Resolved Compaq laptop crashes

I am trying to fix my father's Compaq EVO n1000v laptop and I am all out of ideas. The laptop had Windows XP Pro installed. When you booted it up it always crashed when the Windows logo appeared or very shortly after the desktop appeared. Sometimes there would be a flash of the blue screen of death or it would just shut down.

I used a self booting test CD with a lot of different tests on it. The test CD booted fine and all of the tests from various companies (hard drive, motherboard, memory, driver, etc.) passed without problems.

I deleted the main partition and reformatted the hard drive. DOS seems to run fine.

I tried reinstalling Windows XP pro and also XP home with several different disks. The installation would go through the installation of the drivers but the computer would always turn off when it reached the screen where you could select install or repair Windows.

I also tried installing Windows 98 SE. The computer would shut down near the end of this installation process.

I do not have any original disks from Compaq and they are not available from Compaq or HP.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Hi nebraska, Welcome to WindowsBBS.
Have you cleaned out the Laptop?
It sounds like an overheat problem which will cause it to shut down.
Does the Laptop seem to get very warm/hot underneath?
Can you hear a cooling fan working or feel hot air coming from the cooling vents?

Dust collection over time can cause cooling and over heating problems.
I would suggest that you try and remove the keyboard assembly as that will generally give access to carefully blow out the internals of the laptop.
Don't attempt this unless you are fully capable. Neil.

ps. Be careful using compressed air to blow out dust, as the cooling fans can spin above their normal RPM!!!

 

I agree, check where the cooling air is drawn in. Is it under the laptop? Older Compaq laptops I have worked on draw air from underneath. You put it on your lap or down on the carpet and it starts sucking up dust.

Your cooling system might be blocked.

I have blown air back through the cooling exhaust, but I stopped the fans from spinning (in reverse).

Matt

 

It does not appear dirty

I do not know how to remove the keyboard on this model of laptop. However, I did open all of the hatches and looked in the vents and I did not see any sign of dirt or dust bunnies.

The fan starts running very shortly after start up and continues to run until it crashes. I can not tell if the fan stopping is a cause or effect.

One other item of information. The battery is completely dead and so the computer is running only on AC. Is a battery (even a partially working one) necessary to maintain a stable power supply? I am wondering if the AC is slightly unstable if that could be shutting the computer down. My Dad does not want to buy a battery if there is something else that might be wrong with the computer.

 

If your fan starts running very soon after start - I would definitely suspect dust being a cause of overheating.
I have a Compaq Presario 1700 (2001 Model) and I located and Downloaded a copy of the Service Manual.
I was given the Laptop as it wasn't going and I have been able to overhaul and get it totally useable.
I completely stripped it down at least 4 or 5 times during this exercise and replaced the keyboard with a second hand unit I purchased from Singapore(B key was missing).
I upgraded RAM, renewed the HDD, renewed the battery.

On this model, there are 2 screws underneath which hold the plastic cover which has a cooling grille in it and covers the Start and 6 other buttons.
Once this cover is lifted out, the keyboard can be removed. You lift the keyboard a little at the back, and then move it towards the back (away from you) as there are a couple of flanges that locate the keyboard under the front cover.
You can then carefully lay it on the front section of the Laptop as it will still be connected to the Mother board by a ribbon tape.
This should allow you to access the cooling fan and clean it out.

Don't touch any of the components with your fingers or metal objects.
If you don't feel competent to carry out this job - it would be better to pay someone to do it.

Best of luck. Neil.

 

If you took it to a repairer, it should only be a few dollars to clean it out.

Cleaning it would rule out a heat problem.

If it restarts every time, it is probably a BSOD problem. If it just shuts down (even with a blue screen) it is probably hardware.

If overheating is not the problem, the battery would be next to check and as you suggest, a battery or a power problem starts getting into the big dollars.

Just a question...are you running with the battery in? If you start to lose hope, take the battery out and try just using the charger to run it. Sometimes this is suggested as a test in the Service Manual/Owners Manual.

Matt

 

I opened up the computer and the fan and the rest of the insides are totally free of dust. It must have been cleaned by someone before my Dad purchased it. To reach the fan I had to take off the heat sink mechanism and I noticed that the thermal paste on the CPU was almost totally gone and dried up. I cleaned the 2 surfaces and applied a drop of thermal paste. I hoped this might cure the problem if the CPU was overheating. But it did not.

If I boot to the command prompt the computer will set there fine for a very long time. If I try to go into Windows it shuts down before I reach the desktop.

 

Have you cleaned the RAM and reseated them?
I don't think it's HDD but if there is any noise from it - it may be going south.

It still sounds like something doesn't like too much heat. There may be a bad connection on the m/b and there would be a decision time out for you at that point.


How much does your Dad want to spend on a second hand comp? Neil.

 

Mattman, you gave me the hint that worked. In desperation I tried running the laptop without the battery installed. Everyhting seems to be working correctly now. I reinstalled the XP pro that was on the laptop originally and it has not had a problem since. Thank you all.