# Compaq Presario F500 Won't Boot - Help Please!



## bosstone75

Hello all,

I hope you can help.

I have a Compaq Presario F500 with Windows Vista Installed.
This evening I was working on the computer with a laptop fan plugged into one USB and a Jump Drive plugged into the other. I used the Remove Device to remove the jump drive and everything looked fine. I came back a bit later and the screen was black, but all of the power lights were on. I pushed the power button until the computer turned off and then pushed it again to restart it. (did I mention the battery is in and the computer is plugged in?) All that happens is all the power lights, network lights, DVD lights go on. The DVD drive makes the typical single or double click that it always makes when booting, the fan powers up for just a second, the lights stay on for a few seconds and then they flash off and try to start again. Nothing comes up on the screen.

Here's what I've tried, in about the order that I tried it...
1) Push power button and hold down F8 just after pushing
2) Push power button and tap the F8 key for some time
3) Unplugged the power cord and tried to start it (same result)
4) Took out the batter and plugged the cord back in
5) Opened up the RAM compartment and pulled out each of the RAM sticks one at a time and tried placing them in each others slots. (every combination)
6) Pulled out the hard drive and reseated it
7) Pulled out the DVD drive and tried to start
8) Tried various combinations of the above, but can't guarantee that each possibility was hit.
9) Pulled out the battery and unplugged the cord and pushed the power button for 90 seconds. Then plugged the cord back in and tried to start. 
10) Pulled out the hard drive and the battery and tried to start

All of these attempts yielded the same results. Completely blank screen (doesn't even flash), flashing or stable power lights, few DVD clicks, brief fan usage, no real sound from anything else.

For the past two weeks, the computer has locked up and the screen has gone blank about a total of 3 times requiring a restart.

What next gurus?

Thanks for your help.
9)


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## bosstone75

Additional question...

When I first got the computer, it didn't come with the original Vista disks. Instead it had me create a set of 4 restore DVDs.

If your suggestion is to use these 4 DVDs, will that end up erasing my hard drive?


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## belfasteddie

Turn it over and look for a Reset button. Some have them , some don't.


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## bosstone75

Interesting... never heard of such a thing... unfortunately, there isn't one. I did find out more about a Kingston lock slot (since I didn't know what that was I had to look it up to make sure that wasn't the reset)


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## bosstone75

Found my answer. It's broke.

I contacted HP customer support via chat and they tried to troubleshoot (for free which is nice). Near the end he said that it was a hardware problem and that it would require onsite support.

Luckily, I had done a bit of research first and found an article put out by HP explaining that this was an issue that could be expected with these computers and that they had an extended warranty for this specific issue (2 years past the typical 1 year).

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...71&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3441671

I brought this to the dude's attention and he looked into it and verified it and is currently getting me set up to send the laptop in for free and get it repaired for free. It has something to do with the integrated power supply... now... one last question. Will 3rd party RAM void this warranty?


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## MasterRoger

I have the same problem. Found this information on HP website 

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...d=ex_r2910_performics/k1971/Primary&dfmt=fy08

First session with HP online tech October 6, 2008: 
Roger St-Onge : PC boot with black screen
[An agent will be with you shortly.]
[You are now chatting with Ralph .]
Roger St-Onge : hi
Ralph : Hello Roger.
Ralph : Welcome to HP Total Care.
Ralph : Could you elaborate the issue?
Roger St-Onge : Laptop is booting with black sreen
Roger St-Onge : screen
Roger St-Onge : Are you aware of this :
Roger St-Onge : http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...d=ex_r2910_performics/k1971/Primary&dfmt=fy08
Roger St-Onge : Problem started a few weeks ago
Ralph : Let me check the weblink that you have provided.
Roger St-Onge : ok
Roger St-Onge : This week-end cd failed
Roger St-Onge : Tonight it`s not booting at all
Roger St-Onge : Went to Future shop but told me it was not on warranty anymore...Laptop is just over 1 year...I`m very disapoited..
Ralph : Alright.
Ralph : Roger, have you performed any troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue?
Roger St-Onge : What can i do?
Ralph : You may try the power drain procedure, I will provide the steps.
Roger St-Onge : ok
Ralph : Before that, Could you please provide me the Serial Number (eg: CNS34915MC) and Product Number (egS542U) of your Notebook? You may find that on a sticker attached to the underside of the Notebook.
Roger St-Onge : sn:cnf7262fk0
Roger St-Onge : pn: gl935ua ABC
Ralph : Thank you for the information.
Roger St-Onge : welcome
Ralph : Following are the steps to perform the power drain procedure, this procedure removes the static charges present on the notebook.
Ralph : 1. Disconnect the AC Adapter.
2. Remove the Battery.
3. Hold the Power button down for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Reconnect the AC adapter and reinsert the Battery.
5. Turn on the Notebook power.
Roger St-Onge : ok
Ralph : Let me know the result after performing the above steps?
Roger St-Onge : Is
Roger St-Onge : It`s doing the same....power is on with black screen
Ralph : Are the leds on the notebook glowing?
Roger St-Onge : no they are on solid
Roger St-Onge : Looks like the one for the hard drive don`t even blink...
Ralph : Alright.
Ralph : Okay, have you connected the notebook to the external monitor?
Roger St-Onge : no
Ralph : Alright, I will provide the steps to do the same.
Roger St-Onge : ok
Ralph : 1. Shutdown the system and make sure that the external monitor is turned off.
2. Connect the external monitor to the video port on the back of the unit and verify that it is connected to a power source.
3. Turn on the external monitor.
4. Turn on the system.
5. Wait until Windows is fully loaded so that the video driver can properly initialize the added device.

Ralph : NOTE: If there is no video on the monitor, hit FN+F4 or FN+F5 to try to toggle the 

video. Compare both displays and look for the symptoms on the external monitor.

Roger St-Onge : I don`t have another monitor at home
Ralph : Okay.
Ralph : Not a problem.
Ralph : Could you turn on the notebook again and tap f10 key continuosly and let me know if you could enter into the BIOS?
Roger St-Onge : ok..give me a min
Ralph : Sure, take your own time.
Roger St-Onge : sorry it`s not doing anything...lights are on...that`s it
Roger St-Onge : Their is a little blue light on over the mouse pad..like a little laptop..
Ralph : Alright.
Roger St-Onge : And it looks like it rebooting all the time
Ralph : Could you see anything on the screen when you press f10?
Roger St-Onge : no
Roger St-Onge : Power goes on and off all the time
Roger St-Onge : Looks like it`s stuck in a loop
Ralph : Roger, I suspect the issue is with the hardware of the notebook so it must be serviced, with your permission I would like to arrange a mail in repair service for your notebbok.
Roger St-Onge : Will it be under the warrant?
Roger St-Onge : ops...warranty...
Ralph : As your notebook is covered under one time enhancement service plan, it will be a free service.
Roger St-Onge : The link I`ve send you earlier...is it valid?
Ralph : Please provide the following shipping information:

* Name:
* Organization:
* Mailing Address (No P.O. Boxes):
* Apartment/Building/Mailstop:
* City:
* State/Province:
* Zip/Postal Code:
* Country:
* Phone Number (including area code):
* Pre-installed operating system:
Ralph : Yes, it is valid one.
....
Ralph : Thank you for the information.
Ralph : Let me explain the procedure of the mailin repair service:
Roger St-Onge : ok
Ralph : In this process, we would send you an empty Notebook box to your mailing address. Once you receive the box, you need to call up your local Fedex and arrange for the box pickup at your convenient time. They would pickup the Notebook from your place and send it to HP for repair. Once your Notebook gets repaired at HP, it would be returned to your mailing address.
Ralph : I recommend you to back up all the personal data and do not send any exteranl devices with the notebook including battery and the power adapter. 
Roger St-Onge : ok...
Ralph : You may use the following weblink for making the backup:
Ralph : http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6255-5160538-1.html 
Ralph : NOTE: However, this will take you to a third party site. HP does not control or administer the content published on this site.
Roger St-Onge : ok. thanks
Ralph : Roger, as soon as the case is created you will recieve an email that contains a service order number.
Roger St-Onge : ok. thanks
Ralph : You may use this for tracking the status of the notebook.
Roger St-Onge : ok
Ralph : Roger, do you have any other queries?
Roger St-Onge : No, your help is very appreciated
Roger St-Onge : Thanks a lot
Ralph : The courier service may be either fedex or ups.
Roger St-Onge : ok
Ralph : Alright.
Ralph : Thank you for contacting HP Total Care Real-Time chat support. If you need further assistance, please contact us again at: http://www.hp.com/support/chat. Chat support is available 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week.
Ralph : Have a nice time!
Ralph : Bye!
Roger St-Onge : bye





Second session with HP online tech October 14, 2008: 
Roger St-Onge : Still waiting for HP to send me box
[An agent will be with you shortly.]
[You are now chatting with Sylvia .]
Sylvia : Hello Roger.
Sylvia : Welcome to HP Total Care for US Notebooks. 
Roger St-Onge : sorry lost the previous session
Sylvia : Not a problem, please go ahead with your query.
Roger St-Onge : Was wondering when HP will send me the box for sending the laptop for repair
Roger St-Onge : This is my infosn:cnf7262fk0
pn: gl935ua ABC
Sylvia : ti1 
Sylvia : Thank you for the information provided. 
Sylvia : Letm e check for the details.
Roger St-Onge : ok...
Sylvia : Do you have the CSO number with you?
Roger St-Onge : What is a CSO number?
Sylvia : Did you set up the mail-in service through the Chat support?
Roger St-Onge : Yes
Roger St-Onge : Do want me to send you the session I had with the HP tech?
Roger St-Onge : I was chatting with Ralph
Sylvia : Not a problem, I am checking in my database.
Roger St-Onge : ok
Sylvia : Are you from Canada?
Roger St-Onge : yes
Sylvia : Thank you for your time.
Roger St-Onge : ok
Sylvia : Roger, we see that the notebook warranty has expired on 07/17/2008
Sylvia : As the notebook is out of warranty, the box was not shiopped to you.
Roger St-Onge : The problem I have is related to this:
Roger St-Onge : http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...d=ex_r2910_performics/k1971/Primary&dfmt=fy08
Roger St-Onge : This is what the tech reply to me on the first time:
Roger St-Onge : Ralph : As your notebook is covered under one time enhancement service plan, it will be a free service.
Sylvia : Roger, we see your notebook is not falling under the One Time Service Enhancement./
Sylvia : That is the reason, the mail-in box was not shipped.
Sylvia : I am really sorry, Roger.
Sylvia : I just now checked the One Time Service Enhancement is not covered by your notebook.
Roger St-Onge : A good thing I have kept my conversation with HP on the fist time..this will make a good story on the internet about HP services
Sylvia : Sorry for the wrong information provided by our previous chat technician.
Sylvia : Do you have any other queries that I can assist you with today? 
Roger St-Onge : The problems I have with my laptop is what it`s in your document and my laptop is under 24 months...
Sylvia : I do really understand your concern, Roger. We are here to help you.
Roger St-Onge : This mean HP dosen`t 
Sylvia : I wish I could arrange the service for free, but the database will not allow us.
Roger St-Onge : This is to bad that HP is posting false informaton on their website
Sylvia : In this regard, you can contact the Canadian Phone support.
Sylvia : There you can speak to the Manager directly and then check with them.
Roger St-Onge : ok...that`s fine



As you can see HP sucks and I will never buy their product again!!!
If you have a similar experience with HP do not hesite to share with the rest of the world.


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## bosstone75

That sucks, but I wouldn't stop. Clearly your laptop is covered under that deal. If you typed your p/n right gl935ua. That p/n is listed on the website and your explanation clearly matches the problems on the website. 

I'd contact a manager. Don't put up with that crap. If you get the "Your laptop is not covered" routine again, I'd give them the... "Really? What tells you it's not covered... the fact that I'm having the exact same symptoms as listed on the website or the fact that my p/n number is the exact same p/n number on the list of computers that are having this problem" routine.

Next time you talk with someone, look at the verbage on the website and describe your problem nearly word for word from the website.

"There is no video on the computer LCD panel or external monitor.
AND
The notebook turns on, power LEDs light up, but nothing is seen on the display.
"

Good luck! I just sent mine off today in the box that was mailed to me.


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## kronickz

I just talked to them today about my laptop because it was having the same issues and they had no problem sending me a box with free repairs. Sorry to hear your situation.


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## MasterRoger

Well good news, October 17, 2008..after spending 1 hour and 15 minutes on the phone, HP finally agree to send me a box and they will fix it for free....Hummmmm I`m very septic as that`s was they told me the first time...will keep you up to date on this!!!


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## floridageek

I am so glad that I found this site. I think that the greatest invention of modern times is the search function on a computer. 
I used the laptop this am and it was low on battery power. I shut down and left for the day. When I came home I plugged in and turned the laptop on.
Nothing. Some lights a little whirr and a black screen.
After reading the posts here I contacted HP and went through the steps. For an old woman I did quite well. Failed every test. Removed battery, memory and hard drive. After an hour of HP it was decided that I will be sending in the laptop for the enhanced warranty repair. 
The backing up of important files seems a little impossible considering that I cannot boot up the computer and can only hope that whatever I have on the laptop has already been automatically backed up.
I will be interested to see how the folks ahead of me here fare. 
I bought this computer in early July 2007. Last week the computer froze on me a few times. Did anyone else have this happen? 
Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.


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## floridageek

It took less than a week to send the computer in and have it repaired and back in my lap. 
Thanks to those who helped here.


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## Mike Flanigan

I just experience the "no boot-up problem". Tried memory, hd, bios batt, removed peripherals, no help. Called HP tech support for the second time and they're replacing the motherboard for free per extended 24 month warranty for this known problem. My thanks to you who posted the warrenty info. The first time I called they just said tuff, my machine is past the 1 year warranty. They didn't mention the extended period. Also, the warranty for HP starts the day the item leaves assembly, not the date of purchase. Mine expired 3 months after I bought it.


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## MasterRoger

Good news,
Receive my laptop on October 27 2008, mother board was replace, laptop is working fine now....I`m still piss at them as I should not have to fight to get it fix in the first place!!!! Also forgot to tell you guys I`ve send a letter to Head Office and they call me back, I`ve gave them my five cents.....:4-thatsba


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## vilmer

Hello people,
1st let me thank the topic starter for this topic, glad I'm not the only one with this problem.
In my case, the wireless thingy stopped 1 week after the warranty expired. No problem, I still had a wireless usb thingy laying around. Last week the notebook froze a few times for no reason, and a few days ago the circle was complete when there was nothing at the screen anymore when starting up. looking at the hdd and power led's it also reboots every 20 seconds.
I've had contact with HP through chat, Email and phone and they all told me that the extended warranty doesn't apply in my case because it was an issue for European and US models. (I bought mine in Argentina..) Repair cost would be around U$400 if I was in the US, knowing the Argentinian company culture, I'm sure it will be U$600 here :-(. Needless to say I'm very disappointed in this 1000 dollar machine that broke down in less than 1.5 year!
Btw, mine is a model F505LA.

To the ones above who had their machines repaired under extended warranty, was the serial number of your notebooks on the HP site or not?


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## jeromebpc

hi Guys!
for those of you whose problems were solved by HP, may i ask what had been the problem with the unit? i'm currenly in the Philippines although my unit was purchased in the US. I would have to know the REAL Problem if i have to have my unit fix here in the Philippines---is it the video chip? the integrated poser supply?

dont want those HP (or others) techie guys here to tinker with the unit not knowing what they should fix in the first place. your assistance will be highly appreciated. thanks so much in advance. Happy Holidays.

jerome


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## MasterRoger

vilmer said:


> Hello people,
> 1st let me thank the topic starter for this topic, glad I'm not the only one with this problem.
> In my case, the wireless thingy stopped 1 week after the warranty expired. No problem, I still had a wireless usb thingy laying around. Last week the notebook froze a few times for no reason, and a few days ago the circle was complete when there was nothing at the screen anymore when starting up. looking at the hdd and power led's it also reboots every 20 seconds.
> I've had contact with HP through chat, Email and phone and they all told me that the extended warranty doesn't apply in my case because it was an issue for European and US models. (I bought mine in Argentina..) Repair cost would be around U$400 if I was in the US, knowing the Argentinian company culture, I'm sure it will be U$600 here :-(. Needless to say I'm very disappointed in this 1000 dollar machine that broke down in less than 1.5 year!
> Btw, mine is a model F505LA.
> 
> To the ones above who had their machines repaired under extended warranty, was the serial number of your notebooks on the HP site or not?


Hi,
Only the product numbers are listed on HP website.


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## MasterRoger

jeromebpc said:


> hi Guys!
> for those of you whose problems were solved by HP, may i ask what had been the problem with the unit? i'm currenly in the Philippines although my unit was purchased in the US. I would have to know the REAL Problem if i have to have my unit fix here in the Philippines---is it the video chip? the integrated poser supply?
> 
> dont want those HP (or others) techie guys here to tinker with the unit not knowing what they should fix in the first place. your assistance will be highly appreciated. thanks so much in advance. Happy Holidays.
> 
> jerome


Hi,
I was told by HP support that the product number of these Laptops have componants issues on the mother board and they have to replace the mother board in order to solve the problem.


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## bosstone75

I had to send mine in and they fixed it for free. They said it was due to the power supply. It's back now and working fine.

My friend has the exact same computer and he hasn't had any problems with it.


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## vilmer

Okay, so I had my notebook revised by the HP techies, and the verdict is: new motherboard, costs U$D350.-. Needless to say I'm not going to pay that..
Instead I will buy another one next time I'm in the states or Europe, and it will most certainly not be a HP/Compaq. In fact I will never EVER buy anything HP/Compaq again!


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## gjpjtj

I'm having a similar problem Lights come on, a short whir from the hard drive, and then it shuts down. Nothing ever shows on the screen. The whole process only takes a second. I spoke with HP, and they say it is covered under the Limited warranty service enhancement, and they are sending me a box. Wish me luck! 

Thank you to the original poster, as I was already looking at new laptops!


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## bosstone75

Glad it worked out for you man! Once you get them to agree to a box, it's all gravy!


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## gjpjtj

Great thanks again. Just got my box today, and sending it out tommorow.:icon_bigg


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## Thea88

Hi Guys, 
I'm new to this thread but am having exactly the same problems.... 
Did any of you guys manage to salvage your hard drives? I've not yet convinced HP to come and collect my Presario F500 but when I do, I don't want them to wipe my hard drive. Is there any way I can salvage it before I send it off?

Cheers
Thea


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## bosstone75

They just had to replace the power unit. Nothing to do with the hard drive. I sent mine in and got it back working just the way it was before it broke. No need for reinstall or anything.

Of course, they tell you there's a chance you'll lose your info... just to cover their bases.

To be safe, I went to my friends house who has the same computer and exchanged hard drives and got off all my important data before hand. If that's not an option for you, get a cable that connects to your hard drive to Firewire or USB and you can just use it as an external drive to pull off all your stuff.


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## vilmer

@Thea88; the hdd used has standard SATA connections. In other words, you can connect it to the mainboard of most modern desktop computers to backup your files. Just note that after you removed the HDD from your notebook, you have to slide off the connection that is covering the SATA connections on the back. After that you will see the SATA connections.

Btw, HP did not want to repair my notebook under warranty, so I bought 2 mainboards off ebay for $ 90 each. I used one to replace mine, and sold the other one, having a free repair this way ;-). 
This is my last HP/compaq buy EVER ofcourse..


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## bosstone75

Thea88 - You jinxed me! Not 30 minutes after replying to your message, but my OS system went kaplunk! (I'm rather sure it had to do with the messing around I was doing in the registry). So now, I'm going to be needed to put my hard drive in an external enclosure to pull the data off!


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## gjpjtj

They wiped my hardrive, however they offered someone to come and back it up first. I declined, because I back up to my desktop frequently. It come back totally wiped clean, but fixed!


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## Nextwave

*F500 Return Box On Its Way*

After finding this forum about the F500, I decided to give it a shot and see if my F500 was covered by this, and it was. So after visiting the link to hp's site about free repair, (THANK YOU!!) I called them and they asked me my name, email, phone number, part number, and eventually serial number. First the tech stated that the system was out of warranty (2 years and 5 months ago I bought this). But when i quoted HP's free repair page about the F500, he asked what was wrong with the laptop. Told him all power lights are on but no LCD or video from the VGA port. He asked me to reseat the RAM stick, and then try again with the battery out. Same thing happened. Right after that he began asking me for my address to send me my return box. The tech also stated that the HDD could be removed to ensure all my data is secured, as well as to leave the battery out as well. No cables or adapters were to be included.. just the notebook. Explained that the system will be returned to me in 10 - 14 days after it arrives at HP. He apologized for any inconvenience that this may have caused. Extremely polite and provided me wth a order number as well as a service ticket number. Offered me a 1 year warranty for $119.. reduced rate. Which seemed pretty decent for additional warranty for this older system. The offer is left on file so I can call in anytime to pay for the warranty. For the first time, HP was extremely helpful, and I suggest to anyone that owns the listed models on their site to have the free repair done, get it as soon as possible. They don't hassle you, they are polite and knowledgeable. Only thing I can suggest is to call after 11PM EST, seems like they have a better work ethic or something at that time :grin: When my box arrives I will update you all on how long it took to get here, and how long it took to get back. Once again thanks to this forum my F500 will breathe life once more. Thank you!

Think free, be free. Use Linux.

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - _Albert Camus_


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## Nextwave

UPDATE: 
The return box arrived the next day at 2:30PM 
The box contained everything that was needed to nicely secure the notebook in the box, including a waybill sticker to send the laptop back as well as 2 strips of packing tape to reseal the box.

After easily packing the notebook, the waybill was stuck on the outside of the box and a sheet of paper with instructions on how to pack the notebook stated to call a 800# to arrange a pickup for free. They came to the house 4 hours after they dropped off the box to pick it up. It arrived at HP the next morning, and was shipped out at 2PM the same day. Its currently in transit and once the notebook arrives, I'll post an update. Impressed so far.


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## btc2530

I know this is an old thread, & it would appear that most people have been able to get theirs replaced by HP but I am one of the unlucky ones who's model didnt get covered in the replacement plan. So for the best part of 6 months I have had a dead or crippled lappy..................that was until yesterday!!!

What I did goes against everything I have been taught about PC's. Some people may call me stupid but I can tell you that this worked. I was looking on some other forums for a similar problem with a HP TX1000 lappy, issue was it was taking anything up to 25 times of turning the power button on until it would boot. So after hours of reading forums etc, a common theme became apparrent. The kept saying that the lappy needed to be overheated! *YES I HEAR YOU SAY, IT HAS TO BE OVERHEATED!!!!!!!!* so after following some quite simple instructions it would appear that this simple solution works for my F500 as well. U simply remove the battery and power cable. Get a hairdryer and blow it into the vents so that it warms up. Then u need to put the battery back in and try and boot. U will still get the flashing HHD light up and the fan will spin for about 3 secs. Dont switch off. Wrap it in a towel and make it warm up. After about 45 minutes remove from the towel and leave to cool completly. Then plug back in to the power socket and try and boot. Now i am being trully serious regarding this it did really work. I was totally shocked. I had been told by many PC repair guys to throw it away and get another as it would be cheaper. I have been shutting down and rebooting for the past day and a half, and so far not issues.

I'm not saying to you guys who's lappy isnt covered by HP but mine was in a cupboard not being able to be used so I gave it a shot, as I have tried everything but lobb it away. I'm saying it worked for me, why not try it if all else has failed. 

But please let me know if you have tried it and it worked or if it didnt.


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## vilmer

I found out that the problem with these notebooks, as well as the f-700 series, is that the nvidia chip gets to hot because there is a tiny space between the chip and the heat pipe. This causes the soldered connections to break.
This is repairable by removing, 're balling' and re-soldering the chip by an expensive professional. Or you can do it yourself by totally stripping the computer and heating the nvidia chip with a heatgun. You know, a kind of hairdryer that's used to remove paint from doors and stuff.
Check this site  for instructions. It's in Spanish, but you'll get the idea by looking at the pics. I have fixed 4 mainboards so far using this method. (Not a joke)..
After fixing the electronics like this, put a small copper coin with thermal paste on both sides between the chip and the heath pipe.


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## dutyfam

Ok, listen up as I had the same problem and had absoloutly no break from hp on getting in on the one time service enchantment. I simply took apart my entire laptop cmos battery and cpu fan as well as cpu, and baked it in the oven at 390 degrees for about 7 minutes, I now it sounds crazy but my boss promised me it wouldnt harm anything, you can google it and check for yourself a few others have had luck with this, aslo works on 360 rrod, basically it melts the solder and reflows it, so.....re-soldering the broken joints which give the all the lights on but no body is home problem a so far permanent solution. it will boot if you hook up a external display, but wont without it, so after trying everything and even updating my bios to the new version which keeps the fan running at low rpm's I had no luck unitl I baked my board and so far it runs just fine, i went ahead and re-moved all the tape and anything that could possibly melt, all the way down to just the board. so try it and see if you have anyluck, if your like me, you just got your money back! up! and working for ya!


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## Govie

I CANNOT believe this computer is a complete POS. After going through this thread I can see I am having the exact same problem. I have a question: is this a hard mother board to take apart? My friends Dell D600 I had to take apart becasue of bad soldering as well, and it was quite tricky to complete.


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## Govie

vilmer said:


> I found out that the problem with these notebooks, as well as the f-700 series, is that the nvidia chip gets to hot because there is a tiny space between the chip and the heat pipe. This causes the soldered connections to break.
> This is repairable by removing, 're balling' and re-soldering the chip by an expensive professional. Or you can do it yourself by totally stripping the computer and heating the nvidia chip with a heatgun. You know, a kind of hairdryer that's used to remove paint from doors and stuff.
> Check this site  for instructions. It's in Spanish, but you'll get the idea by looking at the pics. I have fixed 4 mainboards so far using this method. (Not a joke)..
> After fixing the electronics like this, put a small copper coin with thermal paste on both sides between the chip and the heath pipe.


I think that is exactly what I am looking for. Man, is there any way to get that in English?


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## bosstone75

Govie said:


> I think that is exactly what I am looking for. Man, is there any way to get that in English?


Yes... using the wonders of Google Translate, you can get pretty close.

http://translate.google.com/transla...ogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post.html&sl=es&tl=en


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## Govie

bosstone75 said:


> Yes... using the wonders of Google Translate, you can get pretty close.
> 
> http://translate.google.com/transla...ogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post.html&sl=es&tl=en


Thanks for that. Very nice translation. 

However, after going over it I don't know if overheating was my problem or if it was something else. I also don't know if I use NVIDIA in this laptop. Are NVIDIA in all these laptops? 

Absolutely the first post in this thread pretty much described what is right now going on with my Presario F500 Compaq. SHould I just completely change the motherboard or do what it said in that tutorial do you think?


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## vilmer

You could always try the solution described in that blog, doesn't cost anything except maybe a $10 heat gun. If it doesn't work, you can always go and buy another mother board. Just remember that in time, that new motherboard will probably cause the same problems..

One thing, if you use the oven or heat gun solution, it's a good idea to put some 'flux' under the nvidia GPU. Makes the solder flow better.

O yeah, the f-500 has LOTS of screws!


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## Govie

vilmer said:


> You could always try the solution described in that blog, doesn't cost anything except maybe a $10 heat gun. If it doesn't work, you can always go and buy another mother board. Just remember that in time, that new motherboard will probably cause the same problems..
> 
> One thing, if you use the oven or heat gun solution, it's a good idea to put some 'flux' under the nvidia GPU. Makes the solder flow better.
> 
> O yeah, the f-500 has LOTS of screws!



The Dell D600 I took apart had lots of screws as well. I couldn't find ONE person on Gods green earth who would solder the little friggin power supply thingy back on, at least no one under like $200. I tell them, seriously, I mean the laptop can be had for that. 
It's been sitting in a heap for a month now so I don't even know if/when I get a motherboard I will even be able to remember everything. Just say a prayer and throw up a hail Mary...
EVERY laptop I ever buy from now on I do thorough research on because they have given me nothing but grief - and I suppose I shouldn't buy used. Sheesh.


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## toreto_sz

hi, i have a presario f500 (558us) and have the same simptom and contact with hp chat room they say it must send and will repair for 300$.then i show them this link http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...71&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3441671 and they say this is been validate to september 2009.So how to find is this true and what to do.Im very disapointed.But i know whath to dont do in futchere.


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## Govie

btc2530 said:


> I know this is an old thread, & it would appear that most people have been able to get theirs replaced by HP but I am one of the unlucky ones who's model didnt get covered in the replacement plan. So for the best part of 6 months I have had a dead or crippled lappy..................that was until yesterday!!!
> 
> What I did goes against everything I have been taught about PC's. Some people may call me stupid but I can tell you that this worked. I was looking on some other forums for a similar problem with a HP TX1000 lappy, issue was it was taking anything up to 25 times of turning the power button on until it would boot. So after hours of reading forums etc, a common theme became apparrent. The kept saying that the lappy needed to be overheated! *YES I HEAR YOU SAY, IT HAS TO BE OVERHEATED!!!!!!!!* so after following some quite simple instructions it would appear that this simple solution works for my F500 as well. U simply remove the battery and power cable. Get a hairdryer and blow it into the vents so that it warms up. Then u need to put the battery back in and try and boot. U will still get the flashing HHD light up and the fan will spin for about 3 secs. Dont switch off. Wrap it in a towel and make it warm up. After about 45 minutes remove from the towel and leave to cool completly. Then plug back in to the power socket and try and boot. Now i am being trully serious regarding this it did really work. I was totally shocked. I had been told by many PC repair guys to throw it away and get another as it would be cheaper. I have been shutting down and rebooting for the past day and a half, and so far not issues.
> 
> I'm not saying to you guys who's lappy isnt covered by HP but mine was in a cupboard not being able to be used so I gave it a shot, as I have tried everything but lobb it away. I'm saying it worked for me, why not try it if all else has failed.
> 
> But please let me know if you have tried it and it worked or if it didnt.


Any idea how long to run the hairdryer into the vents? I finally have the time to get at this laptop and hope some that subscribed to this thread will still have the kindness to get my lappy working. :sigh: Fortunately for me I have this laptop I'm typing on now so I can communicate whilst trying to put this problem behind me. 

Oh yeah, about the poster above who gutted it and put the MB in the oven, I might have to resort to this as a last measure, but was hoping to do the trick with the dryer before so as to not have to deal with all the screws and broken plastic along the way. 

Again, any idea on the length I should heat with dryer?


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## kevin17m

Anyone have any luck getting HP/Compaq to make the fix after the 24 month period. I got mine as a refurbish in October, 2007, and the sticker notes a 90 warranty. But the wireless modem began acting up last year; when I took it to a shop, they just suggested getting a USB wireless device, which worked fine. The whole thing finally did the "blink on, blink off" today. I still figure it is a hardware defect that is HP's responsibility to fix, even if my machine didn't go dead until today.


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## wada

vilmer said:


> I found out that the problem with these notebooks, as well as the f-700 series, is that the nvidia chip gets to hot because there is a tiny space between the chip and the heat pipe. This causes the soldered connections to break.
> This is repairable by removing, 're balling' and re-soldering the chip by an expensive professional. Or you can do it yourself by totally stripping the computer and heating the nvidia chip with a heatgun. You know, a kind of hairdryer that's used to remove paint from doors and stuff.
> Check this site for instructions. It's in Spanish, but you'll get the idea by looking at the pics. I have fixed 4 mainboards so far using this method. (Not a joke)..
> After fixing the electronics like this, put a small copper coin with thermal paste on both sides between the chip and the heath pipe.


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## wada

Hi
Had the same problem with my wife F500
Followed the instructions There in Spanish
But try the link below it is translated for you
Had my doubt's but tried it any way and it now works Brilliant
It also cured my long term WiFi problem that stopped working 2 years ago
That now works again
Many thanks to all involved on this problem


[url]http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fghipeli.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fblog-post.html&sl=es&tl=en[/URL]


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## miniman3214

***For People Who Dont Want To Do The Work Above***

Solution 100% Working
first take out battery and power cord
then blow warm air into vents with hair dryer
put battery but not power cord in
turn on wrap in towel and leave for 45 minutes
put power cord in and open lid
OMG!
I was shocked When this worked
email : [email protected]
youtube : http://youtube.com/3214minimanhttp://youtube.com/3214miniman


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## GZ

miniman3214 said:


> ***For People Who Dont Want To Do The Work Above***
> 
> Solution 100% Working
> first take out battery and power cord
> then blow warm air into vents with hair dryer
> put battery but not power cord in
> turn on wrap in towel and leave for 45 minutes
> put power cord in and open lid
> OMG!
> I was shocked When this worked
> email : [email protected]
> youtube : http://youtube.com/3214minimanhttp://youtube.com/3214miniman


DO NOT, EVER, APPLY ELECTRICITY TO A BOARD WHILE IT IS HEATED PAST OPERATING TEMPERATURES. THIS IS A FAST AND EASY PATH TO CREATING AN IRREPARABLE BRICK. 

Many things can happen to electrical components when overheated. The least of which is electro-migration of solder contacts. Core components of the computer can be damaged beyond repair, including but not limited to;


CPU
GPU
HDD
RAM
Transistors/Capacitors/Resistors etc.
North Bridge/South Bridge/USB Controller/CMOS
PCB Traces

This is advisable under *NO* circumstances.

Thanks for listening.


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## RockingGoat

btc2530 said:


> I know this is an old thread, & it would appear that most people have been able to get theirs replaced by HP but I am one of the unlucky ones who's model didnt get covered in the replacement plan. So for the best part of 6 months I have had a dead or crippled lappy..................that was until yesterday!!!
> 
> What I did goes against everything I have been taught about PC's. Some people may call me stupid but I can tell you that this worked. I was looking on some other forums for a similar problem with a HP TX1000 lappy, issue was it was taking anything up to 25 times of turning the power button on until it would boot. So after hours of reading forums etc, a common theme became apparrent. The kept saying that the lappy needed to be overheated! *YES I HEAR YOU SAY, IT HAS TO BE OVERHEATED!!!!!!!!* so after following some quite simple instructions it would appear that this simple solution works for my F500 as well. U simply remove the battery and power cable. Get a hairdryer and blow it into the vents so that it warms up. Then u need to put the battery back in and try and boot. U will still get the flashing HHD light up and the fan will spin for about 3 secs. Dont switch off. Wrap it in a towel and make it warm up. After about 45 minutes remove from the towel and leave to cool completly. Then plug back in to the power socket and try and boot. Now i am being trully serious regarding this it did really work. I was totally shocked. I had been told by many PC repair guys to throw it away and get another as it would be cheaper. I have been shutting down and rebooting for the past day and a half, and so far not issues.
> 
> I'm not saying to you guys who's lappy isnt covered by HP but mine was in a cupboard not being able to be used so I gave it a shot, as I have tried everything but lobb it away. I'm saying it worked for me, why not try it if all else has failed.
> 
> But please let me know if you have tried it and it worked or if it didnt.


Thanks! Thank you so very much kindly!ray:

That works!

Our Compaq Presario F500 was down last week, and wireless had been down over half a year. HP will not fix it for us because we have used this computer for just 3 years.

Today we blew hot air into the notebook, wraped it, and it really works, and the wireless is back, what a surprise!

We just hope it can work for a longer time.

Cheers!:grin:


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## wada

Yep my wife's did the same but I had to totally strip it down until I got to the power chip then fried it with a heat gun put it back together and it has not failed since, that was 6 months ago now


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