19 replies to this topic

[paws]

Yes, Thanks Terry... good advice.

[yaniz]

Hello,

 

I have during the weekend tried to boot with several different live cd:s and Linux distros but the laptop is behaving in the same way i. e. the fan and HD are spinning but the screen remains black. As I mentioned before it is easier to fire up the laptop after it has been running (fan and HD, only, that is) an hour or so. If I then shut it down after a an hour, it will start on the second or third attempt. Another thing I have not mentioned is that the laptop (speakers) randomely and occasionally crackles and the USB-ports stop working after the crackling sound. After a reboot they work again. One of the USB-ports is however constantly not working. Can it be a MB issue? Thank so for taking the time to help.

 

Kind regrads!

[terry1966]

definite hardware issue then and not easy to narrow down or fix in my opinion, could certainly be a mb issue.

 

afraid the only thing i could suggest now is to take it to a repair shop.

lets hope paws with his years of experience fixing laptops can offer something else that may help you narrow down and fix the problem yourself.

 

[yaniz]

Ok, I will trash the thing right away. Thanks for the attention and assistance to both of you. Take care!

[yaniz]

Hi guys,

I finally figured out what most likely ruined my laptop. In my case some of the alternating current came through the adapter and most likely damaged my laptop.

 

Is your laptop behaving odd lately like odd touchpad activity, like jumping, dancing, jigging mouse pointers, to random crashes, to freezing, hanging and lots more? In some cases laptops turn on, but nothing comes up on the screen?

Set a voltmeter to measure AC voltage. Between 1 and 100 volts or less than 200 volts is usually an appropriate setting. You will need a reliable earth or ground connection. You also have to perform this test in both directions, i.e. first using positive to earth, and then negative to earth, because sometimes it is only detectable in one direction.

Make sure your charger is plugged in and working. First place the black terminal on earth and the red terminal on the negative part of the laptop plug. Check your voltmeter. You should see 0 volts. If you see 1 volt it is a minor fault, if you see anything above that, you should seriously consider replacing the charger. Now switch the terminals around, connecting the red or positive terminal to earth, and the black to the negative part of the laptop plug coming off the charger. Again, you should see 0 volts; if you see 1 volt it is a minor fault, if you see anything above that, you should seriously consider replacing the charger.Your laptop may be working fine now, but any AC current coming through could potentially be very high amps and will most likely do damage to your motherboard or other components.

This is worth checking before it damages the components in your laptop. I have seen a lot of people on the internet having problems with laptops bahaving strange e. g. firing up but just a black screen to be seen etc.

Investing in a new adapter is cheap comparing to repair or buy a new one. It was however to late in my case. Hope you'll have more luck.

Have a wonderful summer!

Yaniz