Windows XP, power light, hdd light for 1 sec, black screen

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Ok

Um..


All done! Hang on, it's still exactly the same :(

It must be either the Motherboard (that's basically the laptop!) or the CPU
CPUs can take a lot, a real lot.
Therefore, highest possibility is Motherboard faulty, likely in the power converting areas.

If I had it, I'd strip it down, with M/b out
Blow out all dust (high compressed air - more money !)
Clean with elctronic circuit board spray (circuit spray is expensive ~ $10 to $20 a can)
Wait for it to dry (also spray all other components like CPU and Ram, and in the slots too.

Drying can take a few hours (even leave for a day or two)

Put it back together (fully if you like)

Turn on.

Percentage of good result? about 20/80 that's 80% that it won't work.

How's that with you?


Put back together
 
The bios can't corrupt, unless incorrectly flashed (by you, did you do that?)
The bios chip can corrupt, but is unlikely
 
mobos are about 170 off ebay unless I can find a used/good one.

I am thinking of buying a used one with a screen someone stepped on or something and steal the mobo, and maybe sell the rest of the stuff.

20/80 sounds too close to 1/99 to spend time and money on that stuff. I guess Ill just decide if I want a new laptop for hundreds, or fix this one for 1-2 hundred.....

honestly, if I spent the money, got this one going, and for 200 total had a 1.8+ ghz cpu and 2gb ram

for the 600 or so, its only about 1gb ram, sometimes 2 though, and the new dual core 2.0ghz. I know the fsb is faster, sometimes the cpu cache is larger, and the transfer speed from the hdd is faster now and all, but would it really be noticable when I just use it to maybe browse the web, do some homework maybe, and the occasional dvd watching/burning.


oh, and thanks alot for the help.
 
I never used a disk or downloaded anything new to flash the bios. only thing I did was hit f2 or f12 to get to the boot menu and seen what it said. Im pretty sure i exited leaving it booting from the hdd, cant remember for sure though, and I cant go check... obviously, lol.
 
No I believe 20/80 still. There actually could be dust in the ram card slots (deep inside) or elsewhere.

If I had it I'd try it (the cleaning idea)

If it didn't work, I'd put it back together, and sell the whole thing (ebay?) as will not turn on (most people will think it's just ram or something, and you'll get a good price)
Actually that doesn't sound nice! Anyway, it'll sell.

Then go buy another cheap laptop (new is good, they're cheap now)

Still I do like the cleaning idea, wouldn't it be fantastic in a couple of days, you come back and say. It's working (now that would make you happy!)
 
oh, also, do i have to get the exact same mobo? i know in a desktop whatever you want is basically gonna work, I can tell the one out of my girls laptop wouldnt work in my case, will other dell mobo's work?
 
so if I am gonna clean it with some cleaner after I blow it out, will a little moisture in the compressed air hurt, since there will be no power to anything while its being blown out/cleaned. because I dont have a moisture seperator on my compressor.

and where would I go about getting this circuit board cleaner. office max/staples/best buy type place, or just somewhere online?
 
found it. dell 6000, works, comes with a good battery(which I also need) but a cracked screen. ends tomorrow

under a hundred right now, but who knows what itll do, working ones bring between 2- low 300's though
 
All these questions.
I've been looking at modem drivers on another thread

Anyway moisture-not good
Any mobo - no, it must be the same model
Same mobo - yes, But... it still could be CPU. You should clean first !

ends tomorrow
Bid on it after you clean yours, not before!
 
if I drain any moisture out of the tank, and blow out the lines to get any moisture out of the hoses, then blow it off. is that good enough?
 
negative. I also took it all apart and looked for jumpers to reset the cmos, didnt happen. also put dos and a bios update file on my usb drive, but it wont boot from it, the light on the usb key never lights up. so now it wont boot from usb, hdd, or cd, where else could it boot from. I mean I havent put dos on a cd and tried, but wouldnt a windows install cd have dos on it?
 
Well that's that

But you gave it a good try.

Also, as I said earlier, you must have a display before you can boot anything.
But to help your understanding (seeming you have mentioned this a couple of times)

The laptop must start (and normally will) without any Dos or any Disc (including the actual Hard Drive Disk)
This is because the Laptop (and all computers) have a Power On Self Test incorporated into the Motherbard (No Disk Required)
This Power On Self Test or POST is stored in the Motherboard Bios Chip, and cannot be modified. (It is Read Only!)

So therefore a bootable Windows Disc (or any disk) cannot fix or help a POST problem.

Edit:

I forgot to mention. Windows Discs come with DOS installed already. That's the command prompt
Although many may argue this. DOS still exists. Actually the only Windows version not to have DOS was WindowsME (which was scrapped soon after its release because of this issue). Actually I even argued it at the time.
 
ok, so it couldnt have been me that caused the problem, if the POST is read only? am i correct, I know the only thing i did in the bios was look at the order of boot devices, and played with the order, but I thought I put it back, and I know I touched nothing else.

I had me once, but I sent my pc back for repair and decided to have them just put 98 in, I didnt like me much at all.
 
As mentioned Bios chip is Read Only
But CMOS (settings) you can change

Also if you change absolutely anything in CMOS (any configuation at all)
The computer will still POST

UNLESS (I decided to stop butting)
You changed the CPU multiplier to a higher level (or highest multiplier) If it can be changed!
And have now caused issues to the CPU (overheated, something like that)
 
ok, nope, didnt attempt any kind of overclocking or anything like that. well I feel better that it wasnt me.

so, there is a possibility it is the cpu and the mobo is fine?

but it DEFINATELY is either the mobo or cpu, correct?

cpu is a much cheaper item to replace as far as ebay goes, probably since there is many choices for that socket, and only one mobo for my particular case....

now I just need to figure out exactly what socket it is.
 
was looking around and started thinking it was a socket 478, but I saw a close up of the bottom, and I thought that where my pin was missing was one pin over from the pic, so I am taking mine out right now to see.


I can get a 1.73 Ghz for 15 shipped it looks like. way cheaper than the mobo. and then if I still gotta get a mobo ill have a 1.73 instead of a 1.6. and when I get it running I can sneak into my grandparents hosue and put my desktop internals in their case and suprise em next time they turn their computer on.
 
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