Help! My instincts are my 280M is dead...

Background Info:
D900F/NP9280
GTX280M (197.12 Nvidia drivers installed a few days ago)
NZXT Cryo LX cooler used 100% time with laptop
Antivirus up-to-date


I turned my laptop off 2 nights ago and then yesterday morning I go to turn it on and to my horror it doesn't boot up. I have it plugged into a DVI-KVM so usual process is, I see the POST on the D900F screen and then Windows boot screen shows on my external LCD.

Well, the problem is I can't even see the POST on my laptop LCD. Verified power source is good to go. I've LED light indicators upon pressing power button.
Light 1 (DC power) = Green solid
Light 2 (Battery fully charged) = Green solid
Light 3 (Bluetooth powered on) = Orange solid

Blue Power button is also solid.

Troubleshooting steps taken:

1.) verified Layer 1. All cables plugged in and tight. Unplugged and replugged back in to be sure.

2.) Took KVM out of the equation. Unplugged DVI cable, and all USB cables to keyboard, mouse, external hard drives.

3.) Compressed Air. cleaned everything out just as I usually do every day or so. Some dust, but nothing major.

4.) Checked internal components.

1. • Reseated Battery
   • Opened HDD and took it out, examined, unplugged and reseated SATA adaptor and power cable
   • Noticed VGA fan wasn't on unless I hit Fn+1 to max out fans. I then pulled out the 280M examined it for burn marks on PCB, nothing. I then compressed air'd it, reseated it along with the heatsink and fan.
   • Swapped the 280M fan with the RAM fan (since they are the same). Just to be sure it was the fan and not the VGA card itself. Both fans then worked fine.

Do you think there's something I'm missing? If it were the laptop LCD itself, there would still be a display to the external LCD monitor, so that can't be it.

I'm thinking the 280M itself or maybe the motherboard? I'm kind of kicking myself for not enabling the error code sounds in the BIOS now....maybe I could have got an indicator from the beep codes....

I've searched on the forums, and found a thread about "cooking" cards thought to be defunct in an oven at 380 deg F for ~10 mins but all those were older Nvidia cards. I wouldn't think a newer GTX280M would go bad like that (possible solder issue).

I purchased the D900F from IBuyPower in December, and as it is still under the default 1 year warranty, I'm going to drive up and return it to IBP for them to fix it when I return from my Afghanistan deployment shortly. I really don't feel like paying for shipping since they are like 1.5 hour drive from my house.


Please, if any of you experts have any advice to try out before I return to the States and take it for repair, let me know. The only thing I haven't tried is opening up, cleaning, and reseating the i7 960 CPU.

Thanks for any advice/suggestions.
-Jay

 

I think you went to all the possible causes. You have power, connections right, and GC installed.
I'm afraid that your Graphic card is dead... just replace it, and the Lap will be fine again .

 

If you take out the 280M would it boot?

 

I can try, but I don't think the D900F's have integrated graphics though, do they?

 

Wierd, i got the same problem as you this morning with my W870cu. No post, BT light + power, everything seem ok... if i let it run the videocard and cpu do heat like they are running...

Did you change of touch something before it happen ?<

someone know where is the bios battery so i can reset it ?

 

Service manuals in my sig show bios battery locations, I doubt it will help though.

 

I ship my laptop on RMA this morning. We will see what is causing this by wednesday.

 

BaronGalf,

Who did you order your laptop from? Just curious to compare how our stories end up, and also, if they are related to the same company and their quality of work and/or parts. I'll be driving mine up to IBuyPower in a little over a month when I get back to the States. Maybe they can send me the 280M replacement and I'll send back the defunct one?

 

I've done my order with Eurocom in Ontario, canada. They have a really bad reputation... but so far they was wonderful with me. I hope it still so.

I will let you know exactly what they found

 

Ok the problem is in fact the video card. They change it and all problem go away