My laptop has died?

pange

please help, I am totally computer ignorant and am hoping for some advice....
Was using my laptop on the internet-everything fine, I close it down, few hours later, I switch it back on, and it wont load up, Im just getting a black screen? I can hear the computer running but nothings happening....
My brother suggested the motherboard has gone????

Ive seriously not got a clue, so any advice would be great.....
(how do you replace a motherboard? is it expensive?)

Thanks for reading

Belnahua

It could just be the backlight on the screen. Try it with an external monitor first.

Hold the screen up to a bright light, can you see the images? If so, it's the backlight.

Unfortunately you'll probably need a new screen, and they're almost as much to replace as buying a new laptop.

And if you're not computer literate the repair costs for someone else to do it, or fault find would put the cost close to a new laptop anyway.

If you knew what you were doing, you could take it apart and check all the screen connections or you could buy 2nd hand bits off of ebay and replace the screen if it is that.

It's unlikely to be the motherboard, that's a cop out answer for somone who doesn't know what they're talking about, especially if they haven't inspected the machine in the first place!

S0litaire

What's the make / model of Laptop?

Is the screen totally blank and dark (no backlight?)
if the backlight is off then it might be a problem with the screen or the graphics card in the laptop (usually fixed on the motherboard)

Usually if the mobo is gone then it's "new Laptop time" since the motherboard IS the laptop.

Do you have a "recovery" disk? insert it in the laptop and reboot (but DO NOT use the recovery program) just to see if anything happens on screen (i.e. you get a menu or something).

If that works then it might be the hard drive is needing looked at. something might have corrupted it so the laptop does not see it correctly when it starts up.

pange

Thanks so much for yr advice!
My brother did hook it up to an external monitor but no joy......
and i dont have any discs to go with it as it was secondhand anyway....

Think you've basically confirmed to me what i feared..... I need a new laptop

Thanks again for yr time x

spud17

Is it an HP dv6000 series as they have had lots of problems with video cards failing.