Laptop - Lights are on but nobodys home

[BlayneRTFM]

Acer Aspire 9300-5024
AD Turon 64x2 Mobile 1.6GHz
GeForce Go6100
160GB HDD
1GB DDR2

I have an Acer laptop that won't start up. When you push the power button, the lights come on, the HDD and DVD-RW drives click a couple of times and after a minute or two the fan comes on. Thats it!

I get nothing on the screen. No error messages or beeps, no post whatsoever. I tried pulling all the hardware that can be removed and trying one stick of ram at a time, but I still get nothing.

I am assuming the processor is toast but have no way of testing it - no other cpu to swap it with.

Is it likely that my assumption is right? Is there anything else I can try?

Thanks in advance.

 

[wahnula]

Have you tried it with an external monitor?

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me

 

[BlayneRTFM]

Sorry wahnula, I forgot to add that I tried an external monitor and I still get nothing. I am afraid the processor or mobo is toast but would like to be sure.

 

[kmcferrin]

By those specs, it sounds like that laptop could be less than a year old. If so it's probably under warranty.

One thing that I always try when I have a flakey laptop is to shut it down, disconnect it from power, pull the battery, then try to power it up. That will completely drain any juice left in the system. Then plug it in, add the battery, and see what happens.

When it boots you say the light comes on. Does the hard disk light continue to flash like it's loading the OS, but not displaying on the screen? Or does it just sit there?

 

[BlayneRTFM]

Unfortunately the warranty expired about 30 months ago. I already tried pulling the battery, starting it up without the battery and all that. I still get nothing. The hard disk only clicks a couple of times and then stops. The HDD LED shows no activity at all.

 

[G0AOZ]

Sounds like you've tried most things... As the l.e.d.s come on it tends to suggest the PSU is ok, but try checking its output with a voltmeter.

Any history of it being dropped, loose innards (does it rattle), spilled drinks, caught in a shower of iron filings, etc?

Can you pull the RAM and test in another laptop?

ROGER - G0AOZ.