[Ham-Computers] RE: HP Pavillion Motherboard

[Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal)]

>>> KO4RA wrote:
I've got a 2.8 Ghz HP Pavillion notebook that won't power up. I've tried resetting from the bottom of the case, powering up without the battery, etc, but it won't power up. 

>>> My reply:
Is is truly "dead" or does it just not boot?  In other words, when you attempt to power-on, does the CPU fan turn on, hard drive start spinning, keyboard indicators light, etc?  Or does absolutely nothing happen?  You can tell if the CPU fan or HD start spinning just by listening (might need to put your ear against the laptop).  The keyboard indicators are visual and usually occur within a couple seconds of power-up.

If the laptop is truly "dead", then one thing you can try that hasn't been mentioned is to pull the CMOS battery and let it sit overnight, then plug it back in.  The CMOS battery may or may not be user accessible, so this may not be an option you can try.

Another thought is that the power switch is faulty.  The power switch is often on a small circuit board along with some other buttons or indicator LED's.  This might still require at trip to the shop, but is a less expensive replacement that the full motherboard.

One more thing you can try.  There are times when the OS "locked" or didn't properly shut down.  If your system power switch is set to "Standby" rather than "Power on/off", then pressing the power switch may appear not to work as it's attempting to come out of Standby, but the OS is locked leaving you at a blank screen.  Typically, the CPU fan and HD spin while you're at the blank screen.  Try pressing and holding the power switch down for about 10 seconds.  As part of the ACPI spec, holding the power switch for more than 5 seconds is supposed to be the equivalent of a full power-off (if implemented properly in BIOS).


>>> KO4RA further wrote:
I have a hunch the motherboard is gone- are these repairable or "swapped out" and does anyone have any sugestions for a repair center?

>>> My reply:
Mote laptops are modular and can be repaired, but at what cost?  Some repairs are relatively cheap ($100-$200).  Motherboards are upwards of $800 and aren't worth replacing.  The only way to find out how much it will cost to repair your laptop is to take/send it in to a shop.  There's usually a diagnosis fee (typ. $100 for a laptop) - you'll have to determine if this is worth it.

Sorry, I don't have any suggestions for a repair shop for HP Pavillions.  My experience with HP laptops is limited to the "Compaq" line (HP bought Compaq a few years ago and made Compaq their "business" products).  The business products come with a 3-year warranty, so all the repairs I've done have been via HP's repair depot (GTS?) or a local service center.  Contact me via e-mail if you want the local service center's info...they might be able to help you or find a center local to you.


73,

  - Aaron Hsu, NN6O