# My Laptop Won't Turn On or Charge



## McGrai37

Last night I was using my laptop and out of nowhere my screen went black but the machine stayed powered on. I rebooted and about 15 mins later the screen went black again but this time the power turned off. I tried to turn it back on and it wouldn't respond. The charge indicator light won't respond either when I plug it in. The computer never told me the battery was running low either. I've tried plugging it in a few different outlets. Does this sound like a battery problem or something internal with the computer? The laptop is about 2 years old. 

If it sounds like a battery, I'd have no problem buying a new one and trying it. If this sounds like an internal one though I don't want to waste my money on one and would like to put that towards a new one.

Thank you.


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## bstech

Hey welcome to TSF. First of all what kind of laptop do you have? Have you tried taking the battery out and just using the charger to see if it turns on? When you hit the power button do you hear the fans spin, or is there no response?


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## McGrai37

Thanks for the response. It's a Compaq Presario V2000. I just tried it without the battery in but with the AC cord in and it didn't work. There's no sound whatsoever when I try it either way.


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## bstech

This leads to 2 likely problems. Does your AC adapter have any lights on it when you plug it in?


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## McGrai37

Nope, none on the actual power cord. Only light is the one on the front of the computer that came one when the computer was charging.


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## bstech

So when you plug in your laptop to charge the light on your laptop isnt coming on?


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## McGrai37

Right


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## bstech

This means theres rather a faulty connection on your motherboard, or your charger went dead. How long about have you had this laptop?


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## speedster123

it might be the round power port on the laptop itself.
I would like to see if that battery could charge from another source, and then put it in the laptop for a try.


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## McGrai37

I've had the laptop since Dec 05.

It never mentioned anything about being low on battery, the symbol of it being plugged in was showing.


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## bstech

> it might be the round power port on the laptop itself.
> I would like to see if that battery could charge from another source, and then put it in the laptop for a try.



Which implies a faulty connection on the motherboard.. Which can easily be fixed with a small soldering job.


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## bstech

McGrai37 said:


> I've had the laptop since Dec 05.
> 
> It never mentioned anything about being low on battery, the symbol of it being plugged in was showing.


If theres never been a problem with your computer telling you its plugged in its most likely your charger blew.


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## McGrai37

If my charger blew would it show it was charging but in reality not be?


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## bstech

Well, you said that when you plug it in now theres no lights specifying that it's charging.


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## McGrai37

Right but when it shut off last night, the icon on my (whatever the icons in the bottom right are called) showed that the computer was charging. So the shutoffs didn't appear to be because of running out of power.


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## bstech

Ok, so your charger was working when it shut off. I will investigate this problem further.


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## McGrai37

Thanks, I really appreciate your help.


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## Techwave22

I've known a few people who've had similar/exactly the same problem. actually, i just did repairs on 2 Identical Gateway mx6447 models which are known to have that same issue. I thought it was funny because the customer has twin daughters and they not only had the exact same laptops, they also had the same problem at the same exact time! 

there are a couple of things you may want to know about this:

1)when a DC Jack fails, it generally does so over time, like you said...there was a warning sign before it went, usually it works only in certain positions. this would normally be "good enough" but this constant "on/off" status causes voltage spikes and drops, possibly even "arcing" which might damage not only the motherboard but also additional components.

2)if you attempt a repair with the improper equipment ie: if you only have a store bought soldering iron, it may not be enough to complete the repair...besides the actual joints visible, there are "sandwich" joints in the motherboard itself, without appropriate care these joints will be damaged and there will not be a solid connection. these repairs arent recommended to be attempted if you are unsure. in many cases it may result in motherboard replacement...besides the added difficulty of disassembly which if your not experianced in, may result in damage to other components of course.

...ok so what now?

well there are a few different ways to fix this problem.

feel free to e-mail me or vice versa for more detailed information as to where to find a fix!:

[email protected]


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