Laptop starts up but shows no screen and won’t power down.
Laptop starts up but shows no screen and won’t power down.
I am trying to revive an old HP Pavilion Elite HPE-170F (AY604AA#ABA) from 2010 to use as a NAS machine and when I turn it on, everything spins to life, but I get no display, and seemingly randomly, it boot loops anywhere from 1-4 times then stays on with no display. I try to hold down the power button, and it shuts off. then, as soon as I let go, it spins to life again. I don't have anything on the HDD, and it doesn't change if I have no drive at all. I have tried removing the CMOS and replacing it after 2 minutes, I tried running with one stick of RAM. Before trying these different things, I would switch off the power supply since the power button doesn't work, and whenever I turn that switch back on, it instantly boots up without touching the power button. I upgraded the PSU to a PowerSpec 650 Watt. I am unsure if it worked before the upgrade, and I do not have time to test the OEM PSU today, but I will tomorrow. I'm at a complete loss, and any help would be amazing. It's also worth noting that this GPU uses DVI, and I have no adapters, and it is going to a monitor directly, which I know works with VGA, but I have no way to test the DVI as this is my only DVI system. Thank you in advance! Specs: Intel Core i7-920 9GB DDR3 500GB Seagate HDD NO OS NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
You mentioned the power button isn't functioning. Have you removed it? Because the machine loops back on, it seems unstable and might be causing a random pin short that triggers shutdowns. When it remains active, do you notice any beep codes or blinking LED signals?
I just tried this, I unplugged every front panel header and tested it, and it still booted up as soon as I flicked the switch on the PSU, and it boot looped twice before staying on, and still no display. I am now going to try the OEM PSU. There are also no lights and I don't believe there is a beeper on this MOBO
While the system remains active, do you notice the CPU fan reducing its speed? If the fans continue running at full capacity with no display, it suggests a failed POST, possibly indicating a defective board or incorrect setup. This scenario is less likely since the CMOS battery has already been removed. Try loosening the covers for the built-in video, take out the GPU, and start the system using the onboard graphics.
I reinstalled the OEM PSU, and I was wrong about the beeper. Instead of immediately powering up when I plugged it in (there's no on off switch), I had to short the pins to turn it on. It then powered up and started doing the beep sequence, and it didn't stop until I unplugged it. That link you sent referenced the beep sequence but didn't have any explanations on it, which is odd. I am now waiting to talk with someone from HP about the beep sequence, and they might be able to answer why the upgraded PSU doesn't work. Also, my MOBO doesn't have any onboard graphics for some reason. I went to try that as soon as it didn't POST the first time, but then I realized it doesn't have any onboard graphics. I attached an image of mine for reference. Thanks!
I received a message about a memory problem. I noticed I had one RAM stick in slot one, but should have used slot two for a single stick. Changing it fixed the issue. The beep pattern was S, L, then a long pause, repeating until I unplugged it. It only worked with the original power supply. Thanks for the guidance!
I started with Windows and everything functioned properly, but after installing the new PSU things kept going wrong. It powers on every time I flip the power button, starts briefly, then turns off again, comes back on, but there’s no screen showing anything. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.