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I have a Compaq Armada M700 with a Pentium 3 750mhz processor (256mb RAM). The computer was working fine until I pulled the battery out to see what size the battery was. I was thinking about going ahead and getting a new battery since it was the original battery that came with the computer since it was new. I got the info off of the battery and reinstalled it and the computer hasn’t powered up since then.

If I turn on the computer with it only connected to the A/C power supply, the only thing that happens is the “System On Light” and “Battery Charge Light” flash on and off constantly. If I turn on the computer with it connected to the A/C power supply and the battery installed, the “System On Light” and “Battery Charge Light” constantly flash on and off, plus the third, fourth, and fifth LED Lights that are in the five light group at the bottom of the display light up and stay on steady (they don’t flash). If I turn on the computer with just the battery installed, without the A/C power supply connected. The third, fourth, and fifth LED Lights flash on and off constantly and the “System On Light” and “Battery Charge Light” doesn’t light up.

In all three of these scenarios, nothing else powers up, fan, hard drive, dvd rom, display, etc. If I leave the lights on for a few minutes, I can feel a little heat in the area of the fan on the bottom side of the computer. The only way to turn the lights off in any of these scenarios is to hold down on the suspend button at the same time as sliding the power switch to the right.

The operating system in the computer is Windows 2000 service pack 4.

I have removed the battery, disconnected the RTC battery for about 20 minutes, then reconnected the RTC battery and powered up the computer using only the A/C power supply. This didn’t make any difference.

I have removed the battery, disconnected the RTC battery, removed the RAM, let sit for about 30 minutes. This didn’t make any difference.

I have removed the battery, disconnected the RTC battery and let the computer sit without any power source for over three days. This didn’t make any difference.

Anyone have any ideas as to what is wrong with this thing?

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Dani AI

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Good pointers from (battery/contact checks) and (memory), but the LED-only behaviour you describe — no fan, no drive spin, and the lights only responding to the suspend+power-slide — more strongly points at the power/charging path or the board’s power-control circuitry than a simple RAM fault. Focus the next troubleshooting on the AC/DC input, the DC jack/voltage-converter area, and the small LED/switch board (not the OS or POST routine yet).

Try this safe, ordered checklist:

  1. Do a hard reset (clear residual charge): disconnect AC and battery, press-and-hold the power button ~15 seconds, then connect AC only and try to power on. This is the HP-recommended forced reset step. (See HP support).
  2. Verify the AC adapter is actually producing the correct DC (expect ~18.5 V for Armada M700 series); check the adapter LED and measure the barrel with a multimeter before probing the laptop. If the adapter is dead or the output drops when you plug in, replace it. (Adapter spec reference).
  3. Check the DC jack and cable: measure at the jack while wiggling the plug — intermittent/dropouts indicate a jack or cable/trace problem.
  4. Because the top LED board and switches can still toggle, reseat the LED/switch cable and inspect the LED board and switch while the unit is disassembled (manual shows the top/LED board removal procedure). Also inspect the voltage-converter area for blown/bulging capacitors or burnt traces.
  5. If voltages from the adapter reach the board but no fans/POST occur, the fault is likely the on-board power regulation/embedded controller or the system board itself — that generally requires component-level repair or board replacement.

If you’re not set up to measure voltages or remove the top cover, stop and take the machine to a shop (or remove the hard drive first if data recovery is the priority). Official Compaq/HP service documentation and the M700 maintenance manual are useful for safe disassembly and the LED/POST guidance linked below.

References: HP troubleshooting and forced-reset guidance (), Armada M700 maintenance/service manual (ManualsLib), common adapter spec listings (example 18.5 V adapter for M700).

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Member Avatar for Member #758415

Make sure that the contacts between the battery and system board are clean and that you didn't kill the board stone dead with static (rare but possible) and also make sure that the battery polarity is correct. If all else fails try a new battery.

Member Avatar for AtomicPages

Try replacing/upgrading your RAM. If a system doesn't go through the POST test then it could be a dead RAM chip or DIMM slot.

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