Member Avatar for yawni

This Compaq Presario 2580us Notebook PC (Product # DM758A) runs for about 1 minute from "power on" until the display shows the XP window for choosing a user, then, it clicks off, everything shuts down and goes to black screen.

HP support says that my hard drive is bad and to pay $298 by Visa and Federal Express will pick it up in the morning and return it in 5 days in working condition.

I'm having second thoughts about sending it out, tomorrow. I've built several desk top units and never had to replace a hard drive. It seems to me that if my hd was defective that I would not see anything on my display. Since Windows XP starts to boot up with normal displays, I doubt that my hard drive is the problem.

Am I right? What do you think the problem might be?

HP sells replacement hard drives for approx $400, if the part is purchased separately. Why can't I purchase lap top parts at reasonable
prices the same as I can for desk top PC's?

Thanks for your help and suggestions. :D

Specs:
P-4 2.3 gig; 512 Ram; 500 fsb; 40 gig 4500 rpm hard drive ; dvd/cd combo; XP... two years old and hardly used

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 104 Views
  • 3 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by nizzy1115

Dani AI

Generated

Good summary and useful suggestions already from and . The next step is a short, ordered isolation plan so the cause can be identified without immediately replacing parts.

Power/isolation checks (fast, no software needed)

  • Enter the BIOS/setup utility and leave the machine there for several minutes. If it stays powered in BIOS, the fault is likely software/driver/OS. If it still cuts power while in BIOS, suspect hardware (power, cooling, motherboard).
  • Try running from AC only (battery removed) and then try with battery only if possible. Also try powering on with the hard drive disconnected; if it still dies, the drive is not the root cause.
  • With the case closed, feel vents and listen for fan spin on power-up. Elevating the chassis or using a cooling pad briefly can reveal a thermal problem without opening the machine.

Checks to run if you can reach Windows even briefly

  • Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) and look for shutdown-related entries: Event ID 1074 (a process/user initiated a shutdown) versus IDs like 6008 or Kernel-Power 41 (unexpected power loss). That tells whether Windows triggered the shutdown.
  • If software-initiated, look for scheduled tasks, shutdown commands, or recent installs. Use offline rescue scanners or a clean boot environment for malware checks if the machine can be kept on long enough.

Practical service/data advice

  • Do not authorize an expensive OEM repair until the vendor provides a diagnostic/failed-component report. Back up or remove the hard drive before sending the laptop to protect data. Consider a local shop for a second opinion — many notebook parts are standard and cheaper than OEM service quotes.
  • If opening the case, take ESD precautions and note that warranty may be affected; if under warranty, request a written diagnostic instead of automatic part replacement.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for orko

boot from cd.... n run chkdisk or if ur compaq have any tool to check hard disk's condition...... bcoz some times, the hd is fine, but the rpm rates becomes too low to run the pc..... check the rpm, any bad sector.

Member Avatar for yawni

Thanks, but I can't get the laptop to stay powered up long enough to run any diagnostics, or utilities.

When my daughter had it, she reports that a big warning window would appear and say: Warning! Your computer will shut down in 5 minutes! ...with a big red exclamation point.

I have never heard of such a warning with an XP operating system! This sounds like a virus to me. What do you think?

Thanks. yawni :sad:

Member Avatar for nizzy1115

Yes there is a virus like that years ago, but windows updates fixed that problem. However, it had i believe a 60 second countdown timer to it. The way you would fix it was to quickly change the system time to a few hours earlier which would give you enough time to get the update to patch the problem. However, it actually doesnt sould like that problem, because you dont see the count down timer. It actually sounds like it could be your processor overheating and shuting itself down due to the heat. This may have happened if the thermal paste has worn away from the heatsink attached to the processor. I seriously doubt it would be a faulty hard drive, because the symptoms sound nothing like that.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.