Member Avatar for apneram

Hello All,

My first time posting a question; thanks in advance for your responses to help me with my situation.
I had a problem with my DC Jack, opened the laptop, fixed the jack, reassembled the laptop. Now starts the problem: I turn the power on on the laptop, it comes alive, the Compaq logo is displayed and displayed and displayed ad infinitum, nothing else happens. The laptop is humming, the fans are spinning but nothing beyond the Compaq screen happens on the display!! I pressed all the keys - function, F8, F12, F11, F2.... drummed on every single key on the keyboard - nada, zip!
Any help would be appreciated to get me past this problem!!

Thank you,
Apneram

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by gerbil

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A short, practical checklist for when a laptop sits at the vendor logo after a repair (as in ’s case). That symptom usually means POST (the hardware self-test) is being interrupted or held up by a hardware issue introduced during disassembly/reassembly. Before diving into more invasive fixes, try these targeted checks to narrow the cause and avoid unnecessary work.

  • Remove all USB devices and external media, then do a power-reset: unplug AC, remove main battery (if removable), hold power for 15–30 seconds, reconnect AC only and try to boot.
  • Boot with the hard drive removed. If the machine reaches BIOS/diagnostics without the drive, the HDD/connection or boot configuration is implicated.
  • Test with an external USB keyboard and mouse. If an external keyboard lets you get into BIOS/boot menus, an internal keyboard ribbon or a stuck key could be blocking POST.
  • Reseat RAM modules and the HDD connector. A marginal memory or SATA contact often causes a hang that looks like a frozen logo.
  • Inspect the repair area closely for stray screws, solder splashes, or a misaligned DC jack that might short the board. A tiny metal object under the board can produce exactly this behaviour.
  • If nothing else helps, clear CMOS (remove coin cell for a minute or use the CMOS jumper) to reset BIOS settings that could be preventing normal POST.

For the touchpad issue after successful boot: the most common cause post-reassembly is an unlatched or misaligned touchpad ribbon. Reopen and carefully check the touchpad flat cable locking tab and the cable orientation. In the OS, confirm the device shows in Device Manager and that any hardware toggle (Fn key with a pointing-device icon) or BIOS option for the internal pointing device is enabled. If hardware looks intact but the device is absent at the OS level, replace the touchpad assembly.

Small prevention tips: keep screws organized by location, avoid over-tightening, and visually check ribbon seating before powering on. The observations from and about checking POST/BIOS are useful — if POST can be made visible, it will point directly to the failing subsystem.

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Member Avatar for gerbil

It is so useful, that option to display a corporate logo instead of BIOS sys info. Press the function key you are told to, go into BIOS setup and find the option to disable that logo screen in favour of hardware detections, then see what is missing. Does your hdd show up?

Member Avatar for caperjack

tab key on bootup usually will show whats behind the logo with out changing bios setting

Member Avatar for apneram

It is so useful, that option to display a corporate logo instead of BIOS sys info. Press the function key you are told to, go into BIOS setup and find the option to disable that logo screen in favour of hardware detections, then see what is missing. Does your hdd show up?

Gerbil, Thanks for the response! When you say press the function key I am told to..., I don't see anything else besides the logo! Absolutely nothing!! I even inserted the Recovery Disk and turned the machine on... guess what I see?? You got it, the logo :)
Unless I am missing something you are trying to tell me..?!

Member Avatar for apneram

tab key on bootup usually will show whats behind the logo with out changing bios setting

caperjack, tried that too... infact every key on the keyboard, including the function keys! Didn't work.
Thanks

Member Avatar for apneram

Wanted to update you that I re-disassembled the laptop and then reassembled it one piece at a time and it works fine now, the OS loads, the desktop is visible :)
The only thing that does not work is the mousepad!! I guess I am going to start the process of dismantling and reassembling again!! :0)
Thanks for your help, nonetheless!

Member Avatar for gerbil

Tab key. Tsk... I should have remembered that, caper, but I don't ever get the chance to use it for that purpose. The logos just don't get a run with me.
Good on you, apneram, spannering is good.

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