Member Avatar for maeve.goodall.1

Was on my lap top when smoke started to come out of it.It turns on just for a second.. I am worrried it is the hard drive.i have a hp Pavilion Entertainment pc dv5.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by johhny-marshal

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— immediate safety first, then data.

If the laptop is still smoking: unplug it from mains, move it to a hard, non‑flammable surface, ventilate the room, and do not try to power it up again. If a fire or persistent smoke is present, leave the area and call emergency services. These steps are recommended for lithium‑ion device failures and overheating electronics. (NYS Charge Safe / DHSES guidance). See HP’s safety notes about overheating and keeping vents clear. ().

What’s most likely: visible smoke often comes from the battery, adapter, power circuitry or motherboard components — not the HDD platters themselves. A hard disk can smell or smoke if its controller/PCB is burned, but that is a different failure mode than an overheated battery or shorted power regulator. DriveSavers documents PCB burn symptoms and cautions against powering smoke‑damaged units. (https://drivesaversdatarecovery.com/fire-damaged-device/?pp=1).

Regarding the data: as several members suggested, data may still be recoverable — but handle the drive carefully. If you remove the drive, document damage with photos, label where it came from, and keep it unpowered in an anti‑static bag or box. If the drive shows burn marks, a strong odor, or was exposed to fire or water, do not plug it into another computer or an enclosure; powering it can make recovery impossible. Avoid DIY “fixes” (freezer, opening the sealed drive, repeated power attempts). Trusted data‑recovery experts explain why those steps harm recovery chances. (https://www.gillware.com/hard-drive-data-recovery/how-to-recover-data-from-a-dead-hard-drive/).

Next steps: follow the safety guidance above, contact HP support about warranty/repair options (note warranties usually do not cover data loss), and get a quote from a reputable data‑recovery lab if the files are important. Photograph the machine for records/insurance, keep the battery/charger with the device, and prioritize safety over trying more tests at home. (HP warranty details: ).

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All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

I think its time for you to get a new one.

Member Avatar for Mike+9

I would recommend going with it at a service. The problem might be more compicated than you can handle and buying parts for it until you realise which one is broken doesn't seem like a smart thing to do.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

While you can purchase parts for a laptop, thier more challenging to work with than standard desktops. In addition, if you do not know about computer hardware, it may be very challanging for you to fix this on your own.

If you have important data on your drive, what you can try to do is remove the drive from the laptop and plug it into a desktop via a USB/IDE connector to see if you can access the drive.

Member Avatar for harry.grant

Oh i think your pc is a smoker . aaah just kidding... i think it was just due to the overloading of wires....

commented: Thanks for resurrecting an old thread just to post a completely useless reply and spam your signature links. Fail. -3
Member Avatar for rubberman

You can remove the drive from the laptop and try to boot into the BIOS. If it still "lets the smoke out", then the system is fried, though the HD may be recoverable as far as your data is concerned. If it can get to the BIOS, then it may be the HD, but in my experience smoke is usually associated with stuff other than the HD. Save the HD, get a new laptop and a docking bay for the HD (costs about $25) and you may be able to recover your data files.

Member Avatar for johhny-marshal

Well..the smoke comes out when there is something burning inside due to overheating. If the laptop is running fine then it is ok, otherwise you need to worry about. Better you take it to the hardware engineer.

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