Hello everyone, new here and a quick question..

Hey everyone,

My name is Desirea. I was recently given an HP DV6000 Pavilion laptop that is having major issues! (my friend just gave it to me because his mom just bought him a new one..) Anyway..I'm determined to believe this laptop can be saved..the problem it's having is this:

When turning it on it shows the HP symbol then takes you to the page where it tells you the last time windows was on it was suddenly interrupted or didn't start properly..so it gives you the choices of safe mode, safe mode with command control, safe mode with networking, last working configurations, start windows normally...blah blah..

I have tried each one of these to no avail..starting normally and starting with last working configs makes the laptop attempt to start windows but right before it does it shows a flash of the BSOD (so fast I can't even read it)..then the laptop shuts down and attempts to restart itself...I don't get any further then that..

The history of this error from what my friend claims is one night there was a power outage in the house, ever since then it gave him the blue screen..so he tried to reformat the laptop (with all the wrong cds...since he doesn't have the cds it came with anymore..since he did that it started to do the whole shut off and restart issue..I think it's just a bunch of code errors since he tried to install things this laptop never had..I believe that if I order the recovery CDs from HP I can get this laptop back on track...and that is why I have come here..

Before I do this I just want to know is my assumption correct or am I spending my money for nothing? Is there a deeper problem that I might just not be able to fix..thank you all for your input and advice..I hope to hear from you all soon...

 

Just typing this to activate my subscribe feature..

 

Maize411,
The problem does sound like it could be a software problem, however a bad memory chip could cause the same errors. A power outage shouldn't cause a computer to suddenly start having the BSOD. If your friend actualy reformated the hard drive and re-installed an operating system, but your still getting BSODs, thats a strong indication of a hardware issue. More info would be usefull. Was the power outage caused by a lightning strike? Was the hard drive actualy reformated? If not, is the original recovery partition still available on the hard drive? What operating system was on the computer? What operating system did he use to try to refomat the hard drive?

I don't see how ordering the recovery disks can hurt. But there is no guarentee that it will fix the problem.

 

Not sure what caused the power outage..he said the laptop orginally had windowsxp home edition and he tried to put a trial version he got of windows 7 on there but he said it wouldn't install...I'm not sure if he was actually sucessful in the reformat as he has never reformatted before..

My fiancé is a huge computer person and said he would take a look at it...if it is indeed a hardware issue..any idea of what the hardware problem would lie? I haven't ordered the CDs yet..but I might by Tuesday..thank you again

 

Let us know your GPU, hopefully not Nvidia

 

JMO but….

“If”…. the original problem was caused by a power outage it could have caused a hardware issue. Another possibility though, is that the unit tried to reboot after the power outage and your friend tinkered with it somehow when faced with the safe mode options and boogered up the software.

FYI…. you can’t “reformat the laptop with all the wrong CD’s”. You can however try to re-image the laptop “with all the wrong CD’s” from another unit. If your friend tried to use recovery CD’s from another unit it would likely cause the problems you’re having because of numerous hardware conflicts, incorrect drivers, and all sorts of other issues.

First thing to figure out is if the unit will boot to the BIOS. To do this, press F10 during the BOOT process. If you can get into the BIOS, run the basic memory test, the hard drive test, set the unit to restore the default BIOS settings, and exit saving the changes. If the unit passes the basic tests it’s a good sign. If the unit won’t BOOT into the BIOS, try removing one of the memory sticks and try again. If that doesn’t work, swap the sticks out and try again. If you still can’t get into the BIOS with just one stick of memory in the unit you likely have hardware problems. (or two bad sticks of memory)

Next, find out if the original recovery partition is still in place. To do this, continually press F11 during boot. If the recovery partition is still in place, it will then enter the recovery mode and will give you the options to do a “recovery”. If the recovery partition is not there, then my suggestion would be to get a Windows OS CD and try and do a fresh “OS” (not image) install.

Last, get a windows OS install disk from a friend or wherever (XP or Home Premium ? check tag on unit)…During the OS install, windows will give you the option to install/delete partitions. Delete all partitions!! Other than running a partition wipe program, it’s the only way to ensure you have a clean system and to clear the Master BOOT Record (MBR). Install windows. If windows installs without issue you’re good to go and you can then go to HP to download and install drivers. Use the KEY on the underside of the unit to register windows as OEM. I’ve done this quite a few times for people…it works.

 

Ok...I know some stuff about computers but not a lot..so please bare with me here..first off what is a "GPU"? (I'm guessing my graphics card??)...when I was at my friend's house yesterday I tried to press F11 (first thing I tried) unfortunately it didn't do anything..I also was able to get into BIOS and attempted a hard drive test but it failed...I think the code was #1-04 or something like that...I don't fully remember..my fiancé is going to try to re-install windows onto it today..I'm sure he's already aware of deleting all partitions but I'll remind him...I'll let you guys know how this works out..thank you all for your advice

 

Well here's the update on my laptop..Joe attempted to reformat it but while setting up the new partitions it kept freezing at like 2 or 3%..so Joe lessened the amount of hard drive space and the more he decreased it the higher percent we got each time we attempted the reformat..the highest so far being 9%....

So we have concluded it is indeed a hard drive issue and so I am ordering a new hard drive for it from NewEgg.com..that will HOPEFULLY solve my problem and I will then have a working laptop...

Now I have another quick question...there is a line going across the screen of the laptop..it's always there whether in BIOS or windows..is there. Way to fix this issue? It's a straight line from one side of the screen to the other..thanks..

 

It's entirely possible that a power outage could cause hardware damage, particularly if the notebook was not plugged into a surge protector. When the power goes out, it frequently generates surges on the lines that can damage sensitive electronics. That being said, at this point there's no way to tell exactly what might have been damaged, if at all.

From your descriptions, it does sound as if there are problems with the hard drive, which could very well have been caused by the power outage.

The bright line across the screen is much more worrisome. That sounds like the GPU (the graphics card) is failing.

One way you could try and get this thing booted up now would be to download either a linux LiveCD, or a copy of the UltimateBootCD, burn the .iso to a CD/DVD, and then put that in the optical drive of the computer and try to see if it'll boot all the way through POST. If there is damage to some of the components that's being picked up by the BIOS during POST, you might be able to see what it is booting this way.

If, however, it doesn't boot properly this way, then - provided the .iso was burned properly - the odds are that there's some sort of serious physical damage that has either rendered it unbootable, or that is causing the BIOS to shut it down before it even finishes booting.

 

I think you’re right about the hard drive but as Shyster said, “that line across the screen is much more worrisome” and it may indeed also have a GPU issue. Booting to some type of Linux CD like LiveCD or Knoppix is an excellent suggestion to determine if you have system issues other than the hard drive.

I also don’t know if your unit has integrated or discreet graphics, or is ATI, Intel, or Nvidia, but if you make it through the windows install, press on with the graphics drivers and see if that helps.

If not….. I once tinkered with a desktop for a friend that had taken a hit in a storm. It displayed the same behavior you’ve described. We tried every thing we could think of including swapping CRT’s and nothing helped. On a whim we decided to pull the motherboard battery and the RAM sticks out. The unit had integrated graphics or we would’ve pulled that out too. Anyway, we left the computer overnight and when we returned put the battery and one RAM stick back in and…. the single line across the screen was gone. Our, untrained conclusion was that one of the components on the board had developed a static charge that was only relieved by completely removing all power.

If your friend is up to it, you could go to HP and download the maintenance manual on that unit and pull the internal RTC battery. The battery is under the memory on those models and should be fairly easy to remove. It might be a very long shot…. but it’s better than no shot at all.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01035677.pdf

 

Other things….

- There was a recall for bunch of HP notebooks some time ago. Some models of the DV6000 series were on the list. I’m not positive but I think the recall may have been limited to units with Nvidia discreet graphics. Check the BIOS and see what graphics you have installed. Also check your model number against the recall. It’s likely that your unit is over the 24 month period but it’s probably worth a look.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...77&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=1842189&lang=en

- There’s also a current battery recall for a number of HP notebooks including some units in the DV6000 series. Check below. You may be eligible for a new battery.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01743281&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=1842189