# HP Pavilion dv9000 crashes after extended non-use time



## memmons111 (Sep 17, 2007)

I have a HP Pavillion dv9000 laptop, 17" wide screen, 2 Gb RAM, running Vista Home Premium. I leave it running all the time and close the lid when I am done. The computer works fine except that after an extended time of non-use (over night) the screen stays black (not even backlit) when I open the lid. The power and all the lights are on but the disk light does not come on. The only thing I can do then is hard-boot by holding the power button down for several seconds. The computer will then boot back up and run fine. I have set all the power settings to "never" or "do nothing" when using AC power but that hasn't helped. I have called HP but their only suggestion was to turn off the computer when I was done with it. DuH. Any thoughts??


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## bhahar84 (Jan 7, 2008)

Hi memmons111!!

I'm bhahar :grin:

It seems like you're having a issue with the sleep mode. I'm afraid that HP technical support person advice might be right. It might be one of the most common issue in Vista. However, you can try to wake your laptop from sleep, and try pressing a few buttons on your keyboard for almost 10-15 seconds, see whether you can get your monitor back on. If its not, might consider wait for proper updates from microsoft then :grin:


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## memmons111 (Sep 17, 2007)

I have taken a new approach. I have changed the go to sleep setting to 30 minutes. I have confirmed that I can put the computer to sleep and wake it up by pressing the power button. I figure that if the computer is in sleep that it won't crash and when I come back to the computer a day later that it will be in sleep mode. I have since experienced the crash even before the 30 minute timer expires so now I don't know what the crash is related to. I am searching Microsoft Vista help now looking for hot fixes. No luck yet. Maybe I will manually put the computer to sleep before I shut the cover when I am done for a while.


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## BCCOMP (Jul 9, 2007)

Hi memmons111,
It is possible this unit is Overheating, causing the crash. Laptops are not like Towers in that towers have alot of fans to keep them cool. A laptop usually has only one fan, This results in poor cooling. Check the vents on this laptop and see if they are plugged. If they are use a can of compressed air to blow them out. I would also reccomend a quality cooling pad if you intend to run this laptop constantly.
Hope this helps.
Bill


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## memmons111 (Sep 17, 2007)

Thanks for the inputs. I bought a USB powered cooling pad but that didn't make any difference. As time has gone on the Computer started locking up while I was using it. With HP Service help (they have been great and anxious to help and verify the fix) I booted up and immediately started pressing F11 which took me to a screen to begin reloading Windows Vista and all the preload programs. Although this is extreme and I lost all my applications I had loaded myself, it seems to have solved the problem (at least for now). HP is calling me every week for 3 weeks to check on status.


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## bhahar84 (Jan 7, 2008)

It seems like you have done the system recovery, which returns your computer back to factory settings, right :grin:

Ok, try to use the computer, and post back if you still facing the same issue :grin:


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## memmons111 (Sep 17, 2007)

Well, I thought I had responded to Bhahar84's last post but I don't see it here. So I will respond again. I did effectively return to the Factory setting. I did this last Saturday and I haven't had any crashes (lockups) since. I have run it 24 hrs per day and no problems (knock on wood). I do notice that the computer does not go into sleep mode even though I have selected to go to sleep after 2 hrs of inactivity (except for the first time after a bootup). There may be "things" going on that effectively keeps restarting the "period of inactivity". Interesting, but so far so good on the no crashes through 6 days. HP will call me the next three Saturdays to check up on it.


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## BCCOMP (Jul 9, 2007)

HI,
I would also recommened that you use an additional cooling pad of quaility (not price). A laptop was designed for portability, not consistent use. Laptops at the most have 2 fans, as apposed to a tower that may have 4 fans or better. In other words laptops are not designed for LONG term use. If you must run a laptop for a period of time (2 of mine are none stop 24/7, but with a GOOD cooling pad), you will need additional cooling pad of some good quaility design (*not the $19.99 specials) to prevent OVERHEATING.
Thanks,
Bill


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

While researching the problem with my DV9005 laptop I stumbled on this post by memmons111. Here's what I know: I purchased an HP DV9005US model in January 2007. It performed flawlessly until last Sunday (2/24/2008). That afternoon, while it sat in screensaver mode for about 4 hours, it locked up (no hard drive activity light, no response to keyboard, ctrl-alt-delete does nothing). I had to power it down with the Power Switch held down for 5 seconds. It then booted OK. For the next five days it would freeze about twice per day at any time. Sometimes while not actively in use, sometimes while I was keying in data to my word processor. I thought it might be software since I had recently installed two conferencing pieces of software (Gtalk and Skype) and I knew they would be lurking in the machine all the time. I removed these and still had the lockup problem. I then booted my LiveCD of MEPIS Linux, which got WindowsXP completely out of the picture, and the machine still locked up. Aha! Gotta be hardware. Under WindowsXP again, I fired up the Help and Support software from the Start button and ran through the HP quick system test. It passed OK. I ran specific test against Memory, Processor, PCI-bus, and Video sections. All without any error. Then I noticed an "Advanced Test" options where you can test memory and two other things (I can't remember what and can't tell you because my machine is broken at the moment, I'm using an older Toshiba laptop to type this). I started the memory test and it got to the 13% range and the machine froze. After powering down it has now refused to power up. I see a flicker of the hard drive light (or, if I've got my MEPIS CD in the CD drive, the CD activity light will flicker for about ten seconds) but the screen stays black. Now, for the good news. HP sent me an email last December stating two things: (1) there was a "critical" update to the BIOS (brings it to level F3D, I believe) that I should flash. I did this in January without trouble. It had something to do with the fan control. These laptops run hot these days and they want to extend their life, I suppose. (2) the DV9000 series (and DV6000, also) are susceptible to a hardware failure that causes one or more of a list of 7 things to go wrong. Some of these are (a) wireless card is not recognized (b) machine won't power up and leaves blank screen (c) ... HP has agreed to extend the warranty on these machines, for this problem only, an additional year. Go to 
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...us&dlc=en&submit.y=8&submit.x=9&lang=en&cc=us for more info. Or simply work your way thru www.hp.com to find it. There is a specific match of p/n (EZ453UA in my case, for my DV9005) that tells if your machine is included in the extended service. Right now I'm awaiting a shipping box from FEDEX to send the machine to HP for repair, which they said would take about 9 days. The phone number I called was 1-866-671-7362 (6a-11p MST, Sun thru Sat). The representative I got was a girl in the Philippines, but the chat was professional. She had me reseat the memory boards and the hard drive, all to no avail. I knew this wouldn't work because I had put the original 1GB memory back in, replacing the 2GB I had installed last Thanksgiving just to see if that was the problem. What I'm trying to find out now by scrounging thru the internet is the true nature of the hardware problem. It sort of smacks like power supply to crucial (aren't they all crucial?) circuits is faulty and the ability of the processor to execute instructions is kaput. In your case I really don't think your setting of powersave options will make any difference. I had my machine freeze just 2 minutes after booting! There's a weak piece of hardware, HP knows it, and will replace it free (shipping included) if your machine is in their list.

Tim O


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## BCCOMP (Jul 9, 2007)

HI Tim,
Thanks for the reply on this. It looks like you have done alot of research that may help others. I would like to know if HP gives in and tells you what the exact problem may be.
Anyway, I do not think they will admit to it, but people with the same problems as yours may benefit from your post.
Thanks,
Bill


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

*Re: HP Pavilion dv9000 crashes (more info)*

OK, I've found some information at

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Berlind/?p=853

and

http://www.pcmech.com/article/hp-pavilion-dv6000-notebook-review/
(see post #92 by "Technical Guru")

that seem to pin down the basic trouble with my DV9005 notebook as being a control chip on the motherboard that handles the built-in WiFi. It sounds like a replacement of the motherboard is HP's solution. I feel bad for HP. I really like my machine. I've owned 4 Toshibas in the past (actually, they're all still in my house and usable: I'm using one of them right now to type this!) and have replaced two crashed hard drives (my son is rough on them, my own have never failed), a cooling fan, and the "inverter" board for an LCD display (it runs hot with high voltage). These problems have been tolerable, but this HP motherboard issue is scary. I simply hope they have figured out exactly what it is and are willing to do what is necessary to my machine to totally eliminate it. People these days rely on their machines and I'm one of them.

Tim O


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

I received my shipping materials from HP this morning and I'm sending the laptop to HP in California this afternoon via FEDEX. I did one last attempt to boot it with the battery removed and only on A/C adapter, but no success, just a blank screen.

Tim O


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## BCCOMP (Jul 9, 2007)

Hi Tim O,
I think HP should resolve this with the new MoBo. I just do not know why you, as a consumer has to put up with this (It is WELL documented).
Hopefully, HP will fix this for you (at NO charge).
Let us know how you make out!
Thanks,
Bill


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## Paperweight (Mar 4, 2008)

Exact same thing happened to my hp dv2000. After trying to bring it back out of sleep, all I got was a black screen. Called hp and they wanted me to send it to the depot. They gave me a 2-6 week time frame so I decided to take it to best buy because I needed it for school. Best buy called me back in a week and told me hp is going to buy me a new notebook because the repair would be to much(im guessing the mobo). I ended up with a Toshiba Satellite: 2.2ghz dual amd, 3gb of ram, and a ATI radeon 2400. A big upgrade from my 1gig, 1.8 amd, nvidia 6800 hp dv2000.  

thanks hp.


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## bhahar84 (Jan 7, 2008)

dv9005user said:


> I received my shipping materials from HP this morning and I'm sending the laptop to HP in California this afternoon via FEDEX. I did one last attempt to boot it with the battery removed and only on A/C adapter, but no success, just a blank screen.
> 
> Tim O


Yup, it seems like it might be an internal hardware issue. the HP will replace the part, and do a test through all the system once, to make sure it was working fine before send it back to you again :smile:

Hi Paperweight, did the HP replaced the whole unit for you?


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

*Re: My HP Pavilion dv9000 is now in Fremont, Calif*

As of 9AM today they received my DV9005. Boy, if Paperweight gets a new machine (from a competitor, at that) via HP then he's doin' great. I'm not asking for that much. But I've been buying home computers since 1983 (Commodore VIC-20, Commodore-128, IBM PS/2 Model 50, Custom-built 486/50MHz, and four Toshiba laptops (315CDS, 2515-CDS, 2805-Sxxx, 1415-S105) and *never* had any problems with motherboards. This is a first for me. I only worry that some forum comments led me to believe HP was replacing the mobo with another just like it and hoping for the best. That's not good. A little more heat sink goop on the same circuitry is not thorough enough for me. I've never believed in stressing stuff. You don't get your money's worth that way.

Tim O


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

*Repaired machine shipped*

I got an email from HP that my DV9005 has been repaired and has been sent overnight shipping yesterday. It may arrive today. I just remembered this morning that a couple months ago my machine would randomly issue a message something like "Windows has discovered new hardware and is installing a driver to manage it: WiFi card". This happened half-a-dozen times over a period of about three weeks. I was puzzled at the time but chalked it up to flaky software. Now I know this is the clincher for proving it's a hardware problem with my machine. Namely, the Broadcom WiFi chip itself or an interface chip that connects it to the system bus. This disappearance and reappearance of WiFi connectivity has been reported by many others. In my case I was never without WiFi more than a few seconds so it didn't register with me how serious the problem was. I'll report back when I examine the repaired machine.

Tim O


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## bhahar84 (Jan 7, 2008)

Ok :smile:

Try to check throughly the system after you received it, and post back how it goes then :smile:


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

*Repaired system works OK*

I got my DV9005 back from HP at 11AM this morning. Since it was cold from riding in the FEDEX truck here in western Pennsylvania, USA I let it acclimate for two hours. The Repair Receipt indicated they replaced the "system board" and the "heatsink fan" just as others have reported. Before shipping the laptop on Monday I had taken pictures of the machine through the removed cover of the user-expandable memory upgrade panel. Upon examining this same area today I could see that the Broadcom 4311 WiFi chip (on its own daughter board above the system board) had not been changed but the sockets for that daughter board and the main RAM memory were different so obviously the system board was replaced. Hey, I'm not doubting HP on that point! From what I've been able to ascertain on various forums the NVidia NF430 chip on the system board, which fortunately is easily visible under this removed cover, is what causes the trouble by overheating. I found my new system board had a Taiwan-made version of the same chip and it had a bead of bright red heat-sink paste running around its periphery. The original NF430 was made in Korea and had no visible heat-sink paste. I had not seen any melted solder spots on the old NF430 but I'm no expert in such things. Anyway, I booted up and was delighted to see my hard drive was completely intact so no data was lost (my last backup was about two weeks old). Thanks, HP! Also, there was no cosmetic damage anywhere and, in fact, they had made a slight adjustment to the two fasteners that latch the LCD cover to the keyboard when you close it so I can now open the unit without having to pry open the left-hand latch. I decided to use the "Help and Support" software from the Start menu and ran through the 2-minute system test followed by specific tests on the Processor, Video, Memory, and PCI bus. These passed without problem, just as they had before the machine died on me last Friday. I then ran the Advanced Memory test, which took 56 minutes, since this is the test that was running last Friday when the machine froze and refused to boot. It just finished that test without problem. So now I have a machine running well again, and the only question is for how long?

I remember about 20 years ago when I bought a new General Electric refrigerator expecting it to last me for decades. It quit cooling because GE had decided to "try" a rotary vane compressor in the Freon cycle. They were all failing after about three years. GE recognized the problem and replaced the compressors with standard piston types that had been in use since refrigerators were invented in the 1920s. They did this "at cost", which meant I had to pay about $200, but at least I knew this would never happen again. I still have that refrigerator to this day. I wish HP could give me some confidence about this NF430 chip. Have they arranged for a newer MIL-SPEC version of it that we can all trust? I guess it doesn't pay to worry for now.

Tim O


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## bhahar84 (Jan 7, 2008)

Well glad to hear that you get the laptop working fine again :grin:

About the "how long it would work?", I think we just have to wait and see. Try use the laptop as usual and see if there is anything wrong happen on the laptop again. Otherwise, you can be happy the laptop was working as usual again :grin:


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

Follow-up: I've run exactly 3 weeks today with my repaired DV9005 without any problems. I'm not in a "worry" mode any more. Just enjoying the machine. Time will tell.

Tim O


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## bhahar84 (Jan 7, 2008)

Glad to hear you still manage to use the computer without any problems at all until now :grin:

Hope there will be no more problem on the computer after this :grin:


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## autigerman1984 (Apr 3, 2008)

I don't want to rain on your parade, but here is my tail of woe. I am another one who leaves his notebook on 24/7 and have had trouble with the HP locking up. My 6 year old Sony Vaio has never had heat related lock up problems and it too is left on 24/7.

I got my HP dv9429us in August. I have had problems with dual monitors and the extended desktop, sound skipping, popping, etc., as well as my computer locking up. After about 6 calls to tech support they finally threw in the towel and shipped me a box so I could return it for repairs.

I shipped my computer back in February (I think) and had it back at the end of the week (shipped on Monday returned on Friday). I can't complain about the turnaround time. The repair sheet indicates a/the system board and heat sink were replaced. As soon as I got it back I had the same video and locking up problems. A month later I returned the computer back to HP. This time it took about 10 days to get my computer back. The solution this time was to replace the motherboard.

I get my computer back and the computer is still locking up (and I'm still having the video problems). I called them back and they agree to look at it a THIRD time. I have been watching the temperature with a program called Speedfan and the processor (in Power Mode) is running around 140 degrees with instances as high as 165. I use the xb3000 expansion base, so the exhaust vents aren't blocked. I have put the notebook on a cooler and the temp has dropped some but I am still having lockup problems, though not as frequently.

I got an email a couple of weeks ago from HP about the extended warranty and this just seems to confirm that there is an overheating issue. The email states to update the bios to F.3D and this changes the algorithm so the cooling fan will run all the time, even when the computer is at idle. Well, between the cooling pad and the bios update (my computer is actually on F.3E, so I'm a step beyon what the email recommends (I guess one of the returns updated the bios for me)) my computer should be running cooler but it is still locking up.

I will be returning my computer for a THIRD time in another couple of weeks (can't live without it). The last time I talked to 3rd level support they indicated that after getting my computer they would consider what options are available, so maybe they will swap my computer (AMD-based) for an Intel-based one or else buy the computer back from me.

I need this resolved soon because I have to buy my younger son a laptop and right now the HP line is not looking good.


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## autigerman1984 (Apr 3, 2008)

I don't want to rain on your parade, but here is my tail of woe. I am another one who leaves his notebook on 24/7 and have had trouble with the HP locking up. My 6 year old Sony Vaio has never had heat related lock up problems and it too is left on 24/7.

I got my HP dv9429us in August. I have had problems with dual monitors and the extended desktop, sound skipping, popping, etc., as well as my computer locking up. After about 6 calls to tech support they finally threw in the towel and shipped me a box so I could return it for repairs.

I shipped my computer back in February (I think) and had it back at the end of the week (shipped on Monday returned on Friday). I can't complain about the turnaround time. The repair sheet indicates a/the system board and heat sink were replaced. As soon as I got it back I had the same video and locking up problems. A month later I returned the computer back to HP. This time it took about 10 days to get my computer back. The solution this time was to replace the motherboard.

I get my computer back and the computer is still locking up (and I'm still having the video problems). I called them back and they agree to look at it a THIRD time. I have been watching the temperature with a program called Speedfan and the processor (in Power Mode) is running around 140 degrees with instances as high as 165. I use the xb3000 expansion base, so the exhaust vents aren't blocked. I have put the notebook on a cooler and the temp has dropped some but I am still having lockup problems, though not as frequently.

I got an email a couple of weeks ago from HP about the extended warranty and this just seems to confirm that there is an overheating issue. The email states to update the bios to F.3D and this changes the algorithm so the cooling fan will run all the time, even when the computer is at idle. Well, between the cooling pad and the bios update (my computer is actually on F.3E, so I'm a step beyon what the email recommends (I guess one of the returns updated the bios for me)) my computer should be running cooler but it is still locking up.

I will be returning my computer for a THIRD time in another couple of weeks (can't live without it). The last time I talked to 3rd level support they indicated that after getting my computer they would consider what options are available, so maybe they will swap my computer (AMD-based) for an Intel-based one or else buy the computer back from me.

I have about decided the video issues are Vista related and there is probably nothing HP can do about this. It will be up to MS to get their act together and straighen it out. How can they have it right in XP and screw it up in VISTA?

I need this resolved soon because I have to buy my younger son a laptop and right now the HP line is not looking good.


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

A couple days after I received my repaired DV9005 (still working fine, knock on wood) I was chatting with an Apple computer salesman in our local mall. He told me the nForce NF430 chip in my computer is called the "Southbridge" chip and it interfaces pretty much all the peripherals to the system bus (disk controllers, USB controllers, sound boards, WiFi circuits, etc). In Intel-based computers there is also a "Northbridge" chip that interfaces the Intel processor to the bus. In AMD systems the AMD processor has its own "Northbridge" logic built into the processor so it doesn't have a separate "Northbridge" chip. Why am I telling you this? I don't know. Just because its interesting, I suppose! However, it clearly seems to be the "Southbridge" chip (i.e. the NF430) that is overheating since that's the one with extra heat sink goop in my replaced mother board. I don't believe the temperature of the AMD processor is a problem. A couple weeks ago I was wandering through Radio Shack and found their infrared non-contact thermometer on sale for $20 (it used to be $50 and I resisted at that price) so I bought it. About a week ago I took off the cover on the bottom of my DV9005 where you add additional memory and also expose the NF430 chip. I let the machine hang over the edge of my desk about four inches so I could periodically sense the temperature of the exposed surface of this NF430 chip. It read 144 degrees after the machine had been on for an hour but not particularly stressed. I was expecting something closer to 200 degrees (or even more, if you can believe the reports of solder remelting as a problem). I haven't used any software that reads temperature sensors built into the machine. I can hardly believe the industry is building stuff so close to meltdown that these sensors are even necessary! Anyway, a malfunctioning NF430 chip, I guess, can bring the machine to a stop by locking up the bus or, at very least, disabling the I/O of any peripheral. However, as I read your post I felt that some of your problems have got to be software. I'm running XP, having purchased my machine just one week before Vista came out. When my machine was locking up not a single thread of execution would run, as evidenced by the frozen screen saver, or the lack of time advance on the system clock in the lower-right screen corner, or the total absence of hard drive activity light. The blue LEDs for playing CDs and DVDs still gave their little "chirp" but I have convinced myself that sound is emitted by hardware without a single instruction being executed anywhere. Somehow I feel the next laptop I buy will have to pass a "heat-touch" test by my fingers first! I refuse to buy one of those cool pads. That's acknowledging the poor design of these things. Hey, I just thought of a great idea, if you're "geekish". Boot up a LiveCD with Linux on it (I suggest MEPIS7.0) and see if your machine locks up or otherwise refuses to play sound smoothly. That'll get Vista out of the equation. That's what I did to convince myself my lockups (which still occured under Linux) were truly hardware related.

Best of luck.

Tim O


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

Last Monday my computer room was about 82 degrees (it faces south and gets a lot of sun) and my WiFi connection was popping up with the information "speech balloon" above the system tray saying "Wireless Network Connection 2 is now connected" a number of times. I used my infrared Radio Shack thermometer to find the NF430 chip was about 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Today my computer room is about 72 degrees but I've been getting the "Wireless Network Connection 2 is now connected" message every minute for the past ten minutes. I have a bad feeling about this. I suspect rain is about to fall on my parade. The utterly frustrating thing about this is that I haven't seen any communication from HP that indicates they know how to eliminate this foolishness. I have bought a lot of things from HP over the years (a dual-trace oscilloscope-$1000, calculator-$400, CD burner-$400, printer-$450) and never minded paying the price because I knew HP didn't sell junk. I guess Carly Fiorina (sp?) must have wreaked her havoc of "trim it down just shy of when it breaks" and now we're seeing the fruit of that thinking. All good things come to an end, as they say.


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## TriggerFinger (Jan 30, 2008)

hi dv9005user,

i think this matches your case...

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?docname=c01087277&dlc=en&lc=en&cc=us

i hope this helps.


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

Yes, it does. My machine has already been repaired based on that extended warranty. I guess I'm still paranoid about the robustness of the repair. My home WiFi runs on a Westell 327 modem/router that I have in my basement while I work on the main level of my house. My daughter sometimes complains that her Nintendo Wii has trouble getting access to the WiFi from her room on the second floor so I know the signal is not overly strong. Nevertheless, if I lose the signal momentarily while my machine is running hotter than normal it causes me to raise my eyebrows. Since I posted four days ago the dropping WiFi issue has seemingly settled down to only a few per day instead of a constant barrage.


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

Well, here it is over a month since my last post. My DV9005 is still working OK. Yes, I still get a lot of WiFi warnings about re-establishing a connection but I really think it's my weak Westell WiFi router stashed down in my basement. At no time has the device itself been lost to Windows.


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

It's been 3-1/2 months since my last report. My DV9005 has been running fine. It runs every day for about 15 hours and has gone through the summer heat. The Taiwan NF430 chip and some heat paste was the solution for me. I still get those WiFi warnings about re-establishing a connection but they don't bother me anymore. It's gotta be my weak WiFi signal. Just want you to know the HP fix has worked for my machine. Keep the faith!


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

FYI: It's been almost 2-1/2 years since my DV9005 was fixed by HP and it's running well. I even put a second hard drive in the empty bay (Western Digital 250GB SATA) this past February.


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

I have bad news. 3 days ago (4/20/2011) my DV9005 stopped working. It doesn't get beyond the Power-On-Self-Test. The blue LEDs light up for about ten seconds and the CD drive churns looking for a bootable device (it's 1st on my list) but the screen stays completely black. Then power drops out and it restarts itself again and keeps doing this. I reduced the machine to a "simple" configuration by removing the battery and both hard drives (remember I had installed a 2nd drive Feb 2010) to see if it might come alive to enter Setup at least, but it displayed the same symptoms. I would say for the past 4-5 months I had noticed significantly more heat exiting the left-rear of the unit and even my wife mentioned the sound of the fan running, which it hadn't done before. I suspect something on the motherboard has overheated. I was able, just once shortly after trouble developed, to boot my Linux Live-CD and gain access to the disk drives so I know the processor is not at fault nor the drives themselves. Who knows if this is the same "Southbridge" chip problem. This is the first (of 6) laptops we've had in our house since 1998 that has developed catastrophic circuitry failure. I'm afraid I'm going to have to give HP a failing grade on this particular model. Too much heat! Two things that I really loved about my DV9005 were the 17-inch screen and the two drive bays. I have spent two days visiting stores (Best Buy, Office Depot, Walmart, Sam's Club, Staples, Office Max) to see what my next move is. There are desktops, All-In-Ones, and laptops. I don't have much space on my desk so I'm still partial to the laptop format. As far as finding two drive bays *in the machine* I don't think anyone's making those anymore. So I'll have to use an external drive. I just learned about the eSATA port and hope it gives true bus-like hard disk controller speed and functionality. My second drive has MEPIS Linux on it (as well as a backup Windows partition for my data security) and must be bootable. BTW, Impact Computers Your Laptop Parts specialists advertises replacement motherboards for the DV9005 for $165 (U-install). Not a bad price if I wanted to repair the machine to keep as a spare. But I suspect the best thing is to simply throw it out. But gosh, only four years from this machine? Not enough!:sigh:


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## dv9005user (Mar 1, 2008)

FYI: A week ago I purchased an ASUS 17-inch machine that has two hard drive bays after doing some research and visiting my local Best Buy. The ASUS brand is ranked highly (right up with Sony, Toshiba, Apple) in reliability and I must say this new machine (G73SW-BST6) runs extremely cool. The wrist rest emits no heat that I can feel. Allright, my Radio Shack infrared thermometer reports ambient room temp at 69 degrees, the wrist rest at 73 degrees, and the keyboard at 84 degrees because of the backlit LEDs under it. The two cooling fan exhaust ports on the back register in the mid-80s. I've spent the past week wrestling with getting all my old applications running under Windows7. I'm just now trying to figure out what to do with email since Outlook Express is gone:upset:. Someone I spoke with yesterday told me there's a class action suit against HP regarding all those overheating machines with NVidia chips. I guess after getting four years out of my DV9005 I really don't care anymore. Looking to the future for now:smile:.


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