Help needed please, Software or Hardware?

[Aboulaly]

I have a problem with a HP Compaq nc8230.
when I power it up sometimes everything starts up normal, and sometimes I just get a black screen and it stops there, no post. what could it be? software or hardware?

[best4less]

If you don't even get memory test/post screen I have had a few where the power supply ,dirty memory sticks,resitting the cpu or just a simple clean can fix this.Or just resetting the Bios has done it for me

Good luck

I forgot some times the caps on the mother board has shown the same symptoms also

[z80]

I have a problem with a HP Compaq nc8230.
when I power it up sometimes everything starts up normal, and sometimes I just get a black screen and it stops there, no post. what could it be? software or hardware?

hardware fault.

[Aboulaly]

ok I have done a full system check, mem86 test, removed the HDD and tried to boot from a cd and still the same symptoms sometimes it powers up to a black screen and after trying for few times it boots up normal, and sometimes when I am in windows, it freezes, but not all the times.

z80, what hardware fault do you think it could be?
I am trying to diagnos the problem before I go internal, because the RAM sits inside under the keyboard on this one.

[best4less]

I would stick a external monitor on the lappy just to see if your video card isn't playing up

[Aboulaly]

I went in internally, removed/swaped ram, resit cpu, removed keyboard, cleaned everything, and still the same problem, only now it's booting to windows anymore at all. always stuck at the black screen.
I will try the external screen and see how I go.
But I am starting to suspect a mobo problem, what do you think?

[best4less]

This is why I hate laptops

[Aboulaly]

Tried the external screen, nothing happened, but I realised something, when I press the power button hard it starts up, but that's not all the times, do you think it could have anything to do with switch?

[therufus]

Try a different power supply. If you can get your hands on even a generic compatible universal PSU, that might be all you need for testing. The lappy may be getting undervoltaged by the transformer and therefore unable to power the vga card. I've had it happen before.

[Aboulaly]

Tried that too mate, even on battery it does the same thing, I ruled it out to be a motherboard problem as I have done all possible tests, but the customer doesn't want to fix it for the price I gave him.