Everytime i turn on my HP Pavilion dv4000 it will freeze without fail.
Sometimes it won't even turn on at all, the light is on to show the power is on but there is no noise (fans etc) and just a black screen. Ive tried taking the battery out, unplugging all USB sockets, trying with or without the power adaptor connected and it still happens.
Occasionally if i leave the laptop for a day, and i plug the power adaptor in, it will boot up. However i usually only get as far as getting to the desktop before it freezes (sometimes it freezes before it even finishes to boot). When it freezes the cursor freezes and nothing changes on screen untill you hold the power button down to shut it down.
I have a feeling the power source is broken, any ideas on what it could be?
thanks
Andy
I believe it's the DC Power Jack, that is causing the problems. This jack is where you plug your AC adapter into the laptop. (Power adapter)
There can be many unseen issues with the jack, or it's mounting on the motherboard, that cannot be seen from the outside of the laptop.
The jack itself, is a small rectangular object, and the inside body of this jack is made of plastic. Then there is a rectangular metal shell, that surrounds the plastic inner body.
Let me show you,
http://www.megaemarket.com/dcpojacoforh6.html
(You can click on the photo to enlarge it. It isn't the clearest example of an image, when enlarged, but gives you more of an idea of what the component structure is)
The thick round metal pin in the middle of the jack, is the Positive connection. As you can see from the rear view, the pin attaches in the middle of that plastic inner body. Also looking at this view, the
L shaped flat metal prong, that is connected to this metal pin, is soldered to the motherboard. (It looks just like the L shaped prongs on the side, but you are looking at a rear view of it, not a side view)
The metal 'frame' that surrounds the plastic inner body, connects to the round outside shell, that surrounds the thick metal pin. To help explain further, the outside part of your AC adapter plug, fits tight up against this round outside shell, that I'm trying to explain.
This shell is the Negative connection.
Looking at the back view, the two flat L shaped metal prongs sticking up, are soldered to the motherboard.
I felt this explanation would help give you a better grasp, of what I'm about to explain.
Perhaps this jack is damaged.
Perhaps the thick metal pin's attachment to the inner plastic body, has broken loose, and has now cracked the solder joint for the L shaped prong on the back. (Solder joint to motherboard)
Perhaps the outside metal frame L shaped prongs, have had their solder joints cracked.
If a solder joint is cracked, (Broken), there may be no connection, or an intermittent one.
One more item. Some laptop motherboards had a bad design. Let me explain with this crude example.
For this example, think of the laptop motherboard, as being a 1 foot square. (It isn't. It's irregular shaped)
Now along one edge, attach a 2 inch square. (It's all one piece though) In this 2 inch 'Peninsula', attach the DC Power Jack.
Sometimes this 'Peninsula' can crack, and break away from the main body of the motherboard. If it does, it can break circuit traces.
Circuit traces can be thought of as very flat, thin, copper wires.
These traces connect the power jack to a circuit, that charges the battery, and senses when the battery is fully charged. If there is a problem here, the sensor circuit will read faulty information.
It will sense that the battery is fully charged when it isn't, and also sense that there is no AC adapter plugged in, therefore it will result to using battery power. (Battery isn't charged. Power fades out quickly)
Thank you for the rating! I also wanted to come back, and help mentally
prepare you for the labor cost, IF, the DC Power Jack is the problem, or
a broken DC Power Jack motherboard 'area'.
If you can find a tech that will replace the power jack, or solder broken solder joints, you'll be doing good. I've seen advertising online, but have no knowledge of the quality. Most of the so-called 'Techs' now, are nothing more than parts changers. For a DC Power Jack, they want to replace the entire motherboard.
Granted, if the power jack motherboard area is cracked, replacement of the motherboard is needed. But to replace, or solder broken solder joints,
this is unwarranted.
Typical cost of soldering broken solder joints, ranges from $90 to $125.
Replacing the DC Power Jack? $100 to $150.
The reason the cost seems so high, is that the tech has to completely
disassemble the entire laptop, down to just the motherboard in hand.
Then solder cracked solder joints, or replace the jack.
Motherboards range from $250 on up. Labor is usually $175.
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Thanks Joe for that solution, ill have somebody check it out. Hopefully won't be too expensive to fix.
As for logging into safe mode. It froze before i had the chance to select safe mode on the menu
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