

You need a heat gun with adjustable temperature.

1) Place solder on a penny and heat it at about 300 degrees. If it doesn't melt, go up little by little on the temp to find out at what temperature it would melt and how long it will take.

2) Cover the motherboard with Foil paper and cut a hole around the GPU Chip.

3) Heat the GPU from about 3" away with the heat gun for roughly 3-5 minutes.

4) Put it all back together using a copper shim in between the GPU and Heat sink. Use thermal paste from the Heat sink to Shim and shim to GPU. I recommend Arctic Silver 5 as it's been tested to provide lower temps than other thermal pastes.

To prevent this, Always use an elevated Notebook cooler. Never block the fans, and clean out the stock fan once a month with compressed air. Good Luck.
 
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Check this guy out.

1.) Its called a joke, if you can't take humor, get the fuck out of these forums, because shit just got trolly.

2.) I suggested the oven trick because no one here has a heat gun and reflow machine available, and to keep cost down. Alot of professionals use the oven trick, you would be surprised, or maybe not, you seem like a douche anyway.

3.) Putting a copper shim between the GPU and the heatsink will cause curvature of the motherboard which would lead to breaks in the pathways.

4.) Yes I do wear a badge that says "Computer Professional" now go suck a dick.

5.) Have a nice day. :D
 
I seem like a douche? For trying to prevent people from messing up their motherboard? Was it I that came in here with "Excuse me, computer professional here"?

Shit just got trolly? Are you making up words now? I don't think you know what a troll is.

Do you know what each and every person here has to know that they don't have a heat gun? You can get one for $25 to $50.

Sorry to break it you, but those on youtube are not professionals. I've worked for various PC repair shops. Small mom and pop shops, Stapes, Office Depot, and have been an IT for a bank for 3 years. I have NEVER seen an oven in any of our repair shops. A true professional will replace the motherboard. Reflow's are hit and miss and you can never tell if it will work,or how long it will last.

Putting a copper ship between the GPU and heatsink will NOT cause curvature if you use the correct size shim. There is a gap between the GPU and heat sink when you remove the thermal pad. That thermal pad isn't sufficient enough to conduct the heat away from the GPU and on to the heat sink. Getting the correct size shim will replace this gap and offer proper heat conduction to the Heat sink.
 
I've taken a torch to the north bridge of a motherboard before... it's NBD. It's typically a last resort though. If I fuck it up... it was fucked anyways. And Jersey is shady, just look at the fact that he owns a computer shop that sells computers. That automatically makes him super shady, like a used car salesman or something.
 
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