# HP 6735s wont boot - suspected motherboard problem



## McClane

Evening all, my HP 6375s laptop has decided it won't boot. Only the fan, some flashing lights and the disc drive indicate any life (lights and drive flash/buzz on repeat), screen is blank. :-(. 

Initial research suggests a motherboard problem. Any IT bods, anyway to confirm this, or an easyish fix please? Worst comes to worst, will a 2.5" cradle allow me to rescue my hard drive? Particularly iTunes and photos. Bugger it! :wall:

Thanks. :thumb:


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## ovolo

Sounds exactly the same as when my motherboard failed on my desktop at home. I took it to a local repairer who swapped the hard drive disk drives etc etc over to a new unit and only cost £60, everything was still on the hard drive when i took it home and plugged it in. 

BUT now I also have a 1tb external hard drive with all my photos and music backed up....... just in case.


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## McClane

Thanks ovolo! :thumb: To confirm, did you get a new comp and then have your stuff swapped from your old hard drive by a tech then? I should be able to do that myself I think. Just a shame if I'll have to replace it, only two years old and working fine til yesterday. Could do without the hassle/expense. 

Extn hard drive is definitely a long overdue requirement, complacency is he word here! :wall:


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## JohnZ3MC

It could be a faulty transformer.
It could be a faulty hard drive.
It cold be a faulty motherboard.

Put a meter on the power connector and see if you get the required voltage listed on the transformer. Maybe 19.2 volts for example.


If the voltage is proper, suspect a faulty hard drive. I have a $25 adapter that takes either a Sata or IDE drive (2.5 or 3.5 inch) and converts it to a temporary external hard drive via a usb cable. 
Using something like that, you can take your hard drive and see if it'll work with another computer. If the other computer recognizes the hard drive (via a usb port) and you can transfer data to and from the old HD, you can assume it'll boot OK. If you can't read anything off the HD and get error messages, it's the culprit. I've had computers that won't boot because of a totally failed HD. 

But, it you can move data to and from your HD, then suspect a probable motherboard issue. 

A replacement motherboard is only cost effective if you can swap it out yourself with a reconditioned MB from ebay.

I just did exactly that with a 6 year old Dell 17 inch Inspiron. 

Startup circuitry on the old MB was fried. The new replacement fired up like a champ and thanks to the above mentioned adapter, I knew the HD was not the problem.

Long winded I know but the steps listed above will isolate 3 probable areas, starting with most common to least common. Good luck,
-John C.


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## ardandy

Try removing the battery and power lead.


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## McClane

Thanks John and Ardandy,

I've removed the power and battery, and pressed power for 15 seconds (a hard reset?) - but no joy. :wall:

I think (and hope ) it's the MB John, as the HPs send codes via the capslock lights etc. Mine flashed 5 times as per this guys (can be anything from 1-6 flashes): http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq/507956-replacing-hp-6735s-motherboard-cpu.html

I used to have one of those cradle adaptors, but not anymore . Will be buying one anyway to test it I guess. Or transfer if the Drive data if it is stable. The HD light does come on as part of it's flashing/DVD drive sequence - I don't know if that suggests any hope that it's fine?

The suggestion is that this would be an expensive swap out for a new MB? Given its 2 yrs old, running Vista, and gets hot and noisy (another reason for the MB to fail - heat?) - maybe a new one would on the cards. :wall:


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## EliteCarCare

If a hard reset hasn't worked I would then remove the hard disk to see if it gets past the splash screen and the BIOS whines that it can't find a bootable OS. That would indicate a hard disk failure.

Also worth tying is removing the memory module(s) from the DIMM slots and then reinstalling them. That reseats the modules and cleans some oxidation off the module pins (if there is any).

If you do find the motherboard is cooked and you need a USB cradle for your hard drive, I'm cleaning a few bits in the personal sales section, some of which are portable USB2.0 2.5" Hard Drive cradles, you can then recover your data. :thumb:

Hope this helps.

Alex


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## McClane

Thanks very much for your reply Alex. I'll certainly take my HD out tonight and see what happens. Probably wouldn't be very confident dismantling beyond that... but happy to stick it in a cradle. I'll have a look at the personal sales section.

I did stumble across a VEEEERRRYY interesting website this morning however, a UK based forum site where a whole bunch of people with the same laptop as me HP 6735s, all purchased from Ebuyer and similar in December 2008/Jan 2009 have failed in the last few months in exactly the same way, with the integrated Nvidia chip to blame under an "inherent fault"... talk of refunds , but might need an engineers report :wall:

http://www.nvidiadefect.com/ebuyer-f41.html


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## JohnZ3MC

McClane said:


> Thanks John and Ardandy,
> 
> I've removed the power and battery, and pressed power for 15 seconds (a hard reset?) - but no joy. :wall:
> 
> I think (and hope ) it's the MB John, as the HPs send codes via the capslock lights etc. Mine flashed 5 times as per this guys (can be anything from 1-6 flashes): http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-compaq/507956-replacing-hp-6735s-motherboard-cpu.html
> 
> I used to have one of those cradle adaptors, but not anymore . Will be buying one anyway to test it I guess. Or transfer if the Drive data if it is stable. The HD light does come on as part of it's flashing/DVD drive sequence - I don't know if that suggests any hope that it's fine?
> 
> The suggestion is that this would be an expensive swap out for a new MB? Given its 2 yrs old, running Vista, and gets hot and noisy (another reason for the MB to fail - heat?) - maybe a new one would on the cards. :wall:


 If a shop does the MB swap, it'll be pricey. They'll pay retail for the new MB then charge you shop time at $60 - 80 per hour. (Canadian dollars here in Canada.)

On a positive note, your laptop is a reputable brand so you could find disassembly instructions on the web (with pictures). An Ebay MB can be quite reasonable too. Swapping CPU and ram is easy. If you decide you want to do a MB swap as a final option, PM me and I'll tell you a few life saving tips.

Or, after you've tested the HD and find it's OK, just buy a new computer. Save the old one and replace the MB yourself after your cash builds up a bit. Sell it and recoup some of your outlay.

You're right, heat is a huge killer. High end laptops can't remove the heat quick enough so it builds up and quickly destroys components like the HD and/or MB. Crazy enough, lower end laptops have weaker CPUs in them and don't generate as much heat and therefore can last longer. High end gaming video cards in a laptop add to the heat also.
Anyway, your next step is to test the HD and see if it's still viable or not.
I'm thinking your laptop won't even boot enough to get into the bios to see if the HD shows up there so that won't help you in determining the status of your HD. Take it out, slap it in a caddy or some usb adapter and see if it'll show up on another computer.
-John c.


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## ardandy

I did have this in one of my schools with a HP laptop of a similar age.

Solved it with more luck than judgement.

Not sure what it was but as there was a few in school I borrowed someone elses charger and that got it working again. When I swapped back all was fine. Don't ask me what this could've been but I did read that some HP laptops with faulty (or laptop thinks it's faulty) batteries/chargers will just refuse to turn on.

If you can find another charger or battery then try that. I'd also remove the battery and charger overnight.

It could be completely different in your case though. Prob is tbh.

EDIT: Just spoken to someone at work and we've had several 6735s's do this, although they'd purchased the 3 yr warranty pack.


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## McClane

ardandy said:


> I did have this in one of my schools with a HP laptop of a similar age.
> 
> Solved it with more luck than judgement.
> 
> Not sure what it was but as there was a few in school I borrowed someone elses charger and that got it working again. When I swapped back all was fine. Don't ask me what this could've been but I did read that some HP laptops with faulty (or laptop thinks it's faulty) batteries/chargers will just refuse to turn on.
> 
> If you can find another charger or battery then try that. I'd also remove the battery and charger overnight.
> 
> It could be completely different in your case though. Prob is tbh.
> 
> EDIT: Just spoken to someone at work and we've had several 6735s's do this, although they'd purchased the 3 yr warranty pack.


Thanks ardandy, :thumb:

Indeed, there seem to have been more than a few http://www.nvidiadefect.com/ebuyer-f41.html, looks like it might be possible to get a pro-rated refund (~£240), but it requires an engineers report, and the company I got it from (E-buyer), are playing awkward buggers and were very cagey on the phone.

I asked them about it, if they recognised the fault yet, what they were going to do about it and and then gave the silence treatment... much squirming was to be felt down the phoneline . But - I have received the "as per process" e-mail informing me burden of proof lies with me to get it tested, so it begins.

Will probably get a new machine and HD caddy in the meantime, and pursue the refund as and when I can.


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## McClane

*Outcome*

Cheers all. In discussion with a few bods I know and based on the evidence of faulty components many have experienced documented on various bespoke forums. I've decided its 'd.

New lappy on order. Although wasn't hoping to have to spend out this sort of money right now 

Linky for those interested: Packard Bell Easynote TX86-GN-043 15.6inch Notebook Silver ( Intel Core i3-380, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Webcam, Windows 7 Premium ): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Thanks very much for your help everyone, its appreciated :thumb:

Will update if refunds progress.


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## ishaaq

let me know if you get a refund or ill take it off you for £


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