Laptop won't boot up

[CBaca]

Just wondering if someone can help me. My HP laptop will not boot up. When I press the power button the lights come on for a second and then just go out. I have tried it with the battery installed and plugged into the wall, battery removed and plugged into the wall and with just the battery and not plugged in to the wall. It just does the same thing every time. It was working earlier today and I did a normal shutdown. The only thing new that I had done was a full backup of both hard drives last night and it was working normally after that.

Any ideas on what could have happened? I did leave the external hard drive plugged in when I shut the computer down this morning. I have a feeling this is going to mean I need a new laptop. Any ideas on anything else I can try to boot the computer?

 

[alvine]

sounds like a bad motherboard since you have tried the laptop with battery removed and plugged into the wall

 

[ziuus1]

Try this, remove the laptop hard drive and the external to see if the laptop stays on.

If it doesn't remain on. As Alvine said, you may have a bad mobo

If it remains on. one of your hard drives, the internal or external may be deffectve and is causeing a power short.

 

[CBaca]

I tried removing the internal and external drives and turned on the computer. It still won't boot. Lights stay on for a second and then go off. Looks like it is the motherboard. Good thing I backed up the hard drive last night.

 

[CBaca]

Best answer selected by CBaca.