Question HP laptop abruptly shut off.. will not power back on?

[john00ten]

Hello everyone I'm hoping to get some help to diagnose what the problem is with my laptop. Last night while I was using the laptop it abruptly powered off, the best way I can describe it is if you were watching TV and the power went out that exactly what it reminded me of. It made no noise that I could hear after it shut off, and I have not had any hardware errors or problems with it beforehand.

HP 15-da0053vm, <Specs here> I have not contacted HP for support, I did check the SN# to see if it is under warranty, it has expired.

In case it matters at the time it happened - the power cord was plugged in, I was playing a game via Steam. which I've done before less than 10x and never had an issue. The HD memory on the computer is less than 25% full.

What I've tried so far - Tried another outlet directly in the wall, as I'm plugged into a surge protector normally. I unplugged from the comp, and the adapter to check all was right and tight, checked the adapter with a multimeter, it reads 19.44 volts input requires 19.5v. could that little a difference matter? I've tried to hold the power button down for 20 sec while unplugged, it does nothing no lights or sounds. When I plug the power cord in there is a constant white light beside the inlet, (No orange light) if I hold the power button down for 20 sec the white light will turn off for a sec and then turn back on, will not power up, no sounds, there are no other lights visible on the comp anywhere else. The battery is built-in and not removable.. no orange light indicates the battery is not charging, right? would that prevent it from turning on while plugged in with constant power?

Hoping someone is already experienced with this problem or suggest further steps I can take to narrow down the cause to determine if it's something major or minor if it's fixable or worth fixing.
Thank you in advance for any help.!!

 

[john00ten]

I have since learned that the light should/could be orange/amber colored when plugged in to indicate charging. It remains a constant white. Could that be because the battery is 100% charged? As I did mostly use it in the same place, always plugged in.

I have also tried holding the power button down for over a minute, as suggested on a YT vid for a laptop with a built-in battery not turning on.

I have tried another HP charger with exactly the same ac/dc volt, ohms, watts specs that read 19.5V on my multimeter with the same above mentioned results.

I have also read I could try to open the laptop to remove the battery press down the power to drain the last of the internal charge then reinstall the battery .. but would like a confirmation that from my described problem that is a viable step.

Thank you in advance for any info.

 

[AlHuneke]

I wouldn't advise you to open your laptop unless you know what you are doing. A lot of machines get broken that way--particularly due to ESD. It sounds to me like a hardware problem. I would look for a reputable repair shop and let them take a look.

 

[john00ten]

Hello Thanks for responding, I do have an ESD wristband, and aware of how to avoid ESD damage. I have built serval towers but have not worked on laptops before. I'm sure I could remove and replace the fixed battery if it may be a viable solution .. I would not go attempting any chip on board fixes but plug and play I can handle. I was really hoping someone would have encountered this problem before but I've been on the HP forums and Reddit to google with no luck. Going to give it another day or two and keep searching before I seek out a shop.

 

[AlHuneke]

All right! So glad to hear that. I just see so many "I opened up my laptop and now it won't start up" posts.... I suggest you find disassembly instruction for your machine (the service manual). I've owned several HPs and was always able to find the manual somewhere on the internet. This is helpful as it is not always obvious how things come apart. Keep track of any screws that are of different length.

If is possible the charger is really bad (or the jack). Not having a power light is strange. If you can get to the connections, plug the charger into the PC and measure the voltage coming out while it is plugged in. Is it still ~19VDC?

I would then remove the main battery, external power and CMOS battery for a few minutes. Then plug everything back in and try to start it. Unlikely that this will help though. A few other things to try would be checking cables for good connection. Laptop cables are much more delicate than you are used to on desktops so use great care. There is usually a latching mechanism. Remove and swap (if you have two) the RAM cards. Otherwise just take the one out and in. Make sure the processor heatsink is snug. The thing that worries me is the sudden stop you had with an inability to restart. I suspect a component failed and that is usually beyond most folks (including me) ability to repair.

 

[john00ten]

Great I will dig in tomorrow, I am of the same belief but maybe I'll see an obvious sign. From more research I've been doing, I learned HP has a problem with Zener diodes that are used for overvoltage protection which causes a dead laptop similar to my issue but I cannot find info on if it would still have the power light on if this diode is the culprit. But I also read that even though my white led is on and constant it does not mean the AC port is not bad so I will test the voltage as you suggested and the batteries first then try to follow the current on the motherboard. I would like to know exactly what the problem is myself and if it's nothing I can fix I can then at least know what to tell the shop for an actual cost on repair.. Thanks again for the tips and info.