Compaq 615 Laptop not Turning On

Question

I bought a Compaq 615 as a quick replacement laptop 2 years ago. In the past few months I've noticed that it has been getting quite hot, so much so that in the past few weeks it has been reaching critical temperature and turning itself off.

Two days ago, it turned off then wouldn't turn back on, a few hours later I tried again and it turned on so I decided to investigate a possible cause.

I ran cpuid to monitor CPU temperature and its temperature under normal usage seemed a bit high, in the low to mid 60s. I think decided to try stress the CPU to see how hot it would get, it got up to 80 degrees, the fan turned on, and the laptop shut off.

It has been two days now and it hasn't booted up.

I've tried removing RAM and turning it on to see if I get any error notification (LED blinks or beeps), and got nothing.

I've tried unplugging the AC power, taking out the battery and holding the power button for 30 seconds.

I also tried, with the battery in, holding down the power button for some time (15 - 20 seconds) and notice that the amber light next to the power jack flashes rapidly (too quick to easily count, might be 10 rapid flashes).

My guess is motherboard, or perhaps CPU.

But I was wondering if anyone has any other suggestions for me?

Answer 1

It sounds like the motherboard, and short of picking up another one on eBay, it is probably toast.

This does give me a moment to discuss laptops and fans, in general. The fans in laptops are UBER important, yet they do not tend to be that durable. First, make sure that in the future, you have compressed air to blow out the fans the best you can through the exhaust ports at least monthly. If you have enough skill, consider taking the plastic off yearly to blow it out even better.

If your laptop is under warranty, and you have even the remotest doubt that the fan could be going, have them change it. If your laptop is out of warranty, pick up a spare or two for your model on eBay.

Replacing the fans is akin to changing your oil. You may not have to do it quite as often, but it will potentially make your laptop last years longer.