Compaq Laptop problems

Lolla83

Hi all

For a while now my Compaq Presario CQ61 has had issues. I've had it for about 2 years.

It started with the screen freezing and going plain white, black or blue pin stripes. This was intermittent.

Then it was ok for a few weeks. Then it did the same thing again. Then it was doing it so much that each time I turned it back on it was asking if I wanted to do a system repair etc.

Nowadays it takes a good few goes to get it functioning, past the system repair screen (it just goes black now but the power is on). Sometimes it has said something about critical battery (black screen with white and blue writing directing me to the HP website).

Sometimes it will help boot up if I unplug the mains lead, then as it's loading plug it back in again (as it doesn't last long at all with no mains plugged in).

I've had a semi-techie friend take a look at it and he wiped the whole laptop and reinstalled everything. That worked for a few weeks then it went back to normal. He's given up now hence why I'm here! He explored the option of a new battery but recons I would be risking it buying a new one as they only last a couple of days!? He recons it's just knackered.

Any help would be fab, thanks in advance (I am not technical AT ALL so please bare with me)
Lauren

P.S. I am on it now but I have no idea how long it will last before it freezes again

gjchester

Lolla83 wrote: »

It started with the screen freezing and going plain white, black or blue pin stripes. This was intermittent.
Snip..

Nowadays it takes a good few goes to get it functioning, past the system repair screen (it just goes black now but the power is on).

Pinstripes sounds like a graphics issue, rather than Windows, either the LCD panel, the electronics that drive it or the video adapter subsystem has a fault.

It could be the ribbon connecter that connects the laptop to the screen has a fault, that often gives pin stripes but it could be something much more serious like the whole video board assembly, and that video board may not be repairable other than changing the entire motherboard.

Intermittent then getting worse would suggest to me a failing part possibly as it gets warm it fails.

Have you tried using it with an external monitor and not the LCD screen, that may help isolate if it's the LCD display or not. If it works with an external screen fine it's in the LCD display not the graphics board on the laptop mainboard.


The windows system repair screen is probably not too relevant, other than the prior time the laptop was in use it crashed and windows is self checking as it starts, if you could keep it up and running for a while then shut it down the laptop would probably start up OK next time.

Lolla83 wrote: »

Sometimes it has said something about critical battery (black screen with white and blue writing directing me to the HP website)..

He explored the option of a new battery but recons I would be risking it buying a new one as they only last a couple of days!? He recons it's just knackered.

Critical battery warnings pointing to vendors web sites probably means the batteries ability to hold a charge has dropped. All batteries do it and two years isn't a bad battery life if you use the laptop on battery a lot then charge it after use.

New batteries will last far more than a few days, but it sounds like the laptop has more serious issues.

Is the laptop repairable, certainly, but think about your budget, buying a replacement may be better value than repairing it. The cost of the parts and repair may be more than a new laptop.

Sorry that's probably not what you wanted to know...

Lolla83

gjchester wrote: »

Have you tried using it with an external monitor and not the LCD screen, that may help isolate if it's the LCD display or not. If it works with an external screen fine it's in the LCD display not the graphics board on the laptop mainboard.

Yes sorry I forgot to say that, we did try that and still no joy.

gjchester wrote: »

Is the laptop repairable, certainly, but think about your budget, buying a replacement may be better value than repairing it. The cost of the parts and repair may be more than a new laptop.

Sorry that's probably not what you wanted to know...

Indeed, this is what I thought - people have said to me that laptops aren't built to last and I've had a good run out of it! I would only look at buying a very basic laptop anyway (documents/internet searches) so you're right in that my budget would probably be better spent getting a new one rather than repairing this one.

Thank you very much for your reply - it's much appreciated.

Lauren

P.S. STILL on laptop and it hasn't crashed since last post (typical, it seems to know when I'm talking about it and works fine!)

Dave_C_2

Sorry I can't be much help on the display stripes, but on my CQ61 I got a series of battery warning messages and strange behaviour at power-on similar to yours.

The cure was to calibrate the battery, I used the first method here Calibrate the PC when in use:
http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c00817650

My PC is running Windows 7 and the procedure is the same.

Hope this helps, Dave

Figment

If the problem with the display is still apparent when an external monitor is connected, then the issue almost certainly lies with the graphics chip.

closed

reinstall windows again before giving up on it, or post a hijackthis log

is it getting hot, are the vents clear? what graphics chip is in it?


http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-Notebook-PC-Questions/Heating-problem-with-Compaq-CQ61/td-p/337523

2 years isn't a good run, should last much longer

Lolla83

closed wrote: »

reinstall windows again before giving up on it, or post a hijackthis log

is it getting hot, are the vents clear? what graphics chip is in it?

Windows has been reinstalled a couple of times now. Sorry what's a hijackthis log? :embarasse

No it's not hot and I've got nothing sitting by the vent, it's clear. I've no idea what graphics chip is in it I'm afraid, as I say I'm not technical at all so don't really know how to find out

closed

step 1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2436849

you mentioned it worked ok for a few weeks after a reinstall.

gjchester

Lolla83 wrote: »

Windows has been reinstalled a couple of times now. Sorry what's a hijackthis log? :embarasse

No it's not hot and I've got nothing sitting by the vent, it's clear. I've no idea what graphics chip is in it I'm afraid, as I say I'm not technical at all so don't really know how to find out

Unless the laptop has stickers on it saying Nvidia or ATI on it I'd be guessing and Intel embedded chipset. It may help to post the exact model number so we can google it.

The fact it has issues with an external monitor is pointing to a system board failure, it could be a bad windows driver, but if it's had issues after a windows re-install it's probably hardware related.

Lolla83

gjchester wrote: »

Unless the laptop has stickers on it saying Nvidia or ATI on it I'd be guessing and Intel embedded chipset. It may help to post the exact model number so we can google it.

The fact it has issues with an external monitor is pointing to a system board failure, it could be a bad windows driver, but if it's had issues after a windows re-install it's probably hardware related.

Ok, not sure which numbers are which but here goes:

The 2 stickers on the front say Vision AMD and Windows 7.
On the back -
Serial: CNF0167CWN
Product: WS669EA#ABU
Warranty: 1 year
Model: CQ61 - 440SA

Hope this helps?!
Thank you all for your help