PDA

View Full Version : Laptop Keeps Rebooting

danhua76
04-03-2006, 03:34 PM
ok, i need some serious help here. so i turned on my laptop this morning only to find that when it turns on, it reboots itself right after the first boot up screen (this is where you can enter the bios). how do i fix this? or is the laptop on its way to the grave?

laptop specs:
acer ferrari 3000
amd athlon 64 2800
1.5gb ram
60gb hard drive
128 radeon 9700

i've tried re-inserting the memory, the battery, and the hard drive hoping that maybe something that was dislodge was the culprit. this isn't the case. other than this, i'm not sure how to trouble shoot this.

any help is greatly appreciated.
GregHess
04-03-2006, 03:43 PM
Is the fan kicking into overdrive right before it shuts off?
danhua76
04-03-2006, 03:55 PM
no the fan is not kicking into overdrive. on any normal boot up, the fan turns on the moment you hit the power bttn. then the fan slows down for the rest of the start up process.

update: now i don't even get the boot up screen. just a black screen. i can hear the fan start up for a few seconds then silence. the only indicator that the laptop is on is the green led indicator that is on the front of the system. hitting the power bttn again turns it right off.
Simon
04-03-2006, 04:04 PM
no the fan is not kicking into overdrive. on any normal boot up, the fan turns on the moment you hit the power bttn. then the fan slows down for the rest of the start up process.

update: now i don't even get the boot up screen. just a black screen. i can hear the fan start up for a few seconds then silence. the only indicator that the laptop is on is the green led indicator that is on the front of the system. hitting the power bttn again turns it right off.

Is the battery dead?
GregHess
04-03-2006, 04:09 PM
Hrm...if the fan had been kicking into overdrive, it could have been a heat related issue which is relatively easy to fix.

It's kinda of sounding like a power issue, which is near impossible to fix without having access to replacement parts...which of course is near impossible to obtain without going through warranty venues.

I'd still follow the normal battery diagnostic process first.
danhua76
04-03-2006, 04:16 PM
nope, the battery isn't dead. it still powers on without the ac plug attached. too bad laptop parts aren't like desktop parts. if it were, i'd be able to fix this in a couple of hours.

looking at worst case scenario, i will have to buy a new laptop. and right away. i do design instruction at san jose state university. i'll need this laptop for 2d (adobe suite, painter, etc.) and for 3d (rhino, 3ds max). any suggestions on good laptops for this in a price range of $1500 - $2000?
Simon
04-03-2006, 04:20 PM
hmm thats weird. Have you tried it with the battery totally removed and just the ac?
danhua76
04-03-2006, 04:42 PM
hmm thats weird. Have you tried it with the battery totally removed and just the ac?

yup. did that too. same thing. doesn't go past the initial bootup screen.
GregHess
04-03-2006, 04:47 PM
Just for shits n giggles. Remove the rom and the harddrive, and try booting. (Don't do this if you have to remove the keyboard...just if you happen to have a dell type with 1 screw removal)
Saurus
04-03-2006, 05:23 PM
You should try resetting bios to default. It could also be bad memory. If you have 1 gig (or two stick of memory) try removing one, then the other and see if it boots up.
danhua76
04-03-2006, 08:47 PM
Just for shits n giggles. Remove the rom and the harddrive, and try booting. (Don't do this if you have to remove the keyboard...just if you happen to have a dell type with 1 screw removal)

i removed the hard drive and and the laptop booted ok. it got as far as 'no bootable media detected' screen. this probably means it's a hard drive issue. not that it really matters now, since i ordered a new dual core (intel) acer laptop before i got this post.

once i fix this old ferrari, i'll just sell it cheap. anyone wanna buy a used laptop?

btw, thanks all who gave me help on this matter. always good to know that help is always around the cg corner. :buttrock:
GregHess
04-04-2006, 03:49 AM
Enjoy the new laptop! The Duo's are crazy fast and put the P4 and Xeon lines to shame. (Stupid long pipelines).

However you could probably just pickup a hd and replace it in your current laptop and have a fully functional machine.

I'd also recommend picking up a 2.5 drive to USB converter, which should allow you to access files on the other harddrive, if it isn't completely destroyed.
danhua76
04-04-2006, 06:08 AM
yup. actually did all that. was able to recover my files and all is good with the world :) i'm looking forward to the new toy. it's been over 2 years since i got this laptop, so a new one is in order anyway :) thanks again.
CGTalk Moderation
04-04-2006, 06:08 AM
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.