Is your monitor a CRT or an LCD?
How old is the monitor?

I can't find the find the info about your BIOS on Compaq's website, nor anywhere else for that matter. It would seem that you have a Phoenix BIOS, but your beep codes don't match the Phoenix beep...

If you let me know exactly what model of laptop you have, I can give you more concrete information, but I do know a bit from what you've told us.

Depending on what type of BIOS you have, - . . ....

This is a point that you get to where there are one of three possible problems: the power switch is defective, the power switch wasn't hooked up properly, or something completely different. The quick...

Did you try what I originally suggested? Did it have any effect?

The power connector is typically located on the motherboard PCB. Do you think that the plug is the problem and not some other...

Sparking is bad. Sparking means that the component is malfunctioning. What sparked? Whatever it is, stop using it and get it replaced immediately or you may damage other components.

This subject has come up before. You can see that thread here (http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread25000.html).

Catweazle suggested resetting the CMOS as a possible solution. Since the...

Take out the battery and disconnect the power supply. Let the laptop sit for a couple of minutes. Attach just the power supply and try to start the system. If this doesn't work, disconnect the power...

Your system has a Phoenix BIOS which has very complex beep codes. They either have a series of three or four beep codes. For example, a beep code combination of 1-3-4 (one beep, pause, three beeps,...

If you are having problems with a file always being accessed by an unknown process, get WhoLockMe (http://www.dr-hoiby.com/WhoLockMe/index.php). It will tell you what process has latched into the...

Go through the steps in My PC won't start - Read this first! (http://daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread27079.html). Start with the steps under Does your newly assembled PC refuse to POST? Try out the...

Thanks for sharing that !_!, but this is the wrong forum for that.

You can buy a 2.5 inch external harddrive enclosure...

Take the battery out and disconnect the power supply. Let the laptop sit for a few minutes. Connect just the power supply, wait a moment, and try turning the laptop on. If the laptop does not start,...

Please follow the troubleshooting tips listed in My PC won't start - Read this first! (http://daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread27079.html) under the Does your newly assembled PC refuse to POST?...

Do you have to login to Windows or does it automatically log you in?

If it automatically logs you in, if you wait for it to load all the way, do you hear the Windows startup sound?

Did you try starting it up again after turning it off (by holding down the power button for about three seconds, unplugging it, or turning the power supply off with the switch that's on it) and...

This is what the Compaq site had to say about the BIOS utility for your system (source...

Did you set up your router to connect to your broadband connection properly?

Every time you remove your heatsink, you must have a clean processor and a clean heatsink, apply a new thin layer of thermal paste, and carefully install the heatsink. If the new heatsink came with...

Are any other internet-using programs functioning?

Try running the New Connection Wizard as follows:1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Network and Internet Connections.
3....

Are you certain that you connected everything properly?

If you took the RAM out, did you seat it firmly back in the correct slot?
Did you reconnect all the power supply connections?
Did you make...

Unplug the laptop and take the battery out. Let the laptop sit like this for a few minutes. Put just the battery back in and see if it starts up. If it does not, take the battery back out and let it...

Sounds like you may have a loose graphics cable.

Well... You didn't just do an Operating System reinstall. What you did was you used a recovery disk that was specifically designed for completely different hardware. These recovery disks don't stop...

Did you try what I recommended?

If you let the machine run, do you hear the harddrive being accessed? Do you hear the Windows startup sound if you give it enough time and the speakers are on?

If you leave the machine powered off for an hour or so and then try to power the machine on, does it get farther along in the startup process than it does when you immediately try to start it up...

It's possible that it just needs to be fully reset. Take the battery out and unplug the power adapter. Let the laptop sit like this for a few minutes. Connect just the power adapter and try to run...

At what time does it start working again though? Does it just start working after a certain number of hours of retrying, or do you have to leave the machine off for a certain amount of time before it...

Very nice guides. Thanks cj2600.

Let's run a couple of commands to rule out some possibilities. Restart your machine in Recovery Console (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314058) and run "chkdsk /r". Reboot...

Seems like the power supply on the monitor might be bad. This is actually a fairly common source of CRT failure. If it's still under warrenty, get the monitor replaced.

Explain what you mean by "undoing the settings for the primary drive". There isn't really a primary drive, which is why your error message doesn't make any sense. There is a primary IDE channel...

If you are connecting the drive through USB, the external drive isn't your problem. The system sees drives connected through USB differently than ones connected to an IDE or SATA channel.

Did you check the link that I supplied (check my last post)? It details the different ways to access the Recovery Console.

I have a couple of ideas for you to try.

Load the Recovery Console (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;314058) and run "chkdsk /r". This will scan your harddrive and fix any...

It's quite likely that the memory bus got damaged when the RAM chip blew. This means that you will need to get a new motherboard. Depending on what type of motherboard that you are wanting, typical...

I don't think you mean reboot. Rebooting is when you shut the machine down and start it back up.

It would make sense if you were talking about reinstalling your system's operating system and...

I don't agree with Buggz assessment. It sounds like the system doesn't get far enough to load an OS.

Have you gone through the steps in the My PC won't start - Read this first!...

Doing soldering work on a motherboard is a very bad idea unless you are very skilled at making precise solders.

Are you sure that the power jack came loose? I've had this happen to one of my...