Windows Vista Laptop not starting up.

Mitchell769

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2013
I am working on a HP Pavilion TX 1120us for a friend.

He gave it to me and said that it has been acting up for a while and now won't start at all. It turns on and the fans start but there is no attempt at booting. Could this be the CMOS battery or something more dire?
 
.........Could this be the CMOS battery or something more dire?..............

Something more dire.

Even with a dead CMOS battery, you should still get a Bios screen.
IF it is worth the investment, take it to you friendly service shop.

You could try re-installing, IF you have the necessary media, such as Vista installation DVD that comes with the Vista operating system.
 
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Well I am a DYI guy and a friend brought this to me cause he doesn't have the money. I realize the cmos just holds the time but I thought I would ask. Do you really think that trying to re-install windows is the answer? Do you think it will boot to a disk if it doesn't try to boot at all? It doesn't even give me the option to pick a boot device. My guess is that it is a bad motherboard.
 
Remove the laptop battery and see if it will power/boot up with just the AC power. I would also pull the CMOS battery out for 2 minutes and the reinstall, this will reset the BIOS...it can't hurt to try it.
 
............. It doesn't even give me the option to pick a boot device................

Either F2 or F10 key, depending on the computer manufacturer, is to go to Bios setup and Boot menu.
You'll need to change the boot method to Boot From CD/DVD drive ( or words in that nature).
Here is the general steps to go to Bios setup.....
Insert Installation disc > restart computer > immediately and repeatedly tapping F2 ( or F10) key until you get to the Bios > use the arrow keys to select your options.......
 
@davidhk129 I don't have vista on hand but I put in the UBCD and tried to get it to boot. No such luck... At least I don't think so... It powers on and the lights come on and the fans run and it even sounds like it is reading the DVD. There is just no display.

@bassfisher6522 I tried what you suggested and no luck... Like I told davidhk129, it powers up but has no display. I even hooked up an external monitor to see if the screen just went bad and that isn't reading anything either.
 
The type of indications you are getting, to me, would seem to be of a more serious nature. If it was doing those things on a normal motherboard, I would ask if you had the CPU power cable installed. On a laptop, I might suspect the battery/power converter. Does it act the same way with just the battery and with it plugged in, with and without the battery?

If it isn't the battery/power converter, it might be the processor or some other motherboard component.

Are you getting any type of beeps during attempted boot?

Could you tell us what your friend said it was doing before it failed?
 
It acts the same no matter how i have power supplied to it. I am not getting any post beeps of any kind.
 
The only other thing I would try is to take out any and all devices installed, such as the hard drive, DVD, etc. and see if you can get any life from it.

I suppose there is still the possibility the power converter is bad, does the battery seem to charge normally?

Otherwise, it looks like a service call or someone tries to repair the system themselves. I can't think of anything else that would get you past the lights and fans situation. The processor does not seem to be starting, for whatever reason.
 
Similar to your issue, a Dell Latitude I had the pleasure of using was once attached to a second monitor and after a dozen or so uses with that second monitor, running that laptop without the second monitor wouldn't display anything.
In a low light room, without direct sunlight, I stumbled upon seeing the log-on screen, the display was lit up just enough to see the shut down button -try different angles-. After a shutdown (this is going to sound strange) holding the laptop -with lid closed- 6 inches from the floor and dropping it, (no carpet) powering up the computer and wouldn't you know it, display decided to show up.
I'm not saying for you to do this, I'm only conveying my experience with a similar issue. If you are going to drop it, you may want to make sure you faintly see the log-on screen before doing so. I had to move my head in so many different angles before my eyes adjusted to seeing the screen. That's all I got.
 
@AST - That sounds more like your back light wasn't working right or was loose. When you dropped it the power converter for the back light was jarred into place and it started working again... Not something I would have tried but I'm glad it worked for you. I did try and hook this system up to an external monitor but it just did the same thing.
 
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