Need help troubleshooting

[DocGreen]

Hi guys, here's what I'm dealing with.

Customer brought me an HP Envy x360 (m6-w103dx) that "just died" (I asked for clarification today, and he said that it just worked one day, and when he took it to a meeting the next day it didn't work.) He'd taken it somewhere else first, and they were going to replace the motherboard, but apparently the one that came was DOA, and instead of getting a different board they just gave him a refund.

He brought it to me, and I replaced the motherboard... but now I'm seeing that either A) the problem wasn't the motherboard, or B) there's more than one problem.

After replacing the motherboard, the laptop powers on- LED's light up, fan & HDD spin, but no video. It doesn't sound like it's booting. It actually sounds like its power-cycling, as if there are POST errors, but without video I can 't tell for sure. I tried connecting to the HDMI output, but I can't get any video there either.


Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Markverhyden]

If you pull the RAM do you get POST beeps?

 

[DocGreen]

If you pull the RAM do you get POST beeps?

Pulled the RAM... no beeps

 

[nlinecomputers]

Have you tried with and without the battery? With and without the power brick? Tried a different power brick? Tried to boot with the LCD screen disconnected?

 

[Markverhyden]

Pulled the RAM... no beeps

Forgot, most new laptops use led blinks. Anything with those?

 

[DocGreen]

Have you tried with and without the battery? With and without the power brick? Tried a different power brick? Tried to boot with the LCD screen disconnected?

Yes to all... no change.

Forgot, most new laptops use led blinks. Anything with those?

Nothing at all. Power & Charging LED's function as expected... HDD activity blinks once or twice at first, then stops (no activity)

 

[johnrobert]

Some jobs you have to stay clear from

I was doing a job yesterday and I knew it was trouble before I begun should have said sorry can't help you.
don't want those can of worm jobs anymore.

It makes you look incompetent when you're struggling to do it

 

[mr m]

Does this rig have an external VGA port or just the HDMI? Did you check the external ports for bent pins or anything out of the ordinary?

If cycling the video output to an external monitor didn't produce an image about all you can do is tear down the laptop and remove everything except the CPU/GPU and a stack of RAM and see if you get a display or a code. If you have an access panel to the wireless card disconnect that first.

 

[DocGreen]

Does this rig have an external VGA port or just the HDMI? Did you check the external ports for bent pins or anything out of the ordinary?

If cycling the video output to an external monitor didn't produce an image about all you can do is tear down the laptop and remove everything except the CPU/GPU and a stack of RAM and see if you get a display or a code. If you have an access panel to the wireless card disconnect that first.

Just the HDMI. And unfortunately there's no access panel to anything. You've gotta remove the whole board just to access the RAM, it's kind of obnoxious. I'll take it down to just the board/cpu/ram and see what happens.

 

[DocGreen]

I took it all the way down to board/cpu/ram... tried it with and without the laptop display attached, with and without battery. No difference.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Bad CPU or bad mobo or both. Call it unworthy of repair and move on.

 

[DocGreen]

Bad CPU or bad mobo or both. Call it unworthy of repair and move on.

What are the odds that the original mobo, the replacement mobo the first tech ordered, and the replacement mobo I just installed are all bad?

 

[nlinecomputers]

What are the odds that the original mobo, the replacement mobo the first tech ordered, and the replacement mobo I just installed are all bad?

High. If the bad CPU is cooking them. Without risking more money to get a CPU to test that theory you'll never know. You might get more info to make a better guess with a PCI post card.

 

[mr m]

I agree with nline. Recover their data and cut your losses.

Out of curiosity, was the replacement mobo brand new or one of those supposedly "pulled and tested" boards? I won't bother to install a mobo unless I bought it new. I have told clients that wanted to fix their laptops that they could buy a used mobo and I'd install it but no matter the outcome they owe me the labor involved.

 

[DocGreen]

I agree with nline. Recover their data and cut your losses.

Out of curiosity, was the replacement mobo brand new or one of those supposedly "pulled and tested" boards? I won't bother to install a mobo unless I bought it new. I have told clients that wanted to fix their laptops that they could buy a used mobo and I'd install it but no matter the outcome they owe me the labor involved.

Yeah, the only sources I could find were "pulled"

 

[gadgetfixup]

I'm stubborn and don't give up so easy. When I run into oddball stuff like this, I purchase a whole working laptop of the same model. Then I know I'll fix the old one. Once I narrow down the exact issue I fix the customer's laptop, order the right part for my laptop and just sell the bloody thing for what I have in it.

My last butt kicking was on a ROG laptop repair, no video. Thought for sure it was the video card, ordered one, no better. Thought well it has to be the motherboard then, ordered one, still nothing. Thought, there's no way it can be the touch screen assembly but not much else left, ordered one, still no video. $1200 tied up in parts and the bloody thing was as broke as when it walked in the door. I ordered a working ROG of the exact model, found the video card they sent was bad as well as the motherboard they sent. Fixed the customer's ROG (it was the motherboard) and ordered working parts for the 2nd ROG and sold it for $100 more than I paid.

The large majority of these sellers selling pulls are just running the odds and not testing anything. Seen more bad equipment in the last 3 months than we've seen in the last 3 years.

 

[DocGreen]

Whelp... customer wants me to keep trying until we get a working board. Looks like this one is going to be on the bench a little longer. I would try what @inbargains suggested, but it's an $800 laptop... that's a lot of cash to pony up for a repair.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I'm stubborn and don't give up so easy. When I run into oddball stuff like this, I purchase a whole working laptop of the same model. Then I know I'll fix the old one. Once I narrow down the exact issue I fix the customer's laptop, order the right part for my laptop and just sell the bloody thing for what I have in it.

My last butt kicking was on a ROG laptop repair, no video. Thought for sure it was the video card, ordered one, no better. Thought well it has to be the motherboard then, ordered one, still nothing. Thought, there's no way it can be the touch screen assembly but not much else left, ordered one, still no video. $1200 tied up in parts and the bloody thing was as broke as when it walked in the door. I ordered a working ROG of the exact model, found the video card they sent was bad as well as the motherboard they sent. Fixed the customer's ROG (it was the motherboard) and ordered working parts for the 2nd ROG and sold it for $100 more than I paid.

The large majority of these sellers selling pulls are just running the odds and not testing anything. Seen more bad equipment in the last 3 months than we've seen in the last 3 years.

Whelp... customer wants me to keep trying until we get a working board. Looks like this one is going to be on the bench a little longer. I would try what @inbargains suggested, but it's an $800 laptop... that's a lot of cash to pony up for a repair.

Must be nice to blow money and get upside down in a repair just because of your pride. I can't you billing for all the time invested. I've got a business to run. Just sayin'

 

[gadgetfixup]

Must be nice to blow money and get upside down in a repair just because of your pride. I can't you billing for all the time invested. I've got a business to run. Just sayin'

Please spare me your insults. I didn't learn what I know by giving up on jobs. My advice isn't for know-it-alls. I've owned a B&M computer store about as long as you've been walking this earth. While other stores are closing in our area or spending a boatload of money for advertising, we're swamped with work, benches full and telling customers it's a minimum 5 days before we look at your equipment. We have a reputation that we fix what others can't. I don't care what it costs to uphold that reputation. Our avg reputation score is 4.85 with hundreds of reviews. I don't need your advice on how to run a business.

 

[gadgetfixup]

Whelp... customer wants me to keep trying until we get a working board. Looks like this one is going to be on the bench a little longer. I would try what @inbargains suggested, but it's an $800 laptop... that's a lot of cash to pony up for a repair.

Money you won't lose was my point. You will for sure get your repair down the road and you'll sell that $800 laptop for $800 or more once you fix it. How much do you have tied up in replacement parts going back and forth plus your time? $800 short term loan to make sure you take care of the customer will pay dividends in the end.