bwilliam

Hello Everyone,

I have a an hp notebook that has developed an issue with turning off right around the time the password is requested. It powers down in the same way holdiing the power key down for a few seconds would, very abrupt. Also, after a lot of trial and error, I have noticed some other things that have left me stumped. First, The battery will receive a charge while the notebook is off, and it will load and run fine for the (extremely short) duration of battery life. I realize that the battery is spent but that's not my concern. Next, the computer will only shut down unexpectedly when it is plugged in to AC power, whether its connected to the normal power supply (which i just replaced) or the serial port when using a docking station. This also happens regardless of whether or not the battery is in place at the time. Also, another strange variable is the fact that it will also load and operate without any issues while in safe mode even while it's plugged in. In addition, I've also recently cleaned the heat sink with compressed air and that seems to have solved a former issue where the fans ran full blast constantly. Any insight as to what is happening and how to fix it would be greatly appreciated.

TriggerFinger

Have you tried to run HDD diagnostics to check your hard drive? Also how about trying a different OS like linux live CD (Knoppix or Ubuntu)... with this scenario, try with and without the HDD attached.

bwilliam

Triggerfinger,

I have completed some diagnostic checks on the hard drive with no luck. I'm not familiar with linux but I'm willing to give it a try. What do you recommend I do with Linux?

TriggerFinger

Download Ubuntu or Knoppix perhaps and burn the image into a blank CD. Use that CD to boot your laptop. Try this with the HDD attached and without.

Make sure you are connected to AC. Check output of ac adapter that it is giving out the voltage as shown on its label.

Btw, what diagnostic did you run for the HDD?

Post back what you find out. Thanks.