Major Laptop Problem

hamsterboy

Hi All
First thing my laptop did this year was stop working. When I turn it on, the fan starts up, the power light comes on and thats it, the screen doesn't come on or nothing. The fan just keeps on whirring and thats it. It doesn't make any attempt to boot up. It was fine the day before. Does anybody have any ideas what could cause this and how can it be righted. I have a fair knowledge of computers but I'm stumped on this one. Any help will be greatly appriciated

Ruu_Old

Try removing the battery and putting it back in again, see if there is any change. Is it the same when running off the mains?

hamsterboy

Hey Ruu. Thanks for the quick reply.
My battery has packed up for quite a while now so the laptop always runs off the mains.
Any ideas?

Asok

Does the hard drive activity light flash at all? Could be a case of the backlight in the screen is buggered

Ruu_Old

Can you hear the hard drive spin or just the fans? Before I get to that, how accessible is the RAM in the laptop? If it is easy to get to, try removing the modules and placing them back in and see if there is any change.

hamsterboy

Asok wrote:

Does the hard drive activity light flash at all? Could be a case of the backlight in the screen is buggered

The Hard Drive activity light doesn't flash at all, plus no nice Windows music so I don't think its the backlight

Ruu wrote:

How accessible is the RAM in the laptop? If it is easy to get to, try removing the modules and placing them back in and see if there is any change

Will give it a shot, presumably while the laptop is plugged out?

hamsterboy

BTW Ruu
The hard drive doesn't spin, as far as I can tell. Kinda worried about pokin about in the thing but will try

Ruu_Old

Yeah when its off, reseat the memory modules. On Dell laptops there is normally a little hatch that you take off from the underneath of the laptop and the memory can be replaced/removed from there.

hamsterboy

Well I took off the underside, removed the battery and RAM modules and then replaced them and now the laptop won't even turn on, think a visit to a PC clinic tomorrow is in order!

hamsterboy

Sorry Sorry, the reason that it didn't turn on was a faulty power supply. Now it's powering up but same prob as before!

hamsterboy

Anybody with any suggestions?

hamsterboy

Well I have asked around in work (I work in an I.T. firm) and everyone looks at me blankly so I might have to bring it to the only P.C. Clinic I know of in Galway .......bloody P.C. World! Anyone know of another

justsomebloke

ask in work if they have an external 2.5" inch drive bay so that you can check to see if the hard drive in the laptop actually works,

arseagon

I'd say they'll tell your your mobo is fcuked. And it very well could be but it could be other things either. Does it give any warning beeps just after you power it up?

hamsterboy

No. Just the usual beep that it always gave when I started it up. Half afraid to bring it into clinic in case they DO tell me it's the mobo.

stooge

The laptop isn't a Toshiba by any chance? They are reknowned for having screen problems. Mate of mine had one a while back which came on, made a beep, fan started whirring but no screen.

You could try to and connect it to an external monitor if you have one. Also try to enter into the bios when rebooting.

arseagon

hmm well if it's giving the usual single beep then I would be reluctant to write off the mobo just yet. Have you any way of taking out the HDD and testing it on another PC as suggested by others. Just to rule that out. Even if that wasn't working though I would be expecting to be seing something on the screen so i think my money is on the screen itself or possibly the inverter.

If you really stare at the screen (even shine a torch on it) can you see anything at all or is it just black?

arseagon

stooge wrote:

You could try to and connect it to an external monitor if you have one.

Very good suggestion aswell to rule that out for once and for all.

hamsterboy

Well just got back from the clinic and the news is not good. The mobo is apparently shot. Nothing left to do but grab my stuff off the HD and start looking for a spare few hundred quid for a new one. Great start to the year or what

arseagon

Is this the Pc world clinic? did they try any of the suggestions from the posts above or just turn it on, see nothing on screen and then tell you the mobo was shot promptly followed by "Our laptop aisle is just over here"?

hamsterboy

In fairness, the guy tried everything mentioned above and other stuff. He seemed genuine too. Said to try the net for a better deal than they were giving (cheapest Laptop €649). Oh well.......the old girl had to go sometime, just thought we had a few years left together. Will let one more guy have a look at hr, he's defo the biggest tech nerd I've ever met. After that it's curtains

arseagon

Sounds like he gave it a thorough check alright. It was decent of him to point you to the net for a replacement aswell. Comiserations on your loss

hamsterboy

Cheers Zippy.
Ah well, already started looking for replacement. Found a reputable guy selling secondhand, refurbished laptops. Whoop de feckin doooooo