Worst Possible Thing Happened

Power surge took out my HP Envy. I just got it in the mail yesterday. It wasn't really a thunderstorm or anything serious, just some rumbling in the distance so I didn't think there would be any issues but obviously I got screwed.

Right now I'm feigning ignorance as to what could possibly be the reason my computer isn't starting while talking to HP chat assistance. Once I send it in they're gonna probably be able to tell that it was a power surge if anything is melted... and that isn't covered under warrant (I'm fairly certain).

How much do you think this is gonna cost me for HP to fix it if they rule that the damage is my negligence? [I hope somehow that they don't figure out it was a power surge, but I'm guessing they will ]

 

how long ago did you get your envy?


you might still be in the 21 day return period meaning you can return it and order another one if you really want. 'course...I mean that's assuming you can't get 'em to RMA a new one to you.

 

What is RMA?

I already have them sending me a box so I can send it in, but I'm worried they're gonna rule it an out of warranty damage.

And it just arrived YESTERDAY ;_;

 

shoulda just said it DOA. now they know and will find every reason not to help you. thats hp's motto

 

What do they know? I told them I received it yesterday and it wouldn't start today :s

 

RMA ...well I dunno what it stands for but it's when you replace a computer or hard-drive or whatever with a new one since the one you got was bad.

 

Return Merchandise Agreement. they don't ask questions on why you want to RMA. Just say you want to exchange it for return it for a refund. They refund you right away once fedex scans the package. Dunno what happens when they receive it.

 

Maybe that is a better option for me if it's a no-questions-asked deal. I've never used it though. I still have saved passwords in chrome and stuff so there's not *much* private data but there is a little. Oh and the web history of some sites :3

There's still a disc in my drive though. How can I get it out?!

 

what the disc won't eject?

ummm...good question

 

Well since the computer won't turn on >>; So yeah that's another issue. There's no place to stick a paperclip in these to get the disco to eject lol.

 

Every optical drive has a tiny hole (you have to squint sometimes to see it), and there's a manual eject button in that hole. You have to fine an ultra thin, but study metal to slide in there. Usually, if you straighten out a paper clip and slide it in there, you should be good to go, but remember the button is deep in the hole and takes some pressure to push.

 

yeah but the envy doesn't have a hole.


I think the only way you can get a disc out is to take the envy apart and remove the hdd or something. stupid slot load drive.


is the disc important?

 

It's WoW WotLK.

I don't like downloading 10GBs to install WoW so it's a bit important

 

heheh..ok then it's a bit important, lemme look through something.

 

Ah, I figured it had one. I know that Mac slot-in CD drivers have an eject hole all the way on the right. Guess your out of luck. http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...ry&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=4071213

Scroll all the way down to figure 2, HP even says all they can do is send you a replacement drive.

 

you might need to disassemble the laptop partly to get the optical drive out and ...then figure out a way to eject it.


...but even there it doesn't really show a manual eject.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02280351.pdf

edit: page 63 (or 71 of 114) or something

 

Well unless you had a surge in your house that affected other items it is highly unlikely that a storm took out the laptop.

 

Warranty should cover it i think. I dont think you can RMA if they actually know that u broke it.
If i buy a laptop and smash it with a baseball bat, im pretty sure they're not gonna exchange it for a new one lol

 

I was playing WoW (had JUST started it up) and all of a sudden the power went off and my laptop shut off too. It doesn't turn on or anything now and doesn't recognize the AC adapter being plugged in (LED doesn't light up) and it won't work off the battery. In fact it shouldn't have shut down at all because it had a fully charged battery.

My other laptop was plugged in but closed and no effect and my desktop was off and no damage. Ergh >>; WHY MY ENVY?! ;_;

 

Does anything else work in any of the outlets in your room?

 

Order a surge protector, that kind of stuff does not happen here in la la land, we don't get lightning or rain or snow. And our earthquakes are more fun than frightening with the building codes.

 

I think the surge probably fried your power supply. Try with another one ( maybe from another HP laptop) just make sure its the same voltage and that the plug fits. I'd return the Laptop anyways but at least you could save your data.

Edit: Yeah forget about that. I forgot that every laptop has a battery. *stupid me*

 

Ah well got my HP box today to send it in. Fast service at least. I feel super stupid because I forgot to check what time FedEx picks up so I just packed it and they picked up the nearest drop off location 3 minutes ago ;_;

I'll just have to wait until monday...

 

This is a bit late for you now, I had a similar thig happen with a DV9774. No suspected power surge, it acted like it was dead one day, like it wasn't plugged in, like the fully charged battery was dead. I unplugged it, took out the battery, hold the power button in for 10 seconds or more to discharge capacitors, then put the battery back and plugged it in and it was back to normal. It was like something just flipped. No problem ever since.

Did you get your WoW out?

 

So what happened? Did they replace it?

 

Aren't these computers pretty well made to prevent any problems with power surge? I'd figure they have built in power surge protection. Plus it has a battery for backup power source. Hmm.... seems weird. Maybe this would do the trick: Amazon.com: APC LE1200 Line-R 1200VA Automatic Voltage Regulator: Electronics

 

I'm not aware of any computers that do surge protection internally. Nor do I know of any computers that are well-made enough to be able to handle jolts well. A computer is a pretty high-precision machine that requires very tight tolerances on the input voltage and amperage to do it's job. Also, the interconnects on a computer are pretty small. A large enough spike in amperage (aka lightning strike, or any other surge) is enough to burn our one of those interconnects. Always, ALWAYS get a surge suppressor. Heck, I have my UPS connected to a surge suppressor (it's the only thing connected to the surge suppressor, but meh...

For surge suppression, you want the maximum Joule rating that the surge protector can limit exposure to. I wouldn't accept anything less than 4000 Joules...

 

Alright so HP fixed it (free 8D ) BUT on the FedEx shipping thing they sent the information on Friday... and the tracking thing hasn't updated since. =/ It had an estimated arrival date of today, but now that has come and gone and there is no estimated arrival date.

Argh.

 

it'll ship eventually. I mean if it has left wherever it was shipped from right?

it's up to fedex to eventually get it to you then.

 

No it just has "information received from HP" and hasn't said the package has been picked up from HP yet. So I dunno if it is truly an HP problem or a FedEx one :s

 

well if you get no info in a few days, call 'em?

 

If I do have to call would I be calling FedEx or HP do you think? :s

 

hp until you get a fedex tracking number