Laptop turns on but not loading.

jeanmd

HI, I'm really hoping that someone can help me.
I've had a dell computer for a three year with little problem. One day it kept freezing so I turned it off. It would turn on as far as the light would come on then nothing, I mean nothing. No matter home many times I turned it off and back on I just had a blank screen. It wasn't my monitor cause that worked o.k. so I gave it to a friend of my sons who fixes pc for a firm. He's tried all sorts including a new graphics card, but to be honest I don't know what he did, but he's is baffled by it.

Now to make things worse, I borrowed my sons laptop and it's been working fine for the 6 weeks I've had it. Exactly same has happened to that, I've tried leaving it to cool down, let the battery run out, unplugged everything and nothing. I get the blue light to say it's turned on, the power light and an orange light on the touch pad and that's it.
The only thing that was downloaded onto both computers was avest. My son downloaded it onto mine a couple of weeks before it stopped working. I renewed it on the laptop the week before that stopped working.
I am really stuck as I need to get the laptop mended and also need to get myself a new pc. so any help from here would be greatly appreciated.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem is?
I will be slow answering questions cause I'm having to used someone else's pc, but only to come onto here.

closed

On the laptop, hold down the power button for 10 seconds. If that doesn't work, power up with the battery removed and mains cable in.

MercilessKiller

Hi Jean,

Out of interest how do you use the laptop? Weird question I know but in bed? on a couch? or on a desk? I'm interested because there could be an overheating problem. If you're using it on a bed for example, the soft bed sheets can block the fan, thus all the heat stays inside the computer damaging core components such as the processor. Should the processor, RAM, graphics adapter or hard drive fail, you would see the problem of lights coming on but the computer not booting up.

Now if the power lights do come on when you press the on button, but you see absolutely nothing on the screen at all, that does suggest it is either the CPU, RAM or Graphics Adapter.

Though "Closed"'s solution seems to conflict with what you were saying, it has some truth in it as there is a known issue where laptops would have some residual charge left in which could cause the problem. Definitely give his advice a go - and hopefully you'll be one of the lucky people that get this problem resolved easily..

If not I'm afraid it's a hardware problem so I'm hoping it's still under warranty! You could send it to the dell service center though I'm not sure whether they'd look at it and tell you whats wrong before they charge you? If they wanted £100 for looking at it in the first place and it's fairly old, I'd be tempted to just go for a new one...

On the good side, they new dell home laptops are very swanky and very nice, at a great price I have one, and though you find a lot of Dell haters out here, they're a great price for the spec and I do recommend them.

Hope that helps.

jeanmd

closed wrote: »

On the laptop, hold down the power button for 10 seconds. If that doesn't work, power up with the battery removed and mains cable in.

Thanks for that, but still nothing.

MercilessKiller

In which case, it's very bad news I'm afraid

jeanmd

MercilessKiller wrote: »

Hi Jean,

Out of interest how do you use the laptop? Weird question I know but in bed? on a couch? or on a desk? I'm interested because there could be an overheating problem. If you're using it on a bed for example, the soft bed sheets can block the fan, thus all the heat stays inside the computer damaging core components such as the processor. Should the processor, RAM, graphics adapter or hard drive fail, you would see the problem of lights coming on but the computer not booting up.

Now if the power lights do come on when you press the on button, but you see absolutely nothing on the screen at all, that does suggest it is either the CPU, RAM or Graphics Adapter.

Though "Closed"'s solution seems to conflict with what you were saying, it has some truth in it as there is a known issue where laptops would have some residual charge left in which could cause the problem. Definitely give his advice a go - and hopefully you'll be one of the lucky people that get this problem resolved easily..

If not I'm afraid it's a hardware problem so I'm hoping it's still under warranty! You could send it to the dell service center though I'm not sure whether they'd look at it and tell you whats wrong before they charge you? If they wanted £100 for looking at it in the first place and it's fairly old, I'd be tempted to just go for a new one...

On the good side, they new dell home laptops are very swanky and very nice, at a great price I have one, and though you find a lot of Dell haters out here, they're a great price for the spec and I do recommend them.

Hope that helps.

Hi,
The laptop is always used at the computer table so it isn't that.I do use it a lot and used to leave it plugged in all the time.
No it's not still under warranty AND it belongs to my son and his wife. They lent me it when mine stopped working.

It just seems strange that the same thing has happened to both.

It is a HP,my pc was a Dell. My last two pc's and Dd's laptop are all Dell and they have served me well.

jeanmd

MercilessKiller wrote: »

In which case, it's very bad news I'm afraid

Oh dear,deep breaths. I have to go again Dd needs pc

MercilessKiller

It looks like you've got incredibly unlucky, but nothing more than that

It's definitely a hardware problem - it's nothing installed on the PC and it's not a virus. That is if nothing comes on the screen at all (not even the Dell logo).

Only if you have a kid throwing the PC and laptop against the wall and putting it back would it be your own fault If not, then it's a hardware issue - All electronic devices have a lifespan, and unfortunately with cheaper laptops like Dells the lifespan isn't as long as a more expensive Sony version due to components used... It's a bit riskier basically. How long have they had it now?

(I do a lot of work with computers/laptops including building etc.. so feel free to show him this post if he's worried it was something you did! I'll vouch for you! haha)

closed

If it's got an nvidia graphics chip, it could be a overheating fault, and may covered with an enhanced warranty

jeanmd

Closed and Merciless you are fantastic!!!!!!!
I've just tryed again as my son is coming to put a shed up for us today and I was going to tell him I'd killed his laptop and it worked. :j:j:j

I took out both the battery and lead and held the button down for 1 1/2 mins, then plugged the lead back in whilst stil holding the button down. The lights came on a few times, so I turned it on and off quickly and it worked.

I really can't thank you enough. :A:A

MercilessKiller

Wow! Nice one jean! Glad it worked

That issue is a bit of a killer..! Has prob cost people a LOT of money in the past..!

Grats on getting it fixed