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Opinions about Laptop issue.

B

bobbylx

Weaksauce
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
91
Alright, well I've got a really strange laptop problem that I'm looking for some opinions on.

I was given an HP Pavillion DV9410us laptop not long ago. The laptop had the known dead LCD for those models which I worked around by using an external monitor.

So, after loading up Win 7 I noticed that it's showing 512mb of RAM. The laptop actually has 2 x 512mb installed, so I assumed one of them was bad. Here's where it gets weird.

First I removed the memory and test with 1 stick at a time. The laptop would not boot with either stick by itself, no POST, no nothing. So, I put both back in and it boots fine.
Next I decide to take 2 x 1GB sticks out of my other laptop, same speed and specs, and do some testing. The laptop will not boot with 1 x 1gb or 2 x 1gb installed or any combination of 512 and 1gb.

I also have a spare 512mb stick, that is exactly like the stock RAM, same make and model. The laptop will not boot with this stick in either of the slots also.

I flashed the BIOS to the latest rev with no luck and tried some other diagnostics without success.

In the end, the ONLY way the system will boot is if BOTH ORIGINAL 512mb sticks are installed, which should be 1gb total. But again, the system only recognizes 512mb.

My thought is the motherboard is bad, and I found a replacement online if I really wanted to spend $78 on it. Just wondering if anyone else has seen an issue like this and if there is some wonderful hack to fix it.

Thanks in advance.
 
Oh what the heck. Just ordered the motherboard and will be done with it.
 
Ok, now I am really confused. Any experts please chime in here.

Here's the situation. I received the new motherboard yesterday. Took the laptop apart and put new board in, then reassembled the thing. I used the 2 x 1GB sticks of ram from my other HP, as I test before, same specs and all, just larger size.
I powered it up and it went directly into Win 7 and looked good. It started doing a driver update for the new board. I turned my back on it for a second and I heard it power down.

Now, every time I power it on, the LEDs come on for about 3 seconds then the system shutsdown. I took it all apart and started from the beginning. On my workbench, just the motherboard with CPU installed and heatsink, it will power on but no video just blinking LED. If I add RAM it will power up for about 3 seconds and shutdown. If I remove RAM and add HDD it will stay powered on, but again blinking LED, which is what I expect.
I tried different RAM, the original 512 sticks, and it still will not post. Just LED's for about 3 seconds and shutdown. No matter which sticks of RAM I put in, it will shutdown after a few seconds.

So, I am thinking I shorted the board out. I grab my original motherboard and reinstall CPU, HDD, and RAM and I get the same problem. After about 3 seconds it shuts down. If I remove the RAM, it will stay on at the blinking LED state. With both boards, it will stay at the blinking LED state as long as I let it. But as soon as I install RAM no boot. I've tried all sticks of RAM in every combination. They are all the same spec, I have 2 x 1GB and 3 x 512mb. Any of those installed in either the new or old motherboard and the system will not boot.

NOW, I take ANY of those sticks of RAM and put them back in my good working HP and it boots up perfectly. All sticks work and will boot in my daily laptop.

I hope this makes sense, because it confuses me just reading it.

Thanks.
 
My guess, the particular ram you have doesn't play nice with the board.

I had a M1530 that I was recently working on that didn't like a pair of PNY DDR2-800 RAM that worked fine on other systems. If i put them one at a time and ran memtest, they passed the test. If i pair them with another stick (1 or 2gb) they would pass the test. But when I put them in together as a pair the laptop wouldn't post
 
Hi,

did you remove the Heatsink and clean the processor and reapply silver? sounds like it might be overheating.

MnR
 
Well, didn't bother to order new RAM or anything. Just RMA-ed the new mobo and going to part this thing out. Not worth the trouble for an older laptop.
 
I'm going to guess your machine has an nvidia chipset

Did you re install the thermal pad on the gpu

Every hp dv series used a a thermal pad instead of thermal paste

I would buy a copper shim on ebay and use that instead of the thermal pad
 
Parting it out is probably for the better......those systems are pretty unreliable based on the ones that I have seen personally. Was the motherboard new or used?
 
Yeah, it's the nvidia based board, which has know video problems. Not sure what the deal was with memory, especially since the stock memory didn't work on the orignal board. I've already used the hdd and am thinking of a fun project to use the LCD on, shame to waste a 17 inch monitor.

The replacement board I got said new but i had my doubts. It looked to me like a refurb or exchange or some kind as there were scratches on it and the latch to hold the CPU in place had marks on it like it had been opened and closed a few times.
 
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