Member Avatar for eloc939

help! I realy need some advice on wat to do. I have an Asus Travelmate514xv. when i plug it in, the cd drive light blinks, the power light blinks, and the cd drive makes a cliking sound. this happens whether the bnattery is in or out, or the cd drive is closed or open:evil: ( i had to open it manualy) please help! im fairly good with computers, but not that great with their parts!
:mad: :mad: :mad:

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Dani AI

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started the right line of questioning. The fastest way to narrow this down is a short, ordered diagnostic plan that moves from safe, non‑invasive checks to simple component isolation. The goal is to determine whether the fault is external (adapter/charging), a removable component (RAM, drives), or a board-level/power-circuit failure.

  • Verify the external power first: check the AC adapter label, confirm the DC plug looks straight and solid, and measure the adapter output with a multimeter if possible. Try a known-good adapter with the same voltage/polarity before opening the machine.
  • Do a power‑cap discharge: remove all power sources, hold the power button for 20–30 seconds, then try AC only. This clears some transient faults.
  • Isolate removable parts: boot with drives and PC Card/PCMCIA devices removed. Remove and reseat RAM modules (test one stick at a time). A minimal configuration may produce POST beeps, fan spin, or other signs of life.
  • Separate the optical and storage devices: disconnect the optical drive and hard disk to see if the system will attempt to POST without them. If an external sound source is suspected, testing the optical drive in another machine or in a USB enclosure will confirm a drive fault without further disassembly.
  • Inspect the DC jack and motherboard visually for burnt components, swollen capacitors, or a loose jack. Wobbly jacks often mean broken solder joints that can be reflowed or replaced.

If none of these steps produce change, the fault is most likely on the motherboard power stage or a failed board component. Given the age of the machine, weigh repair cost vs replacement. Take ESD precautions when opening the case, and avoid attempting board-level solder repairs unless experienced. These checks answer the practical questions posed and will point to the next logical repair or replacement decision.

Member Avatar for toolazy2work

A couple of questions:
1) When did this problem start?
2) What were you doing before this happened?
3) what are the specs on the machine?
4) You say you hear clicking, are you sure its coming from the cd rom and now the hdd?
5) Do you have a warrenty on your laptop?
Nick

Member Avatar for eloc939

this started like ayear ago, one day it just didnt work when i tried to turn it on. its an old windows 98 and i hardly used it, except when i needed to wright a paper and the other comp was taken(also it only makes the cliking noise when u hold down the power button, coming from both the speakers and from cd drive ( ya im sure)

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