SONY VAIO VPCEB390X/PCG-71211L laptop won't boot

mrtakoyaki

Honorable
Jan 13, 2014
2
0
10,510
Hey folks, I have a SONY VAIO VPCEB390X/PCG-71211L laptop that won't boot up correctly. It either goes through one of two scenarios.

FIRST SCENARIO:
When I press the power button, this is what happens:
1. the power LED will come on for a few seconds
2. the fan will spin up
3. It turns off after another couple seconds of it being on, with a beep as it turns off.

SECOND SCENARIO:
1. The power LED comes on for several seconds
2. It blinks on and off periodically at set intervals
3. Fan does not power on at all

Plugging in the AC adapter does not result in the charging indicator LED to light up. for both cases.

I took it apart and removed the cover, put it back together and it started working again yesterday, but it stopped working again today. I'm kinda out of ideas, what should I do?

POSSIBLE REASONS (from other posts):
DC power jack needs replacing (really hope it can be just this)
Power Adapter replacement
GPU needs heat reflow
Motherboard needs replacing
RAM module/slots malfunctioning
Overheating

NOTES/THOUGHTS:
CPU Thermal Grease is hard as rock, removing heatsink brings CPU along with it.

Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
This is my second Sony VAIO and this is also the second time I have the same symptoms as yours. The issue with my first VAIO made me purchase a new power cord - that did not fix the problem, then I purchased a replacement batter that did not fix the problem and cost me so much money. Finally, I noticed that I was able to run the laptop without the battery and that helped me continue to use the laptop until I purchased a new one.

My new one and current laptop is a VPCEB390X and just the other day it started to do the same thing. I just ordered a new power cord to check this first and I am searching for the correct replacement battery (fingers crossed this battery will be a true match for my laptop).

The first VAIO I had for over...

BluePhantom

Honorable
Nov 7, 2013
10
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10,570
A few years ago i had a VPCEB33FD that did that, when i took it apart i could never find anything wrong with it and everytime i put it back together it worked perfectly for quite a while until it forced me to repeat the process. Beyond frustrating. Curious myself to see if theres an answer to this madness
 

scottiemedic

Distinguished
Feb 10, 2010
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18,960
I'd start with removing the RAM, modem (if one), wireless and any other 'add on' cards internally or via USB and try booting. I believe you can also hold the power button for 30 seconds and Vaios have some sort of 'reset', whether it's CMOS, NVRAM or what, I don't know.
You could also try a different power brick, as the one you have might not be putting out more than a trickle so the battery gets enough juice to start the boot process but nothing else (and taking the back cover seems to temp 'cure it' could be a DC jack problem).
 

Alberta123

Honorable
Feb 7, 2014
2
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10,520
This is my second Sony VAIO and this is also the second time I have the same symptoms as yours. The issue with my first VAIO made me purchase a new power cord - that did not fix the problem, then I purchased a replacement batter that did not fix the problem and cost me so much money. Finally, I noticed that I was able to run the laptop without the battery and that helped me continue to use the laptop until I purchased a new one.

My new one and current laptop is a VPCEB390X and just the other day it started to do the same thing. I just ordered a new power cord to check this first and I am searching for the correct replacement battery (fingers crossed this battery will be a true match for my laptop).

The first VAIO I had for over five years so trying to find a replacement battery was a shot in the dark. The VPCEB390X that I have now has a better chance of me finding an appropriate compatible battery. My VPCEB390X was under a three year extended warranty and I was able to take advantage of having the entire laptop overhauled for no additional charge. The fan stopped working and I sent it in and they found a laundry list of other things that were not working and fixed them (yahoo!!! for extended warranties). I am confident in my situation (that was a deja vu for me) that the battery is the culprit.

Just wanted to share my previous experience and current experience in hopes that it helps you with your issue.
 
Solution

Alberta123

Honorable
Feb 7, 2014
2
0
10,520
Hello MrTakoyaki,

I actually got the new power cord but found my problem was dust. Yes "DUST". I have a laptop cooler that has a fan to help keep my laptop cool. What I didn't realize was the fan was actually blowing dust into the battery section of my laptop ... so when I took the battery out I didn't realize there was dust on the conduits and I put it back in and it didn't work - ... I took it back out and looked at it carefully and saw there was so much dust on the battery conduit and the laptop conduit. After carefully dusting off the battery and the internal area of the laptop battery area ... my laptop started up like normal.

I will now make sure that I dust my laptop cooler and the battery areas to ensure this does not happen again.

I could not believe that DUST had prevented my battery from working correctly.
 

RocketRover

Estimable
Jun 12, 2014
1
0
4,510
Hi, I have the same exact problem with the same exact model. I tried seeing if dusting and reapplying thermal paste to the units would work. I even thuroughly cleaned out the fan unit. Nothing. What led up to this crash was a warning sign about heating and the fan acting strangely. I am going to replace the motherboard because I have already gone through the checklist from the battery to the ram. I am going to guess my laptop overheated when the fan failed, thus, damaging my motherboard. I have read of similar problems with similar models. Let's be honest, our laptop model is a beast and generates heat. The cooling system they designed is crap. It is not appropriate for the amount of heat that's coming off the units. When I done installing my mb, I am going to mod the case because I have the time and skill to fix their design error. It reminds me of how some cars were poorly made regarding heat dissipation and where the hoses sit. The try to build a smaller car with the same power as a standard, but end up with an a design that will only work for about 2 years. Dodge, I'm looking at you! Fyi, I am a female. Just representing my female race. Peace.


 

patnoland

Estimable
Nov 23, 2014
2
0
4,510
I had this same problem. It turned out to be the second memory slot. If you have more than one memory card installed try booting with only one installed. They are interchangeable and so are the slots so try with one memory card in one slot and if that doesn't work try it in the other slot. If that doesn't work, try the same with the other card.