Member Avatar for schultzdj

Hi everyone,

I have a Compaq Presario M2105US, and it won't boot up. When I press the power button, only the Caps and Scroll lights begin to flash continuously. After a while, the fan does go on, but there could be a few different reasons for this. Two days ago, I ran the update program, so I don't know if there was a BIOS change. On top of that, there was a power outage for about half a second. I took apart the laptop (WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HIDDEN SCREWS?) to disconnect and reconnect everything to no avail. Bringing it to a professional would be a waste of money, since it was a cheapy to begin with. Any ideas out there?

Thanks for any advice,

Dan

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Dani AI

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Good follow-up to the points raised by and . The Caps+Scroll LED flashing plus a fan spin is a POST failure symptom that can come from several different subsystems. Below is a short, practical sequence to narrow the cause without buying parts up front.

  • Check the power source first. Verify the AC adapter is putting out the voltage printed on its label (use a multimeter or try a known-good adapter). Try powering on with the battery removed and AC only.
  • Do a discharge reset: unplug AC, remove battery, press-and-hold the power button 15-30 seconds, then plug AC back in and try to start.
  • Isolate memory and storage. Remove all user-replaceable drives and optical media, and try to boot. Remove and reseat RAM modules; try one module at a time in each slot. Changes in the LED/blink pattern when memory is removed usually point toward bad DIMMs or slots.
  • Check the display path. Attach an external monitor. If an external shows BIOS/POST but the internal panel stays dark, suspect inverter/cable/LCD rather than motherboard.
  • Observe the blink pattern carefully. Count flashes per cycle and note whether they are grouped or continuous; that pattern is a diagnostic POST code you can look up for Compaq/HP models.
  • Inspect the board for obvious damage: burnt components, bulging capacitors, loose DC jack or connector, or corrosion. Wiggle the DC plug gently to see if behavior changes.

If the interrupted BIOS update is still a prime suspect, look for model-specific "BIOS recovery" instructions from HP/Compaq for the Presario M2105US before replacing the board. Take ESD precautions when working inside the case and avoid powering the machine with the cover off if you see loose screws or exposed conductors. If none of these steps change the behavior, the fault is likely a failed board/power rail and replacement may not be cost-effective for a low-end unit.

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Member Avatar for TechTJ

Hi Dan,

Well when the power outage took place was it connected to a surge protector or was it on a regular wall socket. Cause if it was a surge you could have blown ur MB. If your bios was updated wrong just take out the CMOS batter for about 30 mins and let it reset. Try these and let me know if they help
TJ

Member Avatar for fren

In addition to TechTJ suggestion.

Does your computer power up to the Compaq screen? If yes, try to enter bios then set it at default settings.

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