Hello, I'm new to this forum and am looking for any suggestions troubleshooting my dead Sony Vaio laptop model #: VGN-FS742/W. It was left turned on the other night on my couch and when I woke up the next morning it was dead (no lights/power indicator/screen/nothing). The fact it was left on my couch may mean that some of the vents on the bottom may have been partially blocked preventing airflow across crucial components? I've checked the voltage output on my power supply and it's kicking out
19.5vdc (normal with no load). I removed the bottom panel hoping to expose a fusible link that could be replaced but cannot see anything obvious that fits the description. I've checked Sony's website on repair for out-of-warranty items and assuming the worst ... the motherboard is $699. I'd like to try a few things before giving up and purchasing a new machine. Any ideas would be welcome!!

-Thanks, Brunoiswrong

Pull the battery and AC power for about 10-15 minutes. Then plug in the AC power and try to boot. Don't plug in the battery.

Thanks for the reply. I tried your suggestion but still dead...
I found this link: http://www.mech.northwestern.edu/har...IOproblem.html
regarding simillar problems with Sony laptops from another post. I followed the directions trying the battery thing first. Then tried removing/waiting and reseating the RAM -- still no luck. But I cannot find my system battery underneath the keyboard -- the description is vague and this was written about a different model # than mine. Not sure if I'm looking right at it and don't recognize it?? I've got a USB hard-drive chasis on the way so I can salvage my data but feel it may be time to throw in the towel unless someone knows what a system battery should look like/where it is located for my model #??

-Cheers, Bruno