Strange Problem

Hi NBR Guys!
My notebook (CQ40-314TU) recently encountering a strange problem: When I turn it on, the caps lock led blinks continuously. The screen is black, the power led is on but the HDD led is off. Everything is OK when I press Power button and turn it on again but it repeat next time. It happed randomly and I don't use battery at that time. Could anyone tell me what problem it is? Thanks all.

 

The first thing I would suspect is a RAM issue. It could be a contact issue or defective (although if it is defective I wouldn't expect it to be a random problem).

Try reseating your RAM (unpluging the RAM then plugging it back in). Make sure to remove power to your notebook and remove the battery before removing the RAM.

If that doesn't work, try removing one stick of RAM at a time and run with the remaining stick in your notebook. If one stick gives you the failure it will have to be replaced. Since it could also be the connections to your motherboard, try the RAM stick in each slot before coming to the conclusion it is defective RAM.

 

Thanks for the answer but the notebook has only one RAM stick plugged in one of the two slots and it is still in the time of warranty (I bought it since February 2nd) so I cannot open it. I just want to know what caused the problem . Is there any cause besides the RAM?

 

Taking out RAM sticks won't void the warranty.

 

You can run memtest86 and it will tell you if memory is failing. Just google it and download. Its free. Burn to disk. Start machine up to disk and it will show you the tests and failures.

Good Luck
N

 

Sure there are other causes other than RAM. You might have some part on your motherboard going bad. You should see if there is a pattern to the blinking LED. Count the number of times it blinks in total. Write down if there is a pattern, such as 2 short blinks, 2 long blinks, 1 short, 1 long, etc. This may help the HP tech support personnal as well as maybe others on this forum. The blinking LED has long been a method to help diagnose problems based on the blinking pattern. Other than RAM there isn't much you can do to fix it. And even if it is defective RAM it sounds like you would send it in for repair anyway.

I suggested you check the RAM since it is easy to get to and is known to cause problems such as these. Most likely it is not a software issue so if you are not willing to experiment with the RAM (which will not void your warranty) you should send your laptop in for repair under warranty.

Give HP tech support a call and get their opinion (good luck). Usually they recommend you reseat your ram as one of the diagnostic trials.

 

The caps lock LED blinks regularly not long, not short and it only stops blinking when I power off the notebook. At the time it blinks, the screen is black. Moreover, on the cover at the back side of the notebook lays a stamp noted: "Warranty void if torn" so it's hard for me to open it.

 

Contact HP service, go through their diagnostic steps, have them send you a box, then get it repaired under warranty. When you get your notebook back the repair tag will indicated what was fixed on your notebook. No more guessing.

Your problem is not solvable by just looking at the notebook. As was mentioned by another poster, you could run memtest to check the memory.
But even if it showed a problem or if someone exactly identified the problem you still wouldn't attempt to fix it so why bother.

I don't see any reason to continue help with this issue, contact HP. Sorry.