Laptop Dies

Takaharu · Dec 8, 2009, 12:01 AM

I have a moderately old laptop (AMD Althon64) that, when I stopped using it, just didn't want to turn on. It would power on but there'd be no beep to say that it was on (which, after a lot of testing and re-testing back then, was a good indication if it would turn on properly) and there'd be no display. Other than that, it looked like it was on. Not sure if it was running (ie: only no sound & monitor as they're the same thing) but it was on.
I decided I'd try and do a spot of maintenance on it this evening so I popped it open, applied new thermal paste, checked the hard drive connection, made sure everything was plugged in properly then I turned it on... and it worked. I told it to boot to disc to do a reformat and, getting most of the way through (first reboot) it decided to just turn itself off. I turned it on and, as before, it didn't beep or anything.

It's a Fujitsu Amilo A1630 for reference and it's a few months out of warranty (long story short as to why I didn't fix it under warranty: it's second-hand).

Any ideas?

BlueMak · Dec 8, 2009, 01:21 AM

With power problems and laptops, always check the battery. Remove the battery and run the laptop on the mains only. Sometimes a bad battery will cause such problems.

SeraphicSorcerer · Dec 8, 2009, 04:28 AM

Sometimes, when ram goes out, or the hard drive goes out in a laptop. (Though it sounds like memory in this case) a laptop won't boot, try pulling 1 stick, if that doesn't work try the other.

Takaharu · Dec 9, 2009, 11:05 AM

I've tried swapping the RAM around, using one stick and the other in one slot then the other then switching them over.
I swapped the CMOS battery to one I know is good.
I took out the hard drive, replaced it, removed it altogether (though I don't have a spare to test).
The battery doesn't make any difference - in, out, charged, not charged. I also took out the disc drive for good measure and that does nothing either.

By the looks of things, leaving the laptop alone for prolonged periods of time (a few days?) then attempting to turn it on seems to work... briefly.
Are there any other ideas or is the hardware completely screwed?

SeraphicSorcerer · Dec 9, 2009, 11:46 AM

Ever taken a part a laptop before? Maybe try re-thermalling the cpu/gpu

BlueMak · Dec 9, 2009, 11:59 AM

I am very surprised that the removal of the battery (not placing it back in) doesn't help.
Perhaps something became loose inside or just the laptop is dying. for good.
I can't think of anything else.

Takaharu · Dec 9, 2009, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeraphicSorcerer

Ever taken a part a laptop before? Maybe try re-thermalling the cpu/gpu

You mean like the OP?

I haven't tried re-applying thermal paste to the GPU yet because I'd have to take off the CPU fan (that I just thermal pasted) to get to it. Would that necessarily make a difference though as there's no visible (or audible) life in the monitor, even briefly?

iPlayer · Dec 9, 2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

You mean like the OP?

I haven't tried re-applying thermal paste to the GPU yet because I'd have to take off the CPU fan (that I just thermal pasted) to get to it. Would that necessarily make a difference though as there's no visible (or audible) life in the monitor, even briefly?

It should at least get to the boot up, unless the heat sink isn't fixed correctly anymore.

Could also be a short circuit or another electrical issue and many other things..

king-laptop-parts · Dec 9, 2009, 08:59 PM

When brake CPU or Ram , need listen BIOS :-)

iPlayer · Dec 10, 2009, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by king-laptop-parts

When brake CPU or Ram , need listen BIOS :-)

He isn't even getting there for the most part.

Takaharu · Feb 5, 2010, 08:24 AM

Strangely enough I decided to work on my laptop again last night. I turned the power on and, as usual, it froze after a few seconds of being turned on then refused to power on at all.
I flipped it over, opened it up and this is what I did:
First of all, I unscrewed the CPU fan and all of its gubbings. My aim was to check the thermal paste of the GPU and re-apply it if necessary. I unscrewed the screws marked to unscrew and the GPU wouldn't budge. So, I removed the CPU, gave it a good look over, replaced it then decided to remove the CMOS battery while I screwed everything back in (which took about a couple of minutes, enough time for the BIOS to reset). I also took out the battery and changed the RAM's slot for good measure and plugged the laptop in by the mains cable.
I flipped the laptop back over, turned it on and... it worked. I finished the Windows installation I had managed to start previously, installed all drivers, did all of the Windows updates (bear in mind 15mins was a record) and it's still working fine this morning. The battery's back in and charged.

Now although it sounds like I've gone through the steps I should've taken to get it working I have done all of those before - the CPU was removed and replaced several times before, the BIOS was reset, the main battery has been removed, the CMOS battery has been replaced so I did nothing different.
The only thing I can think of is that the CMOS battery is practically flat; although I'd replaced it, I didn't do so with a fresh battery. It would explain why I could use my laptop for short bursts every now and then. So, I'm going to pick up a new CR2032 battery today and, if the stability holds, buy some more RAM.

It's an AMD Athlon 64 3400 (2.2GHz), 1GB DDR PC2700 (166MHz), ATI 9700 AGP graphics and 80GB hard drive with XP Home (originally SP1a). It might be low-spec but it's not slow and all I need it for is an MMO, one or two old games (maybe Call of Duty) and web browsing.

Two years I've been without this laptop working properly. I'm over the moon that I got it back.

BlueMak · Feb 7, 2010, 09:23 PM

The specs for the laptop, though old, are fine even for now as long as you don't want to play modern demanding games. It was a good buy.

Takaharu · Feb 8, 2010, 08:01 AM

I think I've come to the conclusion that the laptop's on its last legs, which is a shame, really. Although I can turn on the laptop and keep it running it has completely frozen once since I got it back up and running and it seems it's a bit tetchy when turning it on; a few times I have tried turning it on with no response (ie: no sound & picture but has power), left it for a few extra seconds then powered it on as usual.
Oh well, I'll make good use of the laptop while I still can...

Thanks all for the replies

Dec 8, 2009, 12:01 AM	#1
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Laptop Dies I have a moderately old laptop (AMD Althon64) that, when I stopped using it, just didn't want to turn on. It would power on but there'd be no beep to say that it was on (which, after a lot of testing and re-testing back then, was a good indication if it would turn on properly) and there'd be no display. Other than that, it looked like it was on. Not sure if it was running (ie: only no sound & monitor as they're the same thing) but it was on. I decided I'd try and do a spot of maintenance on it this evening so I popped it open, applied new thermal paste, checked the hard drive connection, made sure everything was plugged in properly then I turned it on... and it worked. I told it to boot to disc to do a reformat and, getting most of the way through (first reboot) it decided to just turn itself off. I turned it on and, as before, it didn't beep or anything. It's a Fujitsu Amilo A1630 for reference and it's a few months out of warranty (long story short as to why I didn't fix it under warranty: it's second-hand). Any ideas? __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Dec 8, 2009, 01:21 AM	#2
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Re: Laptop Dies With power problems and laptops, always check the battery. Remove the battery and run the laptop on the mains only. Sometimes a bad battery will cause such problems. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Dec 8, 2009, 04:28 AM	#3
SeraphicSorcerer HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 2,295 Rep Power: 156 System Specs	Re: Laptop Dies Sometimes, when ram goes out, or the hard drive goes out in a laptop. (Though it sounds like memory in this case) a laptop won't boot, try pulling 1 stick, if that doesn't work try the other. __________________

Dec 9, 2009, 11:05 AM	Thread Starter #4
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: Laptop Dies I've tried swapping the RAM around, using one stick and the other in one slot then the other then switching them over. I swapped the CMOS battery to one I know is good. I took out the hard drive, replaced it, removed it altogether (though I don't have a spare to test). The battery doesn't make any difference - in, out, charged, not charged. I also took out the disc drive for good measure and that does nothing either. By the looks of things, leaving the laptop alone for prolonged periods of time (a few days?) then attempting to turn it on seems to work... briefly. Are there any other ideas or is the hardware completely screwed? __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Dec 9, 2009, 11:46 AM	#5
SeraphicSorcerer HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 2,295 Rep Power: 156 System Specs	Re: Laptop Dies Ever taken a part a laptop before? Maybe try re-thermalling the cpu/gpu __________________

Dec 9, 2009, 11:59 AM	#6
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Re: Laptop Dies I am very surprised that the removal of the battery (not placing it back in) doesn't help. Perhaps something became loose inside or just the laptop is dying. for good. I can't think of anything else. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Dec 9, 2009, 08:59 PM	#9
king-laptop-parts DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: CZ Posts: 4 Rep Power: 0	Îòâåò: Laptop Dies When brake CPU or Ram , need listen BIOS :-)

Feb 5, 2010, 08:24 AM	Thread Starter #11
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: Laptop Dies Strangely enough I decided to work on my laptop again last night. I turned the power on and, as usual, it froze after a few seconds of being turned on then refused to power on at all. I flipped it over, opened it up and this is what I did: First of all, I unscrewed the CPU fan and all of its gubbings. My aim was to check the thermal paste of the GPU and re-apply it if necessary. I unscrewed the screws marked to unscrew and the GPU wouldn't budge. So, I removed the CPU, gave it a good look over, replaced it then decided to remove the CMOS battery while I screwed everything back in (which took about a couple of minutes, enough time for the BIOS to reset). I also took out the battery and changed the RAM's slot for good measure and plugged the laptop in by the mains cable. I flipped the laptop back over, turned it on and... it worked. I finished the Windows installation I had managed to start previously, installed all drivers, did all of the Windows updates (bear in mind 15mins was a record) and it's still working fine this morning. The battery's back in and charged. Now although it sounds like I've gone through the steps I should've taken to get it working I have done all of those before - the CPU was removed and replaced several times before, the BIOS was reset, the main battery has been removed, the CMOS battery has been replaced so I did nothing different. The only thing I can think of is that the CMOS battery is practically flat; although I'd replaced it, I didn't do so with a fresh battery. It would explain why I could use my laptop for short bursts every now and then. So, I'm going to pick up a new CR2032 battery today and, if the stability holds, buy some more RAM. It's an AMD Athlon 64 3400 (2.2GHz), 1GB DDR PC2700 (166MHz), ATI 9700 AGP graphics and 80GB hard drive with XP Home (originally SP1a). It might be low-spec but it's not slow and all I need it for is an MMO, one or two old games (maybe Call of Duty) and web browsing. Two years I've been without this laptop working properly. I'm over the moon that I got it back. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Feb 7, 2010, 09:23 PM	#12
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,465 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	Re: Laptop Dies The specs for the laptop, though old, are fine even for now as long as you don't want to play modern demanding games. It was a good buy. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Feb 8, 2010, 08:01 AM	Thread Starter #13
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,850 Rep Power: 113 System Specs	Re: Laptop Dies I think I've come to the conclusion that the laptop's on its last legs, which is a shame, really. Although I can turn on the laptop and keep it running it has completely frozen once since I got it back up and running and it seems it's a bit tetchy when turning it on; a few times I have tried turning it on with no response (ie: no sound & picture but has power), left it for a few extra seconds then powered it on as usual. Oh well, I'll make good use of the laptop while I still can... Thanks all for the replies __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details