Hi I have this strange problem with my laptop, its a pain to start my laptop, it shows complete blank screen, with all the lights on, hard drive light blinks for a while and then stops. After trying the power button again and again, when it finally starts, my laptop runs fine and all the programs also. Please assist i have an updated version of BIOS and have already tried BIOS resetting and Power Management resetting. Also when it starts, it works fine with both battery and AC power.

Configuration: Windows XP Professional SP3
Model: Presario V3000
RAM: 1GB
Processor: AMD Turion 64, 2.21Ghz
Hard disk: 120 GB

Have a look here: Tutorial: No POST (Power On Self Test)

if u'r laptop is covered under warrnaty service, take it back. as for this case, 99%, that this is dead northbridge(nv6150/6100go). i.e., the problem is in faulty MB. well, of course, you can pull out one memory module and check the result, but i'm sure, that there'll be no changes in laptop behaviour.

That Presario is infamous for that problem. We have three in the shop with that initial problem description. If under warranty, get it to a Presario warranty place immediately. Otherwise, the parts alone can be as much as $170. Compaq knows they have a problem, and will welcome it for service, provided you have not changed anything but the memory, if it is still in warranty or just recently (27 days) out of warranty.

raybay, all laptops with nv6100/nv6150go are in danger of death. this chip dies regularly in all laptops with this chipset.

We work on them as a warranty station. Only certain production runs are a problem. Only a few, but a large few, with this chipset die. The problem was caught and fixed, but as in most laptops. the manufacturer is not required to recall. If only we could require all computer manufacturers to at least give notice of known failures, then most eMachine, Sony, Acer, and Compaq computers would be better built... No consideration is ever given for the lost data, and the enormous cost of technican time... which in the US averages $85 an hour... not to mention parts.