# HP NC6120 Lock Ups



## rbtgreen58 (Sep 12, 2007)

I have about 20 HP NC6120 laptops at my company. I have 5 or 6 that have developed a problem apparently from improper carrying while open. My sales team handled from the front right corner and the whole laptop now flexes more than it should.

What happens now is that the system acts like it is completely frozen but starts working again if you flex it by lifting the front right corner. The problem continues to get worse and eventually you have to prop the corner up and then, over time, quits responding completely.

I have had these things pretty much all the way down to the motherboard while watching every component and observing how they flex and seeing if something is shorting out and/or coming loose. I have reseated all connectors and have swapped out hard drives, dvd drives and swapped out card readers from the front just to try to isolate the problem. I am short on laptops now and too short on budget to replace them now. They are only 2 years old and work fine for our business.

Anyone else have this problem and more importantly, anyone ever SOLVE this problem?

Thank you,

Robert.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

I would start by swapping out the RAM. Re-seat each stick and see if that helps.

Also, go into the BIOS and disable any of the following feature settings:

Quiet Boot
Quiet POST
Fast Boot
Fast POST
Fullscreen Logo

Enable thse setting if you see it:

Diagnostic Startup
Diagnostic POST


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## rbtgreen58 (Sep 12, 2007)

Well, I have done most of that stuff. The computer boots and runs. It just freezes when the corner is lifted. The ram and all cards are seated. The hard drive is directly under the right front corner but, I have watched that connector with the case disassembled. No break at that connection. The hard drive is fine too because I have swapped that with other laptops too.

I am running out of options.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

See if you can check if there are any shorts with the chassis and any components.


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## nc6120hater (Jan 9, 2008)

Green58, I have the same computer and I have the exact same problem where my computer freezes up and I have to flex the front right corner to get it to un-freeze. Were you able to come up with a solution or did you have to get new computers?


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## glacher (Apr 9, 2008)

I have the same lockup on my HP NC6120 I was looking on the net when i found your post and gave it a go and it unlocked my laptop did you find any for information on the problem


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## glacher (Apr 9, 2008)

I just for on a other from that there is a acelaroitor on the system board to help save the drive if you put it do to hard or drop the laptop maybe this is getting blocked and locking the disk


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## Rockn (Jul 1, 2008)

Same issues here. All of the ones that get taken out in the field have this issue and it is because of improper carrying of the laptop. The only way to fix it is to replace the motherboard and that only lasts until they start carrying them by the corners again. Guess these weren't engineered to be carried or to be semi rugged.


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## Nudnick (Jul 19, 2008)

Seems like this is definately a defect issue with the HP NC6120. A client of mine came to me with her lapton telling me it kept freezing and unfreezing. After hours of diagnostics, it appears that the only solution so far would be to replace the motherboard (an expensive resolve), and as another post says, the problem will most likely reoccur if carried by its corners. I'm wondering if a class action lawsuit against HP is in order. Any lawyers out there?


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## Nudnick (Jul 19, 2008)

see http://forums12.itrc.hp.com/service...47627+1216495416728+28353475&threadId=1010118


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## Rockn (Jul 1, 2008)

I doubt HP monitors their own forums. I have had this issue since workin in my corrent postion for the last 2 years and HP will not admit there is an issue. Since replacing motherboards on 11 of 24 laptops two of them have had to have the motherboards replaced again and one is out of warranty.

Seems like a pretty significant failure rate that HP will not own up to.


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## GigabytesIT (Sep 3, 2008)

I had 2 laptops with this problem. Both were out of warranty. I am certain I fixed the problem on both of the laptops. Here is what I did and what I think the issues may be. Please only do this if you feel comfortable taking the whole laptop apart. Reading many posts about this problem it seems to be a grounding issue. When I fixed my first one, I disassembled the entire laptop and removed the motherboard. I removed the 4 screws that held the PCMCIA slots and removed them from the mother board. I put electrical tape on the components under the PCMCIA assembly. Make sure that you don't cover the grounds around the screws. Reassemble the PCMCIA and reinstalled the system board. Put electrical tape over the components on the bottom of the touch pad. You will probably notice that you have one extra screw after installing the system board. I know where it goes, but I did not put this back in on both laptops. It belongs on the left side of the system board near the processor. When putting the screws back in the bottom of the laptop, start from the center and work to the outside. Do the corners last. I have both laptops testing now for 24hrs and no lockups. Before each would lockup after 10 minutes or less. I also put new thermal grease under the processor and other chip heat sinks. Hope this helps everyone. Again this repair is not for everyone, so please make sure someone who is very comfortable with taking laptops apart performs the work.


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## mawnet (Dec 31, 2008)

When I read the post of GigabytesIT about his fix I was very skeptical... but as I had nothing to loose, I tried it and YES IT WORKED. My laptop is back to work since two weeks now, problem solved 
I have to admit that I also implemented the trick with the penny suggested by Isioma Nnodum in the HP Business Support Forums

>>
I acctually was able to partially solve the problem. I took apart the computer and duct taped a penny right under where the Multi-Card Reader would go.
I bends the motherboard in all the right places.
<<

so I do not know which trick did the job, but as long as it works, i don't care 

Rds
Marc


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## anotherwjt (Apr 1, 2009)

NC6120 - check missing foot rubber 

I found the middle front foot missing the rubber and therefore causing the case to warp. 
This in turn warped the motherboard.
I suspect that the problem eventuated in stress on the PCMCIA dock solders making the lockup.

I too tried GigabytesIT's solution. I thought the solution would work because the action taken would make stable the PCMCIA-motherboard solders. I also tried to 'carefully' heat the joins to try and reseal any stressed ones. I placed a new foot on the front central position. 

Seems to have worked.

PS taking apart the clips of the plastic facia needs care and watch for the two hidden screws on the main top plastic cover. I missed them, and wondered why dismantling was so difficult.


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## anotherwjt (Apr 1, 2009)

I still had intermittent problems.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/images/smilies/1-sigh.gif
So I opened the laptop up again and noticed two spongy grounding blocks over the ethernet and usb ports compressed and not contacting properly under case flex.

The machine is semi-alright now but I am thinking of using a conductive gel to 
make sure of those contacts if the OS shivering returns.


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## JeffreyNYA (Apr 7, 2009)

Yep, this is most defiantly the system board and if its under warrenty be sure to have it replaced. I

probably see 4 of these a month now. The above solution from GigabytesIT may very well fix the issue and is worth a shot if its out of warranty.


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## alewho (Aug 20, 2010)

i had the same issue with two laptops, and just by placing electrical Tape on the bottom of the PCMCIA slot and some on the bottom of the mouse pad solved my issue it ran for 12 hours burning test and no problem. 
I used them regularly carring them around and no problems thanks GigabytesIT !!!!


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