Gilgethan

I've got an Asus A6Tc, with all the original configurations. The machine is almost 2 years old. It has been getting hotter and hotter in successively fewer usage time. Recently, the screen froze, I powered the pc off, and then I would turn it on, the led would turn on for like 2 seconds, and then everything would shut down again. I waited a few hours, and I managed to turn the pc on again. This repeated two or three times, until the day before yesterday, since when I've been unable use the pc again.
Any ideas, guys? I'm getting really frightened...

Rusty Torpedo

It sounds like its overheating and is too hot to turn back on.

Do you know if the fans working?

Gilgethan

Yes, the fans do turn a few times during those 2 seconds of "life". It's been like 36 hours since I last was able to turn the pc on, so it isn't hot anymore, and yet I can't use it.

Rusty Torpedo

Im out of ideas for now ill keep thinking

Gilgethan

I appreciate it. Thank you for your attention. I'm really desperate.

TriggerFinger

Check the vents and heatsink if they are covered with dust. If they are clean them using a can of compressed air. Make sure you blow out most if not all of the dust inside.

While using the laptop, make sure nothing obstructs the vents. If you have vents on the bottom side of the laptop, position the laptop in such a way that these vents are clear of anything (slightly elevate that part where the vents are located). Refrain from using the laptop in areas where these can be possibly covered (i.e. by bed sheet, table cloth, carpet, etc).

Now if you still cannot power ON the laptop, remove the battery and use AC adapter only. Try it the other way around. Also try resetting the CMOS or remove battery and AC adapter then press/hold power ON button for 30 secs. at least. Put back the battery and AC adapter and power ON as normal.

Gilgethan

I've tried every one of those things above, but to no avail. I've even got a new symptom now: the fans are dead. My heart is devastated... Is my PC doomed?

Rusty Torpedo

It sounds like a power supply problem. whats the model and make?

Gilgethan

I'm not sure.. How can I check that??

Gilgethan

ASUS A6Tc Laptop AC Adapter




Input : 100-240V

Input Frequency : 50 ~ 60Hz

Output Voltage : 19VDC

Output Current : 4.74A

Operating Environment:
In Use : 0°C ~ +40°C

Storage : -40° C ~ +85° C

Relative Humidity : 5% ~ 95%RH (non-condensing)

Safety Approvals : UL, CUL, TUV, CE, CCC, GOST-R, B Mark, NOM, NEMKO, PSB, S-Mark, S+Mark, RCM


Does this help??

TriggerFinger

Just to clarify,

When you press the power ON button, nothing comes to life (no LED light up, no noticeable activity from HDD or CD drive, fan is not spinning)?

If this is the case, I would usually start with the AC adapter. Check the AC adapter output if it is giving out the correct voltage. I would also borrow an AC adapter from a similar laptop of a friend just for testing purposes.

The next thing I would test is the battery. Assuming the adapter is dead, a good battery can still run the laptop at least for several minutes. Again I would try a good battery from a friend's laptop.

If I still do not get any power after switching it ON, I would open it up and check the power board (where the power ON switch is located).

When all else fails, I would consider a motherboard replacement.

Gilgethan

Correction: when I press the button, the LED turns on, it tries to boot (although the screen stays black) for 2 or 3 seconds, and then it crashes, turning everything off. And this happens whether with the battery or the AC adapter. Is this clearer? I'm sorry if I didn't explain myself better before. Could it still be a problem on the battery or the AC adapter??

Gilgethan

Oh, and the LED on the AC adapter turns on when it is connected to a source. Would this exclude a problem?

TriggerFinger

It seems to me that (no offense) you have not checked the AC adapter output. Nevertheless, it is good that you mentioned that you noticed that the laptop tries to boot. That means you see the LEDs light up, hear the fan spin, hear some activity from HDD and hear clicking from CD/DVD drive as if it is trying to read media. If this is so then replace all your installed RAM with a new or good/working one or test your RAM in another similar laptop.

Post back any result after testing your RAM or after replacing it with a new or good and working module.

Gilgethan

Thank you very much. I'll do that as soon as possible. In the meantime, could you just tell me if the problem is likely to have affected the hard drive? Because I have some really important data, and losing it would be disgraceful... Anyway, thanks again for your help and attention. I'll post back ASAP.


(And no, I didn't check the AC adapter output, bacause I have no way to do it. :( Nevertheless, I'll try feeding the pc with a borrowed adapter to see if it works.)

TriggerFinger

I really cannot say but symptoms that you had described point otherwise. Just to be sure, use an external enclosure for your hard drive (USB connected) and plug it on another computer. This way you can still save your files as well as test the drive if it still works.

Rusty Torpedo

or you can get a computer repairs shop to do it for you.