mjgreenley
asked on
HP Pavilion Dv7 will not boot, no display.
Client has an HP Dv7 laptop that will not boot and there is no display on the screen. The machine turns on and the only noise from the machine are the fans and the DVD drive, which continuously tries to read a disk. There is no disk in the machine. All of the lights on the machine are displayed and the CAPS Lock and NUM Lock lights continuously blink on and off.
I have tried the following solutions:
1. Inserted a random disk into the DVD drive: Drive reads disk, resets, and tries reading disk again.
2. Removed DVD drive from machine: Machine turns on, no hard drive activity no monitor display
3. Removed RAM from machine: Turned machine back on with no RAM, no beeps from MOBO
4. Removed Battery and Power Supply, held power button for 20 seconds, connected power supply, turned machine back on: No HDD activity, no display.
5. Connected to external monitor via VGA: no display
Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
I have tried the following solutions:
1. Inserted a random disk into the DVD drive: Drive reads disk, resets, and tries reading disk again.
2. Removed DVD drive from machine: Machine turns on, no hard drive activity no monitor display
3. Removed RAM from machine: Turned machine back on with no RAM, no beeps from MOBO
4. Removed Battery and Power Supply, held power button for 20 seconds, connected power supply, turned machine back on: No HDD activity, no display.
5. Connected to external monitor via VGA: no display
Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
ASKER
Thanks for the response Sapphire:
Battery out, power supply out, reset power button, plugged power supply back in, powered on and these are the lights:
Power Button; Mediasmart; Volume Mute; Volume Bar; Media Buttons (Play, Stop, Forward, Reverse); Wireless on but Orange not Blue; and, CAPS & NUM Lock are blinking every 2-3 seconds
Battery out, power supply out, reset power button, plugged power supply back in, powered on and these are the lights:
Power Button; Mediasmart; Volume Mute; Volume Bar; Media Buttons (Play, Stop, Forward, Reverse); Wireless on but Orange not Blue; and, CAPS & NUM Lock are blinking every 2-3 seconds
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Grant1842: Thanks so much for the information and sorry for the delayed response! My apologies. I watched the video link that you posted and it was commented that this same technique could also be done using a gas oven?
Do you know if this is possible, and if so, which method would be safer? I'd have to purchase a heat gun...but I already own an oven ;) haha. More importantly though, I don't want to damage the mono.
Thanks again!
Do you know if this is possible, and if so, which method would be safer? I'd have to purchase a heat gun...but I already own an oven ;) haha. More importantly though, I don't want to damage the mono.
Thanks again!
I have not personnely used the oven method.
But I have used a small butane lighter and head the chip and all ways had success.
But I have used a small butane lighter and head the chip and all ways had success.
ASKER
So I don't have to heat the whole board? Just the video chip?
Also, and I don't know if it's a really strange coincidence, but a friend brought over his machine today with similar symptoms...I open the case...and it's the EXACT same machine, a Pavilion Dv7. I have another laptop coming in tomorrow with "power up" issues...I hope it's not 3 for 3! HA!
Also, and I don't know if it's a really strange coincidence, but a friend brought over his machine today with similar symptoms...I open the case...and it's the EXACT same machine, a Pavilion Dv7. I have another laptop coming in tomorrow with "power up" issues...I hope it's not 3 for 3! HA!
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ASKER
Thanks theSAPPHIRE, that's good information to have when making recommendations to my clients. I've actually been done with HP since 2004...I'll never buy another product from them for exactly what you mentioned; no customer loyalty or respect.
These HP's aren't mine, and I have already spoke to my clients and advised them to talk to HP regarding their warranties along with all of the information that I've found about this problem, including a class action suit surrounding this soldering problem, and if HP wants to charge them for any service or repair, I've advised them to put their money into a new machine. I'll definitely use this information to recommend a Sony or Toshiba.
After 20+ years of being a PC I actually jumped ship last year to Apple and I'm really happy with the decision. I'll still fix PC's...but now when clients have dead machines I tell them to save their money and invest in a Mac. If they're not ready, I'll be sure to use this info to steer them towards Toshiba or Sony. Thanks for the info!
Grant1842: I found way too much information regarding this problem after having that second Dv7 with the same problem. There are forums after forums and even a giant threat on HP's site regarding this issue (http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Lockups-Freezes-Hangs/How-many-HP-Pavillion-customers-have-the-Black-Screen-Problem/td-p/290626) leading to a class action suit involving HP and NVidia. I don't think that I'm going to mess with it until they talk to HP first.
Thanks for all the help! Any objections to splitting points?
These HP's aren't mine, and I have already spoke to my clients and advised them to talk to HP regarding their warranties along with all of the information that I've found about this problem, including a class action suit surrounding this soldering problem, and if HP wants to charge them for any service or repair, I've advised them to put their money into a new machine. I'll definitely use this information to recommend a Sony or Toshiba.
After 20+ years of being a PC I actually jumped ship last year to Apple and I'm really happy with the decision. I'll still fix PC's...but now when clients have dead machines I tell them to save their money and invest in a Mac. If they're not ready, I'll be sure to use this info to steer them towards Toshiba or Sony. Thanks for the info!
Grant1842: I found way too much information regarding this problem after having that second Dv7 with the same problem. There are forums after forums and even a giant threat on HP's site regarding this issue (http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Lockups-Freezes-Hangs/How-many-HP-Pavillion-customers-have-the-Black-Screen-Problem/td-p/290626) leading to a class action suit involving HP and NVidia. I don't think that I'm going to mess with it until they talk to HP first.
Thanks for all the help! Any objections to splitting points?
No objection.. split the points away... sounds good..
Smart on the ditching of the HP.. and as for the class action... it will be a waste of time as 95% of them always are... they end up with a "Here's a hundred bucks.. u fix it", type resolution..
The only problem you may have with MAC's in a business environment, is the incompatibility with a lot of business type websites, I find a lot of Finance, Banking, RealEstate, and government websites don't play well with Mac's...
But in a MAC Enviornment, such as a full Mac network.. they are great together...
and Now that MAC's are just PC's inside, soon, MAC will release their own, OS for the masses... this may be a 2012 to 2013 strategy they are already working on... it's been fun to watch those 2 companies, Microsoft and Apple fight it out over the years...
-sapphire
Smart on the ditching of the HP.. and as for the class action... it will be a waste of time as 95% of them always are... they end up with a "Here's a hundred bucks.. u fix it", type resolution..
The only problem you may have with MAC's in a business environment, is the incompatibility with a lot of business type websites, I find a lot of Finance, Banking, RealEstate, and government websites don't play well with Mac's...
But in a MAC Enviornment, such as a full Mac network.. they are great together...
and Now that MAC's are just PC's inside, soon, MAC will release their own, OS for the masses... this may be a 2012 to 2013 strategy they are already working on... it's been fun to watch those 2 companies, Microsoft and Apple fight it out over the years...
-sapphire
ASKER
theSapphire: The class action is actually over and too late to submit a claim. I'm just having them contact HP in hopes that they might do the right thing and fix their machines under warranty without charge. Not holding my breathe though.
That sounds more like a browser compatibility issue than a MAC issue. Safari isn't my favorite, I prefer Firefox.
Either way, I'm not worried about the MAC for my business needs, actually quite the contrary. I do manage a handful of small business networks, nothing too complicated, and help out a bunch of family and friends...but my main profession is photography and graphic design...which the MAC environment lends itself to beautifully especially for processing power and, more importantly, stability. I can run all of my resource-hogging programs at once with zero lag.
That sounds more like a browser compatibility issue than a MAC issue. Safari isn't my favorite, I prefer Firefox.
Either way, I'm not worried about the MAC for my business needs, actually quite the contrary. I do manage a handful of small business networks, nothing too complicated, and help out a bunch of family and friends...but my main profession is photography and graphic design...which the MAC environment lends itself to beautifully especially for processing power and, more importantly, stability. I can run all of my resource-hogging programs at once with zero lag.
One thing they did right in Unix, now called Linux for the free version, that MAC uses on their computers, is Multi-Tasking...
With Windows continously trying to maintain backwards compatibility all the way back to 1982 they limit their abilities to create true multi-tasking system..
As MAC did with osX in 2002, the discontinued support for all backward compatibilities of os-9 software and you had to buy new versions of your MAC software, or updates to be able to use software on the new osX.. that keeps the vendors happy, more sales.. but it also advances the software development, rather than catering to their stagnant ways..
If Microsoft would just create one OS, and tell all the others, that all the old versions of Windows are obsolete and no more backwards compatibility, we could move Windows into the 21st century..
But it did take Windows until 1995 (Windows 95), before they made a "useable" Mac Clone on the PC.
have fun man
-sapphire
With Windows continously trying to maintain backwards compatibility all the way back to 1982 they limit their abilities to create true multi-tasking system..
As MAC did with osX in 2002, the discontinued support for all backward compatibilities of os-9 software and you had to buy new versions of your MAC software, or updates to be able to use software on the new osX.. that keeps the vendors happy, more sales.. but it also advances the software development, rather than catering to their stagnant ways..
If Microsoft would just create one OS, and tell all the others, that all the old versions of Windows are obsolete and no more backwards compatibility, we could move Windows into the 21st century..
But it did take Windows until 1995 (Windows 95), before they made a "useable" Mac Clone on the PC.
have fun man
-sapphire
ASKER
That would be really cool to see MS come out with a new OS like you stated. I would give it a try, easily! I agree with you 100% about losing the old and embracing the new!
Thanks for the info and thanks for all the help. Much appreciated!
Thanks for the info and thanks for all the help. Much appreciated!
ASKER
Although I decided not to take further actions to fix this machine, the solutions were accurate. The machine is not worth fixing and is still under warranty. Because of the legal implications surrounding this problem I instructed the owner to contact the manufacturer of the machine to come to a resolution on reimbursement or replacement.
NumLock, Caps Lock, Wireless light, Hard Drive light, Power Light... all of these are what HP uses to display ERROR codes.
Also.. when u do the reset, unplug battery and power cord, hold down power button for a minute.. plug in JUST the power cord, no battery, and start up... this way we get a clean set of error lights if any
let me know
-sapphire