Member Avatar for kevin.relph

I own a HP DV8000 (P/N: EZ580UA#ABA) and for the life of me I cannot figure out what is wrong with it. I plug in the AC cord and the blue battery light flashed about 6-7 times. I took the battery out, pressed the power button and held it for 30 seconds, put the AC plug back in (battery still out) with the same flashing light. When I do hit the power button the blue flashing battery light and the blue power light flash (very dim) and a static sound comes from the speakers (very rapid static sound). This happens for about 3-4 seconds then goes right back into the blue battery light flashing.

Anyone have any ideas?

I want to fix it, but I don't want to break the bank on it ya know.

Thanks for your help!

GUS

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rubberman

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Symptom summary and where to focus
The pattern you describe (blue battery LED flashing even with the battery removed, a brief dim power/battery flash plus rapid speaker/static for a few seconds, then back to flashing) points more toward a power‑initialization or motherboard issue than a simple single bad DIMM. already tried the basic power‑drain; the memory checks suggested by and the battery/repair angle from are sensible, but add these targeted checks before paying for diagnostics or parts.

Practical troubleshooting (in roughly safe order)

  • Verify the AC adapter: look at the label on the brick, confirm the adapter LED (if any) lights, and compare its output voltage to the label using a multimeter or a known‑good adapter with identical voltage/polarity.
  • Inspect the DC jack and plug: any wobble, intermittent contact, or heat at the jack can cause the board to cycle. A loose jack or cracked solder joint is a common failure.
  • Follow ’s memory plan but extend it: test each DIMM one stick at a time in each slot; also try powering with no RAM to check for POST/beep behavior (if the speaker is present).
  • Remove extras: detach the hard drive, optical drive, Wi‑Fi card and any cards/USB devices to rule out shorts. Look under the bottom cover for stray screws touching the board.
  • Visual inspection: check for bulging/leaking capacitors or scorch marks near the power circuitry/VRMs. The brief static from speakers during the attempt often indicates power‑rail oscillation or a short.
  • CMOS reset: disconnect mains and battery, remove the coin cell for a minute, then reassemble and retry.

Next steps and caution
If adapter and jack are fine but the laptop still only cycles, the fault is likely at board level (power MOSFETs, regulators, or other components). If you’re not set up to measure voltages or do board work, get a local shop to quote a part‑level repair and compare that to replacement cost for this P/N (EZ580UA#ABA). If it ever boots, back up immediately. Always disconnect battery and AC before opening the case and take anti‑static precautions.

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Member Avatar for infinite15

If it won't even post that's not a good sign. But let's not freak out yet. First thing I would do is get to the memory. Try taking out all the DIMMs and use them one at a time and see if any of them work. Put one in and see if it powers up. If not, take that out and put aside and try another one. Do that until you tried each stick by itself and see if any of them start up. It's possible that it could just be that one of the sticks is bad.

Member Avatar for rubberman

What happens when you use the battery, but not the external power supply? Does it do the same thing? Your post wasn't explicit about that. If it does, then there is some material problem with the system. I presume from your post that it is out of warranty. If so, then go to the HP support web site and see what they will charge to repair it. Usually that is a flat fee. If it is too much (after all, they will prefer to sell you a new computer), then look for alternatives. I have an independent computer store in my area that refurbishes computers and laptops, and sells them for really good prices, with warranty. There may be someone like that in your area. They also do repairs. Many times, such problems are something as simple as bad capacitors on the motherboard, which a competent repair depot can handle - even my grandson can do that (he is a really good electronics wizard, since he was about 8 years old).

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