nickthestick01

Hi. I have a Compaq Presario 912 with Windows XP SP2. The laptop is not starting when the power button is pressed (absolutely nothing happens, no beeps, no hard drive spinning, no display, etc.). The green power LED (above the keyboard) is lit when the AC cord is plugged in. I just purchased a new battery, and when I put it in, the orange charging LED lights up for a few seconds, then turns off. The laptop doesn't boot whether the battery is in or not. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

night_shift

Try this first:

1. Remove battery.
2. Remove AC power.
3. Remove and reseat your RAM modules.
4. Replace your RAM modules.
5. Hold down your power button for 1 minute.
6. Replace your AC power (not battery) and turn on.

This is called a hard reset. If it works COOL, then replace your battery. If not then we will try something else. Good luck.

Madcatz

was it working before you bought the new battery? and at what point did it stop working? after you bought the battery and put it in for the first time?

nickthestick01

Thanks, night_shift, I'll try that tonight and let you know what happens.

The problem started before I bought the new battery.

nickthestick01

Night_shift, tried the hard reset to no avail. Still same conditions.

night_shift

When you turn on the laptop and the green light comes on, can you hear the fan starting or any other noises?

How old is the laptop?

nickthestick01

The green light indicates that the AC cord is plugged in, but the power light when you turn on the laptop does not light up, nor does the fan start or anything else happens. It's silent.

The laptop is 6.5 years old.

night_shift

Could be something as simple as your power button gone bad. The only next course of investigation is to start disassembling and checking things under the hood.

The laptop at the moment is a dead 6.5 year old plastic slab awaiting recycling. Give it to repair man who will charge a few bucks just to look and an even bigger charge to repair.

This is a bold move if you open it up, but not as daunting as it seems. You need a good methodical, logical and careful approach to this and if successful in your repair, very rewarding and may cost nothing. You will by now have gained a great sense of achievement, and will now want to repair all of your friend’s laptops.

On the flip side you might go in and totally wreck the laptop, the laptop won’t feel a thing at the moment because it is already dead. What you will get out of this scenario is a definite closure to the problem, and probably a new laptop!

If you open it we will assist as best as we can. Good luck Dude.

nickthestick01

Looks like I'll be heading under the hood. I'd rather get my hands dirty than spend money having someone look at it. I've got to track down my TORX bits first.

Any suggestions on what to look for in regards to the power button?

When I plugged in the AC cord with the battery in, the battery light remained on, but still absolutely nothing when the power button was pressed. I also tried the hard reset again, but no luck.

night_shift

With the battery light on now, leave it for a while and let the battery charge up, then see what happens.