Computer crash, won't boot up

[delta]

Don't know if anyone has any experience with this, but just yesterday my laptop (HP Paviliion dm3) froze up and wouldn't respond to any mouse or keyboard inputs. I powered off my laptop and turned it back on, only to find that it now doesn't boot up and I just get a blank, black screen. I googled this problem on my phone, and the most common solution seems to be to remove the battery, unplug the power, hold down the power for 60 seconds, then plug it back in and turn it on again. I tried this several times to no avail. I'll probably call customer support at some point (though my warranty's expired), but I thought I'd try asking here first.

[JigglyJie]

Does it, by any chance you leave it for a while and then try booting it up again it it shows the screen for a split second before shutting off completely? If so (and I could be wrong) but that's exactly what my older PC did, which turned out the motherboard short circuited.

 

There's usually a distinct smell when that happens, noticed anything like that?

 

If not, then no idea sorry, just thought I'd pop in and share.

[delta]

Nah, it doesn't show anything...just the blank screen. And it stays on until I power it off again. No smell either.

 

 

I did watch a Youtube video where some guy was explaining the hard reset method, and he said that if it didn't work it's likely a motherboard problem...but he didn't mention anything about a smell.

[Einstein]

Things usually don't smell unless there is an actual bug (as in insect) problem or otherwise a power issue. Since it still turns on then we'll assume that your power supply is good. This sounds like a fairly common issue, that is also usually easy to fix.

 

Ever heard of "re-seating" the RAM? Its exactly what it sounds like. You take the RAM modules out and then make sure there isn't any dust in the slots or caked up on the chips, and then you carefully stick them back in. Be sure to pull the battery and unplug power and hold the power button to drain any leftover juice before doing this. It isn't for your protection but rather the computer's protection.

 

If you've never done this type thing before, its very likely that you can find a youtube video of someone doing it on your exact model. If all else fails, search for a "teardown" video for your model. It will be way more info than what you need but at least you'll get the bit that you do need for this. Usually what you'll find is a bottom cover with one, maybe two screws that covers the RAM. Underneath, there might be one module or there could be two. The slots have some tension in them so that when you release the side tabs, the module will spring up about a centimeter. Just slide it out and dust it off with an air can and carefully put it back! When you go to turn it back on, try it first without the battery on wall power only. Hopefully it will come back to the land of the living

 

Any troubles or questions just let us know!

[delta]

Just tried re-seating the RAM...no dice

 

 

Had a couple of scares before, but maybe this time my laptop really is dead...

[MPRA2]

does the laptop make any noise or audio? or have you hooked it up to any other TV/Display? might be an onboard display issue or something. I'm chalking it up to a virus or something till I can find a reliable answer to your ailments.

Edited June 21, 2016 by MPRA2

[delta]

There's the sound from the computer itself, but no audio. If it were just a display issue, then it should still play the music when Windows boots up and when I type in my user login password.

[MPRA2]

There's the sound from the computer itself, but no audio. If it were just a display issue, then it should still play the music when Windows boots up and when I type in my user login password.

did you plug it into another TV/screen?

also, have you tried getting to the BIOS by pressing F10 when you turn on the computer? it may be a hard drive issue.

[Einstein]

A virus would not cause something like this. This is an issue that is occurring before a virus could be able to execute, or anything else for that matter. It could be the screen or the screen cable or something of that nature I suppose, but being as it froze up before this happened, yet the screen was still on, then that's not likely either unless only by coincidence. As far as the BIOS key, those vary so widely that you would need to look up your model to figure out which one exactly it is. It can literally be any of the F- keys or Delete or even Escape in some cases. For HP, you can usually hit Escape and it will list what F- keys do which function. It does sound like a deeper hardware issue though.

 

The next thing I would check would be the CPU, and by check (in my case) I mean grab a compatible replacement out of the drawer and see if it boots with it installed. This usually requires a full teardown of the laptop unless its one of the few nice models that allow removal from the bottom, or otherwise by removing the keyboard and taking it out the top. This is probably the point at which you need to decide for yourself how much of a technician you want to become in a short amount of time lol (Because based off all the info here, we've prettymuch narrowed it down to either the board or the CPU). If its just a bad CPU, its usually no big deal unless its a BGA type, which means that it is one with the motherboard and inseparable without using a heat gun and really knowing what you're doing. I would not recommend this to you because it can be difficult and its usually not worth it. On the other hand, if its a traditional CPU with a ZIF socket (removable), then buying a cheap replacement might be a good option. You'll need a bit of thermal paste BUT NOT TOO MUCH (common mistake among CPU newbies). Just a bit more than a drop of the stuff will do the job for a laptop.

 

If you decide to try this and it still doesn't work, guess what?!? It was the motherboard! (those can be replaced too, but again, how much taking apart are you comfortable with doing?)

 

Oh hey look, another wall of my text! Sorry.....

 

tl;dr Sounds like a bad CPU or board.

[moonsense715]

Have you contacted a local PC service and asked for advice? That at least should be free in case you don't want to bring your machine to them.

[delta]

I tried pressing F10 to go into BIOS, didn't work.

 

 

My laptop was a dual core...I'm guessing the chance of both going bad at once is nil, so...motherboard problem? Anyway, replacing the motherboard or CPU involves some pretty extensive work right? It's basically ripping out the heart of your computer and putting in a new one? I've never done anything like this before so I think I'll just skip the trouble and get a new laptop...this one was getting pretty old anyway.

[SarahNautili]

A dual core CPU doesn't mean you have two separate CPU's, it just means it's got sets of CPU circuits on the same chip, and they share a lot of bits and pieces so yes it's quite possible for the whole thing to fail at once and... is it even possible for a single core to fail and not take the entire chip with it?

 

IF your laptop is one of the ones with "easy" access to the CPU, swapping the CPU is like, a 30 minute job + some time for some thermal paste to dry. The motherboard... yeah, you're right, that's pretty much replacing the "heart" and a lot of the "spinal cord" of the computer at once so you're better off just getting a new laptop, and time invested in replacing the CPU might be wasted if the motherboard itself is dead, so yeah, TL;DR you probably need to get a new laptop. I hope you had backups.

Edited June 22, 2016 by SarahNautili

[Einstein]

Have you contacted a local PC service and asked for advice? That at least should be free in case you don't want to bring your machine to them.

 

What about me?? I AM FREE TOO

 

A dual core CPU doesn't mean you have two separate CPU's, it just means it's got sets of CPU circuits on the same chip, and they share a lot of bits and pieces so yes it's quite possible for the whole thing to fail at once and... is it even possible for a single core to fail and not take the entire chip with it?

 

Correct. And it is very rare but individual cores can fail. Some motherboards allow you to disable cores individually so if you figured out which one it was then you could disable the bad one and continue using it. Fun fact: AMD did this on SEVERAL of their AM2+ and AM3 model chips because of manufacturing defects. Remember the Athlon "triple core" ?? Nah man, thats a phenom X4 with a bad core. The solution? Burn the bad one to death and market it as a triple core to cut down on loss and save profit margin! They even had some "dual cores" like that which had 2 bad cores. Early on in these models, you could re-enable the "bad" cores and sometimes they worked fine, just didn't pass the benchmark test at the factory. Later on, they began burning the cores out to keep people from doing that

 

IF your laptop is one of the ones with "easy" access to the CPU, swapping the CPU is like, a 30 minute job + some time for some thermal paste to dry. The motherboard... yeah, you're right, that's pretty much replacing the "heart" and a lot of the "spinal cord" of the computer at once so you're better off just getting a new laptop, and time invested in replacing the CPU might be wasted if the motherboard itself is dead, so yeah, TL;DR you probably need to get a new laptop. I hope you had backups.

 

And yes, if its one thats easy to get to, it might be totally worth it so check it out! Like sarah said, its a 30-ish minute job. And as far as your data goes, just pull the hard drive out and stick it in another PC. Board/CPU failures won't affect that

[ChAoS]

Take the hard drive and ram out of the laptop and see if the screen comes on when powering it on If it does, add either the ram or the hard drive back. When it stops working the last part you put in is bad. If it doesn't work from the beginning it's the motherboard or CPU. You can then follow the above advice but honestly I'd just start saving for a new laptop.

[ChopBam]

Couldn't it also be a problem with the power supply/battery? Even if it fires the fans up, that doesn't mean it's working perfectly at firing everything else up.

[MPRA2]

well delta, I could find you a good laptop, depending on your needs. just give me a price range, and what you'll use it for, I'll give you 5 laptops by the weekend.

[FRAYDO]

MPRA2, famed laptop smuggler.

[delta]

A dual core CPU doesn't mean you have two separate CPU's, it just means it's got sets of CPU circuits on the same chip, and they share a lot of bits and pieces so yes it's quite possible for the whole thing to fail at once and... is it even possible for a single core to fail and not take the entire chip with it?

lol, scratch that then. Since we were doing biology analogies earlier, I guess I had kidneys in mind, where if one went bad the other one could take over...but I guess not

 

 

well delta, I could find you a good laptop, depending on your needs. just give me a price range, and what you'll use it for, I'll give you 5 laptops by the weekend.

I was looking at this one, suggested to me by someone else. Looks pretty cheap, and definitely better than what I had before...quite sure its also cheaper than what I paid for my last computer. I mostly use my laptop just for browsing the web and playing games (usually on low settings unless its something really old). I guess if you can find me something better at around the same price though, that'd be great

[Einstein]

Asus is a great brand if you're going that route. I don't do the "fanboy" thing where just because its got a certain logo its automagically superior, but if you buy a mid-range or high-end Asus, you won't be disappointed. MSI is also decent for gaming but they have some funky BIOS issues more often than what I'm comfortable with (getting stuck in "wake" mode and such). HP is also good. Just be aware that you'll get what you pay for. If you want a gaming laptop, then buy one. Don't expect something with intel integrated graphics to be able to do much

[ganein14]

intel integrated graphics to be able to do much

Oh I don't know about that. I've yet to upgrade my computer from what I last posted about mine, and I can run C&C 3: KW at max setting with little issue.

[Einstein]

Oh i have no doubt that it can run a non-graphically intense game from EIGHT years ago just fine! If you have a pretty recent laptop with a modern chipset then it can do stuff like that but it will suffer in a FPS game versus a "real" graphics chip. Integrated graphics is not made for gaming, its just when the CPU handles video processing rather than a chip that was actually designed to be good at it.

 

I'm an AMD fan when it comes to desktops but for laptops I choose nvidia. It just tends to work better and run cooler in my experience.

[delta]

but if you buy a mid-range or high-end Asus, you won't be disappointed.

Just out of curiosity, what's considered mid-range and high-end these days, and what sort of games can they be expected to run? I don't think I'm going to be playing Battlefield 4 anytime soon. Actually, I've pretty much been a budget gamer...my recently busted laptop had an integrated graphics card, but it could run most of the stuff I wanted to play because I dialed the graphics down to minimum and was doing what this guy did.

[Einstein]

Lol I tend to buy things "on a lag" too. Its ok I just can't afford all these expensive games!

 

If you're ok with a used one, then I would go for something with nvidia 500m or 600m series, at least 512mb dedicated but a whole Gig would do you well, at least 4 cores on the CPU, and 4-8GB of ram. I would HIGHLY recommend getting an SSD because they make a world of difference as far as general responsiveness goes. You should be able to find something like that without a SSD for $400-$600. Its not a big deal to add a SSD to one after you buy it. A nice new 250GB one from Samsung will run you about $90 depending on the exact model.

 

I forgot to mention above that samsung and sony are good brands too, they just don't really make "gaming" class laptops. Mostly just really nice normal-ish ones. They do make models with gaming cards in them, they just don't market them as gaming laptops

[delta]

Oh, I just remembered...about a month or two ago I was getting this really heavy vibration sound from what I assume was my hard drive when I started up my laptop. What I would do was just shut down my computer and restart it...usually after doing this once, sometimes twice, the vibration would no longer occur. After a while the vibrating just stopped happening altogether.

 

But...now my laptop is dead. I'm wondering if this might have had something to do with it? Or is it likely unrelated?

[Einstein]

LOL well there you have it folks! Nope, that would have been the CPU fan. It sounds like you have a bad fan which caused the CPU to overheat. All of the symptoms line up exactly now. Good news is, its probably a cheap fix if you feel up to replacing that. You'll need both a CPU and a fan though.

[delta]

So my laptop is a HP Pavilion dm3 1130us...and looking around it seems it's got a Athlon Neo X2 L335 processor...where do you go to buy replacement CPUs? When I search Google I see plenty of results for replacement cooling fans for my laptop model, but nothing for replacement CPUs.

[Einstein]

Well thats because its a BGA type processor Sorry dude, it looks like you'll need a new board to fix this one. (Remember BGA is the kind that is made onto the board)

 

If you're not up to swapping that out, then its time for a new one. And nobody can blame you for not wanting to attempt that haha. Your first teardown is usually the source of a nice headache! But at least we were able to nail down the issue. Without you remembering that last detail, we would all still be stuck wondering!

 

Best of luck, and if you need any more advice then just holler!

[delta]

Actually, is this one of those not-easy-to-replace CPUs? Is it like stuck to the motherboard or something, hence why I can't find anybody selling it on Google?

 

Ah nevermind, I think you answered it.

Edited June 29, 2016 by delta