Re: Notebook won't power on

Thanks for the reply. You have confirmed my feelings on this matter (the
bios upgrade was something HP support insisted on and is managed entirely
through their support tool, no user intervention once you click the link.
problem was there before the bios update and was still there after). thanks
again.

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

Darren wrote:
I have a new HP pavilion Notebook (dv8120ca) running XP Home SP2. The
notebook shuts down normally with no errors but it won't always power back
on. The problem occurs about one out of every five boots. There is no
commonality between episodes (it never hibernated or went into standby before
being shutdown, the battery never died, it is plugged in when it is shutdown,
it is not plugged in when it shuts down, etc).


This is purely a hardware problem. Contact HP's warranty support and
insist upon a replacement.


There are no viruses or
spyware and never have been. There also is no non-retail software and no
games installed.


None of which could possibly affect the purely physical act of powering
up the laptop, anyway.


The bios has been upgraded .....


An improperly applied BIOS upgrade, or the installation of an incorrect
BIOS version, could, conceivably, cause the problem. If such is the
case, however, you'll still need to contact HP's technical support for
resolution.


and the power management
reinstalled yet the problem persists. HP claim it is a Windows problem.


That's simply not technically possible. If the laptop won't even turn
on, Windows certainly cannot be booted. If Windows isn't even running,
it can't very well cause any problems. Call HP again, and insist on
speaking with someone who can at least spell "PC." You may have to
firmly, but politely, insist on speaking with a supervisor and asking
him/her to escalate the call to a level of support that's competent to
issue a simple RA (Return Authorization) number.

The
problem when on battery is that the notebook is totally dead (no lights, no
fans, no signs of life). The problem when the notebook is on AC is that the
various buttons light up (all but the power button) and the notebook won't
boot. The fix is to unplug it from AC, remove the battery, plug in the AC
which then allows the notebook to boot normally. Shut it down, put the
battery back in and you are good for about another 5 boots.


This sort of behavior is typical of a faulty power supply inside the
laptop. On rare occasions a defective battery can cause similar problems.


The notebook is
less than a month old and the problem has been around almost since day one.
It has all the Windows updates. I have messed wiith the power settings and
disabled hibernation. Doesn't seem to matter. Any ideas, suggestions?
Thanks


Call HP, and insist that they honor the warranty. If HP continues to
refuse to provide the warranty service they've promised, consider
contacting the consumer protection office of your local law enforcement
agencies. They should be able to either assist, or refer you to the
proper entity. Another route is that many local broadcast media outlets
have consumer rights reporters who just love stirring things up.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? .... I know not what course others may take, but as
for me, give me liberty, or give me death! -Patrick Henry

.