Won't turn on and then will???

[KSt]

I have a Compaq Presario (laptop) not sure what model number and all of my literature is back in the US where I currently am not for another 2 months, but anyways I went on vacation for a week and when I came back my computer wouldn't turn on. That is to say that the power button would light up and it would make some noise (a fan or something?) but then do nothing. The screen would remain blank and when I went to turn it off it wouldn't turn off unless you cut the power. I tried several different things trying to get it to work (at least ten times) and nothing. I then took it to a store to see if they could help and the second time the store clerk tried it magically turned on. So I took it home and once again got the no-response and then the second time I tried it said it failed to boot correctly and did I want to continue and then said there was a media test failure and did nothing further. On the third try it turned on. Being the second day now that it has worked it did the same thing again, first no response then boot failure then it finally worked.

What does this mean? Is it safe to turn my computer off or will it never turn back on again?
(sorry for the long explanation)

[techsheaven]

This could be interesting to troubleshoot. If a fan in the Power supply is sticky, it can draw enough amperage that the the system hasn't enough. I suspect this is the issue.

If it were a CPU fan, or case fan, the BIOS will often shut it down the system.

Video Fans often cause the system to "freeze" (due to over-heating).

So the first step is to find out which fan was making the noise (and may not work now) and replace it.

Post back here when you have that done and we can take it from there.

Good Luck

[techsheaven]

Another thought that points to the power supply is that it started after you moved it. They have several features to protect the system when the power is not what it should be.

A simple tester like the Coolmax PS-124 ATX power supply tester will tell you if it is doing what it should - you can get one for under $20US

[KSt]

Another thought that points to the power supply is that it started after you moved it. They have several features to protect the system when the power is not what it should be.

A simple tester like the Coolmax PS-124 ATX power supply tester will tell you if it is doing what it should - you can get one for under $20US

Thank you for your help! One thing about my moving it.. I moved it initially 6 months ago, in October and have had no problems with it until this week. Would that still be an issue after so long?

[Nattynooster]

OMG! I am so glad to see I have someone with the same problem as me, I have a thread called something like "crazy laptop problem, with mains and HDD" sorry to say it but I had those symtoms like a few months before it got worse, I think if you clean it out with a vacuum cleaner it will solve some problems, but now my laptop will only turn on if I have the battery in and no mains, I just now replaced the hard drive and got the same "media test failure" as you. So I can be sure it's not the hard drive because that was brand new, tomorrow I am going over to my friends, who has the exact same laptop as me "Toshiba Equium A200-1V0" and will try and use her power supply and see if that fixes some problems, I wonder if my and your laptops have some similar components in them that their destiny is to fail?
I'll keep you updated!

[techsheaven]

Sorry about the confusion. I didn't notice that the system was a laptop!

What I was trying to say (without saying it) was that a atx PSU is not fully off until you unplug or turn off via the PSU switch (if there is one).

A laptop will usually only have one fan. A quick-fix/test would be to get a tooth pick and some canned air. WITH POWER OFF, use the tooth pick to keep the fan from spinning too fast (which could damage it further) and blast out all the dust you can.

If I had this machine on my bench, I would take it apart and re-work the cooling on it, but you may not have the resources to do that while traveling.

Also, remove the battery and verify that it will boot with the cord. Then replace the battery and remove the cord to verify that it will boot with just the battery.

Good Luck

[KSt]

OMG! I am so glad to see I have someone with the same problem as me, I have a thread called something like "crazy laptop problem, with mains and HDD" sorry to say it but I had those symtoms like a few months before it got worse, I think if you clean it out with a vacuum cleaner it will solve some problems, but now my laptop will only turn on if I have the battery in and no mains, I just now replaced the hard drive and got the same "media test failure" as you. So I can be sure it's not the hard drive because that was brand new, tomorrow I am going over to my friends, who has the exact same laptop as me "Toshiba Equium A200-1V0" and will try and use her power supply and see if that fixes some problems, I wonder if my and your laptops have some similar components in them that their destiny is to fail?
I'll keep you updated!

Thats crazy! Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately I don't have a vacuum here so that will have to wait until I get back to the states in 2 months. Thanks again for sharing!

[KSt]

Sorry about the confusion. I didn't notice that the system was a laptop!

What I was trying to say (without saying it) was that a atx PSU is not fully off until you unplug or turn off via the PSU switch (if there is one).

A laptop will usually only have one fan. A quick-fix/test would be to get a tooth pick and some canned air. WITH POWER OFF, use the tooth pick to keep the fan from spinning too fast (which could damage it further) and blast out all the dust you can.

If I had this machine on my bench, I would take it apart and re-work the cooling on it, but you may not have the resources to do that while traveling.

Also, remove the battery and verify that it will boot with the cord. Then replace the battery and remove the cord to verify that it will boot with just the battery.

Good Luck

Ok, thanks! I'll try that and let you know!

[techsheaven]

If this is a cooling issue, it is worth noting that laptops should not be use on your lap (I know...). If the vents are blocked during operation, they can not cool properly, so use it on a hard surface, or be sure you are not blocking any vents.