Member Avatar for gotness

The dorm next to my son's was hit by lightning and his computer now will not start. Other computers in the dorm was are OK including his roomates.

After using the reset the power light is comes back on, and when you push power to boot, it starts with normal sounds then after 2 seconds just shuts down. Same result when we remove the battery and drain all the power from the computer. After it shuts down, you need to reset or drain the battery to get power light to show up again.

I have tried to use the XP startup disc and it doesn't get to run the CD prior to shutting down. I removed RAM and reinserted it after seeing that recommended. The CD can be started and used to play music, but no computer boot. Any help would be appreciated.

Glenn

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Practical next steps that add to the thread: , and have covered the obvious checks; below are targeted diagnostics and a safe, low-cost path to recover data before deciding on board-level repairs.

First, verify the external power. Read the voltage and polarity on the AC adapter label, then measure the output with a multimeter (set to DC volts). The measured voltage should match the label within a small tolerance; a bad adapter is a cheap fix. Inspect the DC jack and cable for heat damage, loose pins or melted insulation. If comfortable opening the case, do a careful visual check for burn marks, bulging capacitors or tiny surface fuses near the jack — some failures are a single blown fuse or polyfuse that a technician can replace quickly (take electrostatic precautions).

If preserving files is a priority, remove the hard drive now and connect it to another computer with a USB-to-SATA/IDE adapter or enclosure; treat it as read-only and make a full image before further testing. Imaging tools that tolerate read errors (for example GNU ddrescue) are useful if the drive shows problems. Once imaged, scan the image for needed files and decide whether data recovery services are required.

If the adapter and fuse checks pass but the laptop still cuts out, motherboard-level damage is likely and repair costs can be high; compare a repair quote to replacement. If not comfortable with internal work or voltage testing, avoid repeated power cycles (they can worsen damage) and take the unit to a reputable shop. Background reading on surge damage and simple data-salvage hardware is available for reference: Surge protector, , GNU ddrescue.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

The CD can be started and used to play music, but no computer boot.

Please tell me how you do that ,were does the music come from ,if the computer didn't boot

Member Avatar for gotness

Caperjack,

The vpr laptop has a switch on the side that allows you to set the cd to play music without booting the computer.

Member Avatar for caperjack

Wow, neat option .

Member Avatar for Chaky

Looks to me like it's a done deal. If it is a fryed mobo then you cann't do much about it. Except salvage (probably fryed too) memory sticks and HD.
:-|

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