Second opinion on dead laptop

[cjelec]

Hi,

A friend took her dead laptop to a IT repair person who diagnosed the problem as a faulty power adapter and quoted a figure (little high) for a replacement...

She brought it around to me today to have a second opinion. I actually had the same model of laptop lying around so I checked both power adapters in both laptops... Found that her adapter and battery works, but the laptop is completely dead.

I did notice that the bezel near the power button was raised, like it had been knocked out of place. So I'm thinking that the laptop has be hit/dropped and that the mobo may have suffered damage inside.

Would there any point in opening the laptop to see what the damage is or if there is a loose connection, something easily fixable?

What are peoples experiences in this type of problem?
Is it worth trying to fix?

Thanks for any help.

 

[G0AOZ]

It's possible that the bezel was removed to have a quick look at the mobo, and not replaced properly! Taking off this bezel is often a prelude to keyboard removal, which then sometimes offers greater access to the board and other components within the laptop. Just possible that the power button wasn't quite coming into contact with the switch...

I have to say I've had very limited success with a laptop that is completely dead. I take it you've tried removing PSU and battery, and then holding down the power-on button for 30 seconds.

Try switching on with just the PSU plugged in, no battery. You could also try removing the CD and the hard drive, memory and WiFi card, etc.

I suspect the problem might lie in the power input stage of the laptop. The power input circuitry on the motherboard incorporates components to stabilize and limit voltages and current etc, from the PSU, and also charge the battery. There are likely to be some fuses in there somewhere - they'll be discrete components but possibly very tiny, and soldered directly onto the motherboard.

Good luck!

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[paparazi]

cjelec
And....your good 'fully charged' battery produces no life in her laptop?
I agree, that the raised bezel is just a result of the examination that took place.
It is always worth stripping because you never know what you might find, hopefully something simple, there is always a chance.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.