James2008

Hi... I got a Compaq Presario 4000 pc. I got it in 2001 and it has been a great computer. Here is the problem: I was listening to music the other night and it froze up all of a sudden. Been having problems with it for along time..I pushed and held power button down for 3 or 4 seconds.. waited.. then push the power button again to turn on and the green power light is on but the "active" light wont won't blink.. And the monitor light is remaining yellow. You can hear the fan is working and the cd-rom runs as usual.. but the computer won't come on. Whats going on? Any help would be great and appreciated.
Thanks

OldGrayGary

Hi James



Try attaching an external monitor (if you have one handy, or can borrow one) & see if things display OK on that screen. Also check the "Fn" key-combinations that can switch the display from the LCD to an external monitor, or to both at the same time.

If you successfully get a display on an external monitor, but no amount of fussing with Fn keys helps produce a display on the LCD, it's possible that the inverter has failed, or the flourescent bulb (the "backlight") in the screen has failed.

Replacing an entire LCD is pricey. Replacing the bulb isn't for the non-technically inclined. Replacing the inverter is an easy repair.

See how your first tests come out - it might just be an Fn key setting is off.

Best of luck!
. . . Gary

James2008

The monitor is gettin power.. i disconnected it and the screen displayed "Please check the cable" so its not the monitor. Maybe i didnt explain it better. Sorry.. The the active light on the unit didn't come on. Its like its dead. Used to i would hold down the power button for 3 or 4 seconds and shut it down when it froze up then wait 30 seconds then turn it back on and the "active" light would blink and you could hear it loadin up and everything would be ok til it froze up again. Had to do that alot. it would freeze up alot.
Now 15 mins before i wrote this i took the whole unit to a cooler place (cause its hot in my office" and allowed it cool down for an hour in front of my a/c then i plugged it back up and now it won't do anything. No power, no fan running NO NOTHING!! Is the fan/power supply gone (dead, need to be replace)?

James2008

Update: Went to buy a power supply and the guy tested the old one and he said that the old one is fine. He said its prob the motherboard.
two questions: 1.) How do i test a motherboard (if it can be tested)?
2.) How would i transfer the data (songs, pictures and documents) from one computer to another?
Thanks.

OldGrayGary

Hi again


Sorry for the delay in replying - lots of end-of-school-year projects (PTA!).

I'd first imagined that your Presario was a laptop. If it's a desktop, it's easy enough to open up & have a look at. For a system that is experiencing no fan activity or power at all . . . there is an "out of the case" troubleshooting procedure (we use this for new builds when things won't power on, but it works for old systems just as well -- and can point to which part has failed) --- http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=12753 ---

Since your power supply tested OK (I'll assume the tech used a multimeter or supply tester), you know that the supply itself is OK. But you'll still have to check the paths the power needs -- the connections, the switches, and the proper setting (in general, for the US 115v, in Europe 230v). Another good early step will be to inspect the surface of the motherboard (looking for any evidence of burns or leaky capacitors).

If you can get the system to show evidence of getting power, you can move on to checking for Bios error beeps (or codes, should you get a display), and then on to re-connecting parts (reseating memory modules, checking the cpu heatsink/fan, fan power connectors, etc.), and then to replacing parts.

You can only test a motherboard that is functional enough to make it through the POST (Power On Self Test). If a motherboard can get through that, you could run system diagnostics from a bootable CD (the "Ultimate Boot CD" is a good tool for this -- http://www.ulimatebootcd.com --).
_______________

Regardless of whether the Presario has come to the end of it's usable days, backing up the data is a good idea. One of the easiest ways to back up a hard drive is to use an external enclosure (USB 2.0 is a common connector) and copy the data over using another PC. You could then burn the data onto CDs or DVDs for longer term, and convenient, storage. There are also USB-IDE/SATA adapters you can use, instead of using an external enclosure.
Example of an inexpensive enclosure --- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817388002
Example of an inexpensive adapter --- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812186036

If you've another desktop PC around, you can also "slave" the hard drive to the other PC by attaching it via an IDE or SATA cable -- just make sure that you don't boot from the troubled drive while it's a guest in the other PC.
______

Best of luck!
. . . Gary

James2008

UPDATE: Computer is/was working good. I got it back to the way it was prior to this problem. It wasnt working a 100% but maybe 75% would be more accurate to say. But atlease i couldplay music and surf.. The new problem is: (and i dont know whether to continue here or start a new thread, so i'll start a new thread(?)
here: http://www.techsupportforum.com/micr...ml#post1584577

jencam

I have a similar problem. I have a Compaq DeskPro Workstation AP 250 (PIII/600) that doesn't start. LEDs lighten, hard disks spinning but no video out and no sound.
The power LED blinks red with a one second period. According to the "service guide" this means "ROM error". This is the only documentation I found on the behaviour. Anyone have more info on this?

It is an old computer som I am not prepared to spend more than $10-$20 plus a few hours on it. If there is an IC I could replace (I suspect the Intel82802 Firmware Hub) I could probably do this, assuming I could get one in my hand within the price range.

Regards

OldGrayGary

Hi jencam


Sorry for the long delay in replying.

If it is a rom error, try replacing the CMOS battery ($1.50) -- it would likely need replacing by now. Then see if you make it through POST. It's a long shot, but it's an inexpensive one. Should that not work, I'd rather buy a used mainboard (if there are still any available) than fuss with rom chip trouble.

On some compaq workstations, the red blinking power light (one second or two seconds apart) can refer to a problem with the power supply. If you've got a spare power supply around, test things with a replacement ps. [There are several service manuals for the workstations, the one that mentions flashing red as a possible power supply problem is this one --- http://bizsupport.austin.hp.com/bc/d.../c01120651.pdf ---] From that manual: Power LED blinks red 1x/two or more seconds = Power supply crow bar ... Assuming that the trouble continues after a power off, an overvoltage situation exists that is triggering the power supply to shut down.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

jencam

Hi Gary

I manage din some magic way to get it up and working. I took everything apart (including the power supply), cleaned up huge amounts of dust and put everything together again. I donät really think it was the dust but maybe there was an oxidated connector somewhere. It could also be the CMOS battery that's on the border of working. I'll try change it the next time it fails.

Thanks anyway

--Jens

dai

be very carefull opening power supplies
they hold a lethal charge weeks after being disconected from the power