Old HP laptop will not boot up

Fr Tod Umptious

Hi I am messing around with an old HP laptop that will no longer boot up for me

I am wondering is there any sort of disk of diagnostic shortcut i can use to see what is going wrong

Here is what is happening
I was installing a Ubuntu version and it crashed, every since then when I boot up the laptop I get the attached splash screen and then after a few seconds the laptop reboots, and get as far as the splash screen and the whole process repeats itself, it could go on for ever if I let it.

If I press F10 to try and get to the BIOS nothing will happen, it will just reboot, if I hold down F12 button nothing will happen (well I can her the fan going full tilt) until i release the F12 button and the machine will reboot.

I have tried taking out the battery, USB keys, hoovered the fans to get the dust out of them, formatted the HDD (from another machine), all to no avail

Anyone got any though on how I could diagnose the problem further ?
I have tried Hirene's Boot Disk and a few Linux CDs but even though the hear the cd drive working noting is displayed on the screen, just the HP splash screen attached

cgarrad

Reset the bios.

Fr Tod Umptious

cgarrad wrote: »

Reset the bios.

How does one do that ?

cgarrad

Either remove the Bios battery (not the main battery) or use the jumper.

try youtube with your model number

druidhill

Is the laptop set to output display to an external monitor/projector - try toggling the Fn key or sequence of keys that controls this - not sure what that is for your laptop.

Some other points to consider:
Are you pressing the F10 key fast enough?
Have you tried to boot without the hard drive in it (could be having problems initialising some drives - did you install Ubuntu from USB stick)?

Fr Tod Umptious

druidhill wrote: »

Is the laptop set to output display to an external monitor/projector - try toggling the Fn key or sequence of keys that controls this - not sure what that is for your laptop.

Some other points to consider:
Are you pressing the F10 key fast enough?
Have you tried to boot without the hard drive in it (could be having problems initialising some drives - did you install Ubuntu from USB stick)?

Definitely pressing F10 fast enough, I even get a 'please wait' message before it reboots again.

Not sure how the external monitor would help, I am getting a splash cream that will respond to what I do, i.e. holding F12 prevents the reboot but nothing else, and F10 gives a 'please wait' message before rebooting.

I started off with a copy of xububtu 10.10 that stopped responding while upgrading to 12.10

I then tried to installs lubuntu 12.10 from a USB stick but that crashed too and eventuality I could get to the BIOS and the various Linux installs disk menus I could not get any further until I eventually ended up with the current situation.

riclad

What make and model laptop?
Try holding down the control key and repeatedly pressing F11 on boot up.

go to setup, bios set boot order,
cd = device boot 0, cd =1 ,ie boot cd drom,dvd first.1st =dvd,cdrom
hd0 = boot 3rd device
i think you can buy a recovery cd from hp.
is it dv6000 ,;look on label underneath ,laptop.
THEN try boot from cd.linux boot cd.
when you put in cd,does acess light blink,e on.
it s possible you deleted, formatted, over the hiden partition,
which contains os,image recovery install. files,bout 10 gig in size.

try another live cd,
eg dsl ,damn small linux, 130meg cdr.
or EBCD, EMERGENCY BOOT disk,
google your model.xxxx
eg dv6000 HP support uk manual

i ve always been able to boot up linux ,even if hd is dead ,on any laptop.
check bios boot order 1st device = dvd,cd

Fr Tod Umptious

cgarrad wrote: »

Either remove the Bios battery (not the main battery) or use the jumper.

try youtube with your model number

riclad wrote: »

What make and model laptop?
Try holding down the control key and repeatedly pressing F11 on boot up.

go to setup, bios set boot order,
cd = device boot 0, cd =1 ,ie boot cd drom,dvd first.1st =dvd,cdrom
hd0 = boot 3rd device
i think you can buy a recovery cd from hp.
is it dv6000 ,;look on label underneath ,laptop.
THEN try boot from cd.linux boot cd.
when you put in cd,does acess light blink,e on.
it s possible you deleted, formatted, over the hiden partition,
which contains os,image recovery install. files,bout 10 gig in size.

try another live cd,
eg dsl ,damn small linux, 130meg cdr.
or EBCD, EMERGENCY BOOT disk,
google your model.xxxx
eg dv6000 HP support uk manual

i ve always been able to boot up linux ,even if hd is dead ,on any laptop.
check bios boot order 1st device = dvd,cd

Thanks for the info folks

It's a Pavillion zd7000, and from what I have seen online it's a b**ch to get to the BIOS/COMS/RTC battery to reset it.

I'll try holding down the control key and repeatedly pressing F11 on boot up, as you suggest riclad, if I can get it back to the BIOS screen then I will try the boot it from one for my many Linux CDs

uch

Is your HDD recognized in the BIOS ?

Fr Tod Umptious

uch wrote: »

Is your HDD recognized in the BIOS ?

In the days when I could get to the BIOS it certainly was, but now I cannot even get to the BIOS

The last time I saw anything of value form the HDD was when I failed to install Lububtu 12.04 over Xubuntu 10.04

Then when I booted up I would get a few Ubuntu boot options on the screen and which every I chose resulted in a Kermel error.

Since then I formatted the HDD (using a different HP laptop)

So it's not HDD related.

PrzemoF

Try memtest86. Or external CD drive or USB pendrive with a live linux system If BIOS permits to boot it...

Too much and too early is crashing to blame software.

Fr Tod Umptious

PrzemoF wrote: »

Try memtest86. Or external CD drive or USB pendrive with a live linux system If BIOS permits to boot it...

Too much and too early is crashing to blame software.

Totally agree
This problem occurs with or without the HDD inserted.

So I believe it is a HW problem, I have plugged out as much as I could to try and get it to boot, I have even changed the slot the RAM chip went in to see if it would make any difference.

Another odd thing is is that the 'Press <F10> to enter SETUP, <F12> to boot from LAN' appears at the bottom center of the screen rather than the bottom left, which is where is usually appears if it was booting up normally.

druidhill

Perhaps the signal is set to go externally as opposed to built-in display (this is the reference to external monitor).

I'd try to boot again with the lubuntu USB stick in the same USB port, perhaps it is looking for that (with and without hard drive installed).

Interesting troubleshooting one, stick with it. I'd be trying a lot more before I tried to physically dismantle a laptop (not nice).

hearny

Is the keyboard actually working.

Try a usb one if you can to see if you can get into bios.

Once you can ge in make sure its set to boot from the cd / dvd and try to install ubuntu again.

riclad

plug in a usb keyboard, in the usb port, try f2, f10, to acess setup,
see here
download, manual, troubleshooting guide.
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DocumentIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodClassId=-1&contentType=SupportManual&prodTypeId=321957&prodSeriesId=366373


see
http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/bph08784/bph08784.pdf

try bootup,press del,or f2 ,
or remove hardrive, take off small square case cover,underneath,
take out drive, put in a cdrom ,eg livecd linux, ebcd etc.
try and boot from cd,
IT should try and boot from cdrom if no hd drive is detected.
sounds like data/ os on hd is not installed correctly,eg ubuntu,

so Laptop, stops, doesnt try to boot from cdrom.

i,ve used at least 10 laptops, never had problem acessing bios, setup mode.
can you see hd acess light blinking, after reboot.?

Fr Tod Umptious

Thanks for all the ideas folks

I have tried a few things all to no avail

I have actually videoed it as well and it's on youtube, see below

I did the following
Plugged in Lububtu USB key - no difference
Tried with boot disks (hirene, Ubuntu) - no difference
I selected all of the F keys and noticed the following
If I hit or hold down F4 or F10 I get a 'Please Wait' message (see video) and then the reboot happens, however if I hold down any of the other F keys the splash screen remains until such a time as I release the key, then the reboot happens (see video)
I suppose other keys may return similar results but I did not have time to try them

hearny

So the keyboard is working then if you are getting the Please Wait.

Did you try reseating the RAM.

See if there are 2 RAM modules and try the laptop with one stick of RAM (try with each stick on its own).

If there is only 1 see if you can borrow RAM from another machine (make sure its the same spec though.

yoyo

It looks like either overheating or something shorting something on the board? causing the reset. Overheating usually shuts down and not reset though. What I would do is crack it open (remove power & battery/bottom screws), pop out the keyboard and the power bar. Clean everything under there then replace the keyboard and powerbar. Do not put keyboard or powerbar in fully or screw back in. Plug the power cord in and see if it boots with the keyboard connected but not seated if you get me. Had strange issues with a different HP laptop and the keyboard stopped working. Fixed the issue by putting some electrical tape over the ketboard ribbon cable and connector which worked. Not saying thats the issue but worth trying.
You may need to completely dissasemble the machine to reset the cmos or even if there is too much dust/blocked vents to clean. This may be neccesary to fix the machine. It could even be a system board failure of some sort, not really too sure!

Nick

Fr Tod Umptious

hearny wrote: »

So the keyboard is working then if you are getting the Please Wait.

Did you try reseating the RAM.

See if there are 2 RAM modules and try the laptop with one stick of RAM (try with each stick on its own).

If there is only 1 see if you can borrow RAM from another machine (make sure its the same spec though.

It has two RAM modules, and I have a 512mb stick in one of them.
I have placed the 512mb in the free module but it has not made any difference.

I have two spare 256mb sticks that will fit it (not sure if the exact spec is the same though) and I will try a few combinations of those and the 512mb stick tonight

Fr Tod Umptious

yoyo wrote: »

It looks like either overheating or something shorting something on the board? causing the reset. Overheating usually shuts down and not reset though. What I would do is crack it open (remove power & battery/bottom screws), pop out the keyboard and the power bar. Clean everything under there then replace the keyboard and powerbar. Do not put keyboard or powerbar in fully or screw back in. Plug the power cord in and see if it boots with the keyboard connected but not seated if you get me. Had strange issues with a different HP laptop and the keyboard stopped working. Fixed the issue by putting some electrical tape over the ketboard ribbon cable and connector which worked. Not saying thats the issue but worth trying.
You may need to completely dissasemble the machine to reset the cmos or even if there is too much dust/blocked vents to clean. This may be neccesary to fix the machine. It could even be a system board failure of some sort, not really too sure!

Nick

Thanks for that
The idea that something was shorting was the first thing that struck me but I am not great with electrics so I was hoping it may just be a SW or simple HW issue.

The previous owner did say that it would randomly reboot because of overheating, but it was not constant like it is now.

I have vacuumed the fan and vents on it, using a Dyson no less, just to get rid of any obvious excess dust.

I'll do as you suggest with the keyboard, it at least will be some practice for getting to the COMS battery which I fear I will have to get to and reset at some stage.

Freddy Smelly

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Hi I am messing around with an old HP laptop that will no longer boot up for me

I am wondering is there any sort of disk of diagnostic shortcut i can use to see what is going wrong

Here is what is happening
I was installing a Ubuntu version and it crashed, every since then when I boot up the laptop I get the attached splash screen and then after a few seconds the laptop reboots, and get as far as the splash screen and the whole process repeats itself, it could go on for ever if I let it.

If I press F10 to try and get to the BIOS nothing will happen, it will just reboot, if I hold down F12 button nothing will happen (well I can her the fan going full tilt) until i release the F12 button and the machine will reboot.

I have tried taking out the battery, USB keys, hoovered the fans to get the dust out of them, formatted the HDD (from another machine), all to no avail

Anyone got any though on how I could diagnose the problem further ?
I have tried Hirene's Boot Disk and a few Linux CDs but even though the hear the cd drive working noting is displayed on the screen, just the HP splash screen attached

you have 3 possible faults

1. overheating - open up the laptop and clean out all the dust... carefully remove the cpu heatsink, clean it it and apply a new layer of thermal paste then reseat the heatsink

2. faulty ram - remove all but one ram module and run the memtest x86 cd downloadable here
this will test your ram for faults. if the first memory module checks out ok remove it and place the other one in and re-run the test. if either or both proove to be faulty then you will need to buy new ram for it. (Make sure if both ram modules are identical - as different modules can often have different timing settings which will cause issues)

3. incorrectly configured bios - remove the laptop battery, unplug from mains & remove the bios battery for about 15 mins then put it back in and try turning on the laptop. - also when replacing the bios battery you may need to buy a new bios battery as these do die after 10 years.

Fr Tod Umptious

Freddy Smelly wrote: »

you have 3 possible faults

1. overheating - open up the laptop and clean out all the dust... carefully remove the cpu heatsink, clean it it and apply a new layer of thermal paste then reseat the heatsink

2. faulty ram - remove all but one ram module and run the memtest x86 cd downloadable here
this will test your ram for faults. if the first memory module checks out ok remove it and place the other one in and re-run the test. if either or both proove to be faulty then you will need to buy new ram for it. (Make sure if both ram modules are identical - as different modules can often have different timing settings which will cause issues)

3. incorrectly configured bios - remove the laptop battery, unplug from mains & remove the bios battery for about 15 mins then put it back in and try turning on the laptop. - also when replacing the bios battery you may need to buy a new bios battery as these do die after 10 years.

Thanks for the info

I may try some of those things if I get a chance over the weekend

one question though, if I cannot get to the BIOs how can i test the RAM with memtest x86 cd ? i.e I cannot boot from the CD

Freddy Smelly

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Thanks for the info

I may try some of those things if I get a chance over the weekend

one question though, if I cannot get to the BIOs how can i test the RAM with memtest x86 cd ? i.e I cannot boot from the CD

do you have access to another laptop that uses the same type of ram? you could test it on that.

also the main cpu maybe partially fried..... if that is the case then it is suffering from an instruction set fault hence not being able to access the bios and therefore it needs a new cpu... what cpu is in it?

i had a similar problem with a desktop where the cpu was partially fried.... it would boot as far as the os loading stage then it would reboot... it took me ages to figure out it was the cpu.... when i popped in a new cpu the pc booted perfectly

riclad

as i said if you Open small cover ,underrneath, 3x4 inch approx, remove drive,remove screws to open cover.
IT may default, cd boot up,then reboot with linux or other boot cdrom,.
i had a faulty hd,once, when i removed it pc ,laptop booted up as normal, from cd ,or new hd unit.
or just leave it in to pc repair shop.