I have a HP Pavilion dv2000 (CTO?) that has the same problem. It died while I was backing up some filming that I had done, and now it shows up as a black screen. The hard drive is going, the fan is running, but it doesn't do anything else. But I always run on AC.
(I had HP repair it while it was under warrenty, but I desperately needed to use it for schoolwork (I missed about two weeks or so of schoolwork while it was being repaired). And it was at the end of the warrenty anyhow. (They repaired the wrong thing the first time, so I had to send it back and by the time it got back the second time...). In short, HP sent it back without the ability to use a battery).
But anyhow, is the ram the only thing that I can try? Or are there other solutions? I've noticed that it fixes itself after a week, but I am right up against a deadline for a project that is due by tomorrow at the latest and thus I don't have the time for it to fix itself.
Oh, and it also "starts up" (the power goes on, HDD moves, fan moves, DVD drive moves) when I plug it in while it is having the problem.
So far, the things that I have tested from my previous times (and have not worked). I have tried a few of them this time.:
1) complete unplug and holding power button for 30 seconds then retry.
2) removing and replacing the HDD.
3) New power supply
4) Different power source
5) Placing the battery in (this was way before: we got the smell of burnt plastic so I ejected (literally) the battery)
6) spamming the F10 buttons and such. No beeps, no sound but for the natural tapping sound from the button itself.
7) forced turn off and then turning back on.
8) oh yes, and I did try an external monitor.
9) unplugging everything and testing every combination of the connected devices including no connected devices and all connected devices.
Last edited by sin silifi; Nov 18th, 2008 at 5:25 pm. Reason: more information.