HP DV9000 Series(dv9208nr), Known Issues - Anyone know the fix?

[thinstatic]

So, I spent a while with HP support, basically got nothing but the run around(will post transcript - for fun AND issue clarification). Here's what's happening:
I have an HP DV9208NR(DV9000 general series, 9200/9300 specific). When I push the power button, the lights and fans come on for a second(no display), then they shut off. Every fifteenth (or so) push, they will remain on for ten-twenty second(still no display), then shut off. I've gone through all the basics - removed everything that can be removed, testing components in other, working systems; tested this system with known good CPU/Ram/HD/Optical/PS/Wifi(one of the known failures for this series), heat sink, power control board(attached to heatsink), etc. I know that all of the computer's original parts are good - they tested fine in another system. And, I know all of the parts I swapped for testing are good. I've pretty much isolated this to a mobo issue. Sadly, my mobo is the 444002-001, which is near impossible to find on ebay.
What I'm asking is this: Does anyone know what, specifically, is causing these motherboards to fail? I can swap SMDs if necessary, I just want to get an idea of where to look for failures.
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As promised, here's transcript of FIRST chat conv with HP(I went through three techs before I finally got someone to agree to have a manager call me back)
Note where I told the 'tech' this was a KNOWN ISSUE, she denies it, then tells me later on "It looks like this is a known issue..."
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Haden Farley : Laptop will not boot/post.[An agent will be with you shortly.][You are now chatting with Mable .]
Mable : Welcome to HP Total Care for Notebooks. My name is Mable.
Mable : Hello Haden.
Mable : How are you doing today?
Haden Farley : Hello.
Haden Farley : Okay.
Mable : May I know are you able to see the HP logo?
Haden Farley : I need some pretty detailed technical information from you, Mable.
Haden Farley : Yes, I can.
Mable : Sure I will try my best to provide you all the necessary information.
Mable : May I know are you able to see any error message?
Haden Farley : No, this laptop has the known issue covered under the recall - it does not boot at all. When I push the power button, the fans and lights come on for a second or so, then it shuts off.
Mable : If I understand the issue correctly you are able to see lights glowing on the laptop but there in no display on the laptop?
Haden Farley : There is no display, and the lights only come on for one second.
Mable : I regret the inconvenience caused. And I will assert my best efforts to resolve this issue.
Mable : In order to assist you in a better way, May I know the product and serial number of the computer which is facing this issue?
Haden Farley : p/n: rp114ua#aba
s/n: ************
Mable : Thank you for providing us with the information.
Mable : May I know have you performed any troubleshooting steps in order to fix the issue?
Haden Farley : Yes. I've tested the CPU, Ram, Wireless, DVD Drive, LCD, LCD Inverter board, hard drive, power cable, and battery in a different, known working system. All parts tested fine. Removed power cord from laptop, removed battery, held power button for one minute, plugged laptop back in(without battery), tested it, same issue - will not boot.
Mable : I appreciate the efforts you have taken.
Mable : Haden as you have performed all the possible troubleshooting steps the only option left out is to take the laptop to the nearest service center or to send to HP for repair.
Mable : The problem might be with the motherboard.
Haden Farley : Not an option.
Haden Farley : I need to know the exact cause of the issue on the motherboard.
Mable : It might be the display adapter has gone bad.
Haden Farley : Negative. I've actually tested the chip, its good.
Mable : Haden it might be some part on the mother board.
Haden Farley : And that's the crux: I need you to find out what, exactly, is causing the issue on the motherboard, and tell me. I know this is a common issue for this model - a known issue.
Mable : As a chat agent we cannot tell us what is the exact issue in order to diagnose the exact issue we need to take the laptop for service.
Haden Farley : And, as I said, that is not an option. Unless you're offering to pay for shipping and repair the laptop for free, its not going to a service center.
Haden Farley : So. I need you t find out for me what the most common cause of this issue is on this particular motherboard, and let me know what it is.
Mable : Shipping is free of cost but you need to pay for the service Haden.
Haden Farley : My point exactly.
Haden Farley : Now, please find out the cause of this issue, and let me know what it is. I will do the repair on my end.
Mable : Haden as a chat agent we cannot tell you the exact issue you need to send the laptop for service for the complete problem resolution.
Haden Farley : No, as I said, that's not an option. I need you to find out the cause of this issue, and let me know what it is.
Mable : Haden as the issue seems to be hardware malfunction which requires a detailed onsite diagnosis. Being a chat support technician, I have very limited options available to help you out with the issue. The nature of this issue is related to hardware which can be diagnosed in detail by our Service technicians at HP Authorized Service Providers. Hence, I request you to contact our nearest HP Authorized service provider and get the notebook serviced.
Haden Farley : Nope.
Haden Farley : Mable, this is what's called a "Known Issue". I know for a fact that you can ask around, call around, post a query, in SOME manner or other connect with actual techs. For known issues, there is always a known, common cause - not computer specific. You need to connect with another tech and find out what that common cause is for me. If you are unable to do so, please connect me to a more capable "agent"
Mable : Okay.
Mable : It might be the issue with Motherboard and it is not a known issue.
Mable : This needs Onsite Diagnostics.
Mable : The motherboard contains various chipset and components like video adapter, south bridge chipset, northbridge chipset.
Haden Farley : In other words, you are incapable of finding out what the cause is - this IS in fact a known issue, Mable, HP has issue a recall for this exact model of laptop. Please connect me with a more capable person, if not an ACTUAL technician.
Mable : Yes, there was a recall program which expired in the month of April, 2009.
Mable : We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Haden Farley : Which is why I need to find the cause of the issue. I need to know the SPECIFIC problem - be it chipset, north/south bridge, caching, fan algo's, latency, etc.
Haden Farley : Believe me, I am MUCH more capable of repairing this than your service techs. I just need you or someone higher than you to find out the cause, and tell me.
Mable : I have contacted the supervisor on this issue and was informed that we had known issues for the model.
Haden Farley : Duh.
Mable : If the notebook is not booting, then it is with the chipset failure on the motherboard.
Mable : I am afraid that it is not possible to diagnose the issue through the chat support which is why I provide you with an option of paid service where the motherboard will be replaced with a new one.
Mable : Also, the notebook will restored to factory settings, once the notebook repair is done.
Haden Farley : And, of course, I'm not willing to pay for service when I can remove the chips here, repair them, and resolder them.
Haden Farley : And I don't WANT my laptop set to factory settings.
Mable : Haden, I will provide you with the part number of the motherboard.
Haden Farley : I don't need the motherboard part number, Mable, I'm holding the motherboard in my hands, as we speak, there's a little sticker here that says Part Number. What I need is to know which portion of the motherboard has failed, or commonly fails with these systems.
Mable : Haden, As I already informed that it could be any part of the chipset on the motherboard which can be done at the service center only.
Haden Farley : Okay, then you need to contact the service center, and ask them what specifically is failing in this issue. It is a common problem, which I'm sure the techs will tell you has a specific common cause.
Haden Farley : Then tell me what it is.
Mable : Haden, I am afraid to say that we do not have the option to contact the HP service center technician in person or by phone as were a chat support technician to check the what chipset or component is not working.
Haden Farley : Ugh. I'm going to step outside for a smoke. In the meantime, I want you to contact a service center(any one will do, I'm sure most of them have dealt with this issue), contact a supervisor and have that person contact a service center, contact the next level of support in your office and find out what the cause is, contact whoever you need to - just find out what the common cause of this problem is. If you are unable to do so, provide me with a phone number of a service center to call - NOT an 800 number, not a number for a tech queue, not a customer service/support/care number. A number for a service center.
Haden Farley : I'll wait.
Mable : The following symptoms apply to the dv9000 series notebooks:
The notebook does not detect wireless networks and the wireless adapter is not detected in the Device Manager.
There is no video on the computer LCD panel or external monitor.
The notebook has no power and no active LEDs.
The notebook does not start.
The battery charge indicator light does not turn on when the battery is installed and the AC adapter is connected.
The notebook issues a single beep during boot indicating no power.
The external monitor functions but there is no image on the notebook LCD panel.
Mable : I will be with you here.
Mable : I have contacted the supervisor and was informed that we do not have the option to call the technician at the service center to provide you what chipset or component goes bad on the motherboard.
Mable : At chat support we have the option to setup the repair service if the notebook found to be in recall or warranty services.
Haden Farley : Obviously, you are unable to wrap your mind around this. I will start a new session with another tech.

 

[frozenlead]

You're trolling. HP doesn't sell individual motherboard parts. They don't have them. The motherboards are built by another company and shipped to HP, where they're assembled. Your only option is to replace the entire board.

 

[thinstatic]

You missed the point entirely. I'm not interested in buying parts from HP, and of course they don't sell motherboard components. And no, replacing the motherboard is NOT the only option. My goal is /repairing/ the motherboard.

 

[frozenlead]

You missed my point - you can't repair the motherboard if you don't have the parts to do it. You can't get them from HP, and you don't know who manufactured them - and even if you did, I doubt they would sell you just one. What do you think HP does at the service center? They don't replace components on dead boards - they just throw the board away and replace it with a new one. No one at HP has the answer your looking for; it was pointless to try and contact them.

 

[Guest]

Not to mention being a complete dick about the entire situation.

"Haden Farley : Believe me, I am MUCH more capable of repairing this than your service techs."

Then why haven't you figured out which component is defective? Boasting about your ability doesn't build credibility, sir. I hate assholes like this that feel they can walk all over someone who has given them options that they don't agree with, and continue to push against a figurative brick wall. I would have loved for this agent to have flipped and responded with a "Ah I got it sir, since you complained enough I will let down my guard and tell you exactly which piece is defective.. because I was deceiving you this whole time and have been holding the answer hostage!"

Here's your problem: Id10t error... look that one up :lol:

 

[Guest]

And you sir, are an idiot. Not only do you not seem to have any computer knowledge or troubleshooting skills, but why should "Haden" have to go through the work of troubleshooting a KNOWN error? No, HP should be able to tell him exactly what the problem is right away.

He shouldn't have to go through the long trouble shooting techniques and end up spending hours on an issue HP knows about. This is a classic case of a company trying to force you to spend more money to repair their defective products they sold you.

 

[Guest]

Hi, this problem is for AMD dv 9000 and video chip is bad, don't waste your time,just go to repair(reflow video chip) mother board/

 

[Stevef]

I tried the vidio chip reflow approach and it worked for about two weeks. Then the motherboard overheated again and I am back in the same boat. My son's DV9235 has an Intel processor and is not covered by HP's recall.

Here is a post I made on HP's site that got me banned. Please take the information and use it.

HP DV9000 Warning! Banned from HP's site!

Bad motherboard, overheating problem, no support from HP


I have been banned from HP's web site for posting this. Therefore, I am going to post on every web site I can. My son bought an HP DV9235, which is a lot of money for him as he is 23 years old. I called for support and they gave me the standard BS "$400 for repair". This "repair" would not permanently fix the problem as overheating is one of the main causes of the problem.

So... I called the BBB, the FTC and the Ca Dept of Consumer Affairs. The CDCA was the only agency that replied. I spoke with a nice lady (details below) that said she would pursue my complaint with HP's legal department. I encouraged her to go public with the information she has to help others rather than just to pursue my complaint.

Here is the information that got me banned:

Loretta Dyson
Staff Services Analyst
Department of Consumer Affairs
Hayward Complaint Resolution Program
(510)881-4026 phone
(510)888-7060 fax

 

[xuchenxixu]

I have a DV9000 series laptop with AMD, it overheats during heavy processing. passes 100 C at times, and just shuts down by itself. if you try to turn it back on immediately, the lights come up and shuts back down in about 3 seconds.

Therefore, you might have a problem with the heat sensor, try removing the sensor cord(if there is one, might be connected to the fan or some?) and see if that works.

 

[Mayosoft]

It can be fixed and I have fixed over 40 since Sept 09. Yes heat is one of the problems but oxidation and corrosion is the core issue. This problem exists with other brands that use the nVidia chipset/AMD combo.[Acer, Gateway, Dell] And other GPU's like the Thinkpad t40 series. From what I have seen under the GPU it is oxidation and non-whetted pads on the GPU.

Finally have broken down the cause, effect, and solution. Though it's not published at this time, but will be addressed after the length of service is established. I wanted it to be a rock solid solution with no rework coming back.

Further details are on my blog . Since so many forums have a myriad of rules. I wanted to be sure not to break any. Even when trying to help.

 

[Mayosoft]

Hi, this problem is for AMD dv 9000 and video chip is bad, don't waste your time,just go to repair(reflow video chip) mother board/

Reflow works, but you have to use flux also. Or the oxidation will not be corrected/removed. As well as the correct temperature so that the nearby fan connector is not burned. It is a very risky repair for the non-skilled. The damage could become irreparable and require a replacement motherboard. It is also prone to bumping and dislodging chips, caps, resistors [major rework even for an SMT tech]. There is a BIOS Patch to keep the fan running when plugged in at the HP site.

I have been approaching the problem from 4 directions. The Heat, The GPU, The Fan and a copper shim. So far so good.

 

[Guest]

Unbelievable what HP is doing with these computers. NOTHING. We have one that has blank screen but the Led's are on and fan is on. Same runaround from HP. Call for a box and send them $248.00 and they will fix.
Even though there is a known video/heat problem with the dv9000 series.
Such an expensive machine but no help from HP. I will continue to call until they do something. Squeeky wheel gets greased(I Hope).

 

[palehorse]

I bought my DV9000 from a guy on craigslist about a year and a half ago (IIRC). After a week or so, the machine started acting up with the symptoms (serious overheating), failed to boot properly, etc,. I did a support chat with a tech named Sebastian, who I reproduced the symtpoms for. I guess I lucked out and fell into the recall parameters, because he sent me a Fed Ex box with a prepaid shipping container addressed to their repair facility. It took about 10 calendar days total, out my door, then back into my door, fixed. There was a repair log enclosed with a checklist of what they fixed. They replaced the MB altogether, and since then, I've not had any symptoms. Of course, I have to use a chill pad, and if I'm working or playing any FPS's (BF2/MW2), I have a small desk fan blowing towards it. I'm really sorry to hear that so many folks have had problems with their DV series. I wouldn't have bought it had I known there were so many folks suffering from the same issue, but I guess it was early on in the life cycle of the series.

Of course, my left hinge just broke away from the set-screw, I'm not even gonna bother with support for it, will just find a way to fix it myself.

The reason I came by Tom's is that I was looking around to see if the GPU is interchangeable (I see now that it's obviously not), and am looking to maybe cut some extra well-positioned slots in the bottom housing to aid with ventilation. My DV still gets hot as hell, but is managable and stable with a chill pad. It's just a PITA to lug it around, the rig gets heavy when I travel with it.

In addition to the DV getting hot, the power supply gets super hot as well. My wife has one of the newer DV7000 series with Windows 7, leaves it plugged in the whole time she's on it, the power supply never gets hot (4-8 hours per day). I know they addressed the overheating issues in the newer models, otherwise, I would have steered her away from HP altogehter.

I just installed Ubuntu on my DV9000 (it's installed on one of my desktop boxes), I'd be interested in knowing if system resource hogs like a bloated XP install would have anything to do with power/current draw, thus, a hot power supply, etc,. Will play with it for awhile, and report back if anything comes up.

If anyone wants to contact me directly, feel free to hit me here (spammers piss off):

palehorse29@gmail.com

 

[weza]

Hi,

For the Video Failing / Blank Display problems with HP DV9000, 6000 or 2000 Series laptops please have a look at this video:

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnkQNmKauEc

It guides you step by step on how you can resolve this issue yourself.

 

[Guest]

After 3 years, the display of my DV9000t finally went out and the case that holds the screen hinge had cracked. I replaced the display case that holds the broken hinge. The case where the hinge connects cracked because the hinge is directly connected to the fan heat sink (how dump is that) and the fan ran to slow to keep heat sink cool. When the display went out I discovered that the VGA port still worked so I knew the NVIDIA chip had unsoldered. I reflowed the NVIDIA chip with a pen torch which worked great. Check out this link for details on how to reflow your NVIDIA chip http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnkQNmKauEc. Now that everything is working like new the problem how to get the fan to run fast enough to keep these failures from happening all over again. I have the Intel model so there is no BIOS fix to run the fan at full speed. What I did was to disconnect the 2 white and yellow fan wires at the mobo connector leaving the red and black wires connected. This runs the fan at full speed just like the BIOS fix. This had the effect of dropped the GPU temperature from 54° (normal operations) to 44°and from 64° (Gaming) to 54°. Later I added a 2 ohm 1 watt resistor in series with the 5vdc red wire which was just enough to take the edge of the noise. I’m continuing to look for an automatic fan control with a temperature sensor I can put on the NVIDIA heat sink and adjust the levels to keep it running at optimal temperature levels. The trick is finding or building one small enough to fit in a laptop. Anyone know of one please post it here.

 

[bjohnson555]

05-03-2010 UPDATE:
I wrote the post above that starts "After 3 years, the display of my DV9000t finally... “ before I had this account.
I have done a thorough analysis of my CPU and GPU clock speed using GPU-Z and CPU-Z to make sure that the BIOS didn't throttle back the default setting because the fan signals were disconnected. Everything came up normal for my DV9000t. I'm happy with the fan running faster especially now that the GPU temperature stays around 44° to 54°.

06-06-2010 UPDATE:
I found a software solution to control my fan speed by patching the ACPI DSDT table so I no longer have to run the fan at full speed using a hardware solution (removing the white and yellow fan wires). You can read about "How I Fixed My Overheating HP DV9000 Computer - Software Solution: Patching the DSDT" for more information.

 

[emp69]

05-03-2010 UPDATE: I wrote the post above that starts "After 3 years, the display of my DV9000t finally... “ before I had this account.
I have done a thorough analysis of my CPU and GPU clock speed using GPU-Z and CPU-Z to make sure that the BIOS didn't throttle back the default setting because the fan signals were disconnected. Everything came up normal for my DV9000t. I'm happy with the fan running faster especially now that the GPU temperature stays around 44° to 54°.

So how did you do it?

 

[Guest]

Hello,

44C is excellent. If you can keep it that way, your system should last you a long time. Just try to keep it clean - it's a magnet for dust. Every few years, you should disassemble it and clean it. But if it dies again, I know a great company to call in Florida called Precision Division. They specialize in laptop motherboards.


They handle all brands and models, but are very, very good at repairing HP DV9000s and similar models.

You only pay them if it can be fixed.

http/cgi.ebay.com/HP-Pavilion-Dv9000-Repair-Do-right-dont-bother-/230454322099?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item35a825e3b3


PrecisionDivision.com



Cheers

 

[desmondhs]

HP9200 turning on and off:

(a)
Very possible that the heat sink chemical compound on microprocessor has dried up.
The heat sink compound serves to transfer heat from the micro. to the heatsink.
When heat sink compound is dried up the micro. becomes overheated, and can behave very unstable, sometimes turning on/off. Temperature control circuits on motherboard and micro protect the micro. from being destroyed from overheating.
(b)
Defective or intermittent micro. fan.
Dust can also cause overheating; blow out dust from fan, and micro. etc.
Desmond,

 

[RecklessJ]

Reading this, post class action law suit, is pretty funny. These first few responses were just silly. I bet you people trust politicians too! Blind trust is never a good thing. People, especially those with money and power, will try to pull the wool over your eyes. Always question, always ask, and don't give up until you get an answer. If everyone did that, rather then grieving the few that did, the world would be a much better place!

HP was fully aware of the problem at the time the original poster posted this. I'll even go out on a limb and say they knew EXACTLY which part was failing, and why. Here's my reasoning. The first thing out of the tech's mouth as to what the problem might be was;

"Mable : It might be the display adapter has gone bad." - We now know that this IS the problem.

Also, why would they have done the bios updates, and other lame fixes in attempt to keep the gpu and cpu at a cooler temp if they had no idea what the problem was?

That tech was totally tip-toeing, likely as he was told to do by HP, who was in fear of losing a class action law suit. If HP admits fault, then they are forced to take responsibility. No major corporation would willingly do that as it would cost them hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. They will always keep it hush hush, throw parts at it until its out of warranty, and continue this way as long as they possibly can. If it ends up going to court, they will settle. They settle because a) if it goes to court there will be a much higher level of media attention and b) it's cheaper. If they don't go to court, and the media coverage is limited, less people will learn of the class action, which means less money paid out by HP. HP will also receive less bad publicity to any future potential customers if the media coverage is limited. It's pretty shady, but that's how most big business works. Still want to blindly trust?

HP is not in business to educate the consumer. The consumer is responsible for educating his or her self. If you think about it, why would HP have any interest in educating? They make millions each year on repairs alone. If everyone knows the problems, and knows how to fix them, HP loses money. You have to remember, HP is a business. They are ultimately there to make money and they will do this at all cost, as will most, if not all major corporations!

I personally applaud Haden's actions, and encourage more people to do the same in the future! Perhaps a few less people will get screwed!