Members Unfed Posted September 24, 2009 Members Share Posted September 24, 2009 (i also put this in the computer HW/SW forum, but figured you guys here might be of some help as well...) this morning my laptop {censored} the bed. here's the specs: HP dv5040us (dv5000)AMD Turion 64 ML-40 (single core, 2.2gHz)100gb HD (4200rpm)1gb RAM (had 2gb but one card crapped out a while back and i haven't replaced it)ATI Radeon videoTI Firewire chipsetWindows XP when trying to boot it emits three beeps (one long followed by two short). power and buttons light up but the screen is blank. looking around on the net for info on the beep codes it seems that it might be a problem with the motherboard/video. one post that i saw said it might be due to a bad solder joint on the video chip, that they'd seen this problem before and have had success in fixing it. called HP support and they said it'd cost me at least $400 to send it in and have them check it out (and of course they wanted me to think about just buying a new computer from them). have some questions: - would bringing it to a local computer shop be of any use? would they be able to troubleshoot and/or fix it, or would they just tell me to send it to HP? i can actually solder pretty well myself (even surface mount), might it be worthwhile to take it apart and see if reflowing the solder joints helps? - unfortunately, it's been quite a while since i've backed up my hard drive and it's obviously got all my software, samples, and a ton of other things on it. assuming that it's not a problem with the hard drive itself, how hard would it be to recover what's on it? at least all my files, if i end up having to install all my software on another computer then i'll just have to deal with that. is it possible to mount the laptop drive in a desktop PC and recover the files that way. if so, is this hard to do? - i've considered buying a used one and swapping my hard drive into it (obviously the same model/specs or as close as i can find). good idea or no? - i've also considered buying something a bit newer (though probably used) with at least a dual-core processor. would it be possible to swap my hard drive into something like this? with a newer laptop (which was probably made for running Vista), is it possible to just toss my drive in there and be up and running again? how dependent on the computer specs/motherboard/etc are the contents of the drive? really at a loss regarding where to go from here, any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flat earth Posted September 24, 2009 Members Share Posted September 24, 2009 The beeps your hearing indeed do normally point to either failed memory modules or video failure. sometimes (rarely though) faults on the mb can give similar symtoms. Usually when I check out older laptops, and have no joy, I recommend putting the Hdd into a caddy, and using it as an external usb drive. Only hassles are if passwords have been setup, (then administrive rights need to be altered/replaced in safe mode etc etc). Also check the heatsink exhaust outflow isn't blocked up with fluff and dirt. This is a common issue on Toshiba's I find, and can cause temporary failure, or sometimes even permanant failure if the heat has spread whilst being left on for some time. I don't usually go down to component level, but think the $400 you were quoted is way OTT. For that price, buy a new one and use the hdd + data as an external backup device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted September 24, 2009 Members Share Posted September 24, 2009 agree ^ 99% of the issues i've had with errors are RAM related. just pick up a stick of ram from best buy,m try it out and if it fixes it, keep it, if not take it back. no matter where you send or take it, if the problem is on the motherboard, you're going to get a new motherboard. see what the prices are for your laptop's motherboard and see about installing it yourself. too much $$ or hassle, upgrade or get a used one as you said. drive swaps only work on computers of the same brand / series. if not, you'll mess up windows, but, you can just reinstall windows over itself and reinstall your apps assuming you have non OEM versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundxplorer Posted September 24, 2009 Members Share Posted September 24, 2009 $400 is a big chunk and you'd probably be better off getting a new (or slightly used) laptop. If it is the same model, putting your old HD in will work fine. If you get a different model, putting your old HD in it is way more trouble than it is worth. It's easier to just move your files and re-install apps. As Flat Earth suggested, and external HD enclosure would let you use your old HD as a USB drive. Here's one for only $15:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817707116 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flat earth Posted September 24, 2009 Members Share Posted September 24, 2009 I have found, in some circumstances, when customers 'really' want to put their old hdd in a different pc, it can sometimes work, or at least just need a chkdsk /r procedure to convince it to. I'd say about a 35/65% success rate against it from experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted September 24, 2009 Members Share Posted September 24, 2009 Unlucky for you, but a timely topic for me as I have both a laptop drive and an old PC drive on which I have non-critical data that would still be convenient to have. How about one of these little doo-dads for getting the data out of the old drive? Rosewill RCW-608 USB2.0 Adapter For IDE/SATA Device Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 24, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 24, 2009 thanks so much guys! the first thing i'll look into doing is getting something like one of the above-mentioned devices for transferring the data from the drive. i'm wondering though if it's an IDE or a SATA drive? i'm sure i'll figure it out once i pull it out. i'd like to eventually get a more current laptop, but just can't afford it right now. i've also learned that it's best to wait a bit and see what's about to be released. (made the mistake of buying this one just months before dual-cores were standard.) i think for now i'll look into buying the same model used and dropping the drive into it. there's actually one on eBay right now that looks to be exactly (?) the same for $265. i'll also look around on Craigslist for one locally, doesn't look like there's anything similar on there right now though. holy {censored} am i glad now that i decided not to sell my Machinedrum and mixer. if i relied completely on using a computer for music i would be going out of my mind right now. oddly enough, i've thought about doing this. lesson learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundxplorer Posted September 24, 2009 Members Share Posted September 24, 2009 How about one of these little doo-dads for getting the data out of the old drive?Rosewill RCW-608 USB2.0 Adapter For IDE/SATA Device That would work too. Essentially the same thing I post above except it has a connector for full sized desktop drives too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 28, 2009 thanks again for all your help so far! right now i'm looking at either buying another HP with similar specs, or possibly buying a used replacement motherboard and trying to fix it using that. any pros/cons of trying to replace the motherboard? is this a serious pain in the ass or should it be relatively simple? i've noticed that they almost never come with a processor, so i would have to pull the AMD from mine and put it into the 'new' one. is this hard to do? i've found an HP with specs almost exactly the same, but according to the listing on the HP site this one has a 512kb L2 Cache as opposed to the 1mb Cache that i have in mine. not exactly sure what this entails in practical use, is this something i should be concerned with? would i notice a decrease in performance with just a 512kb L2 Cache? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted September 28, 2009 Members Share Posted September 28, 2009 Unless you're really experienced at it, I recommend against trying to replace the board in your laptop yourself. Laptops aren't made like desktops; There's no standard mounting points, everything's crammed in there, sometimes you have to remove and disconnect lots of other things... it's just not for the faint-hearted. I would also be surprised if the CPU in a laptop is socketed. Manufacturers want to keep space and weight to a minimum, so they're probably soldered. I had a big ol' Toshiba Qosimio that had one of the infamous melting Nvidia chips and it died. Replacing the board would have cost nearly as much as a new laptop, so I opted to just get a whole new laptop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 28, 2009 the AMD CPU is socketed as far as i can tell, here's a pic (of what i believe is the CPU socket) and a link to one of the motherboards i'm looking at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250503566316&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT i don't have experience with taking apart laptops in particular, but i am used to taking apart electronics in general. i worked for a large electronics firm here in Rochester for a few years, so i'm quite comfortable with that sort of thing (provided there aren't any real 'tricks' to taking apart a laptop). i see you can get a PDF dv5000 service manual, that might be helpful as well if needed. also, is the L2 Cache part of the processor, or is it a chip on the motherboard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted September 28, 2009 Members Share Posted September 28, 2009 Huh. Well, then color me surprised. AFAIK, L2 cache is usually on the same package nowadays. It used to be that it was a separate device, and it may even still be a separate die, but partnered on the same package (what everyone calls a "chip"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 28, 2009 according to this, the L2 Cache is part of the processor: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_1260_13851%5E12658,00.html this is very good to hear, so as long as it has the same ML-40 that's in mine i should be good to go! what concerned me is that the similar dv5000 laptop i found seems to be a dv5115nr (mine is a dv5040us). the spec page at the HP site lists the dv5115nr as having an AMD ML-32 (1.8gHz, 512kb L2 Cache) so i wasn't sure what to think. the seller claims that this dv5115nr has the ML-40 processor, so i was a bit confused. i believe the motherboard that is compatible with these models (407830-001) can fit a number of different CPUs. i think i may buy this laptop and swap the drive into it. once i get some more cash i can then buy a motherboard and try to fix the other one. this way i would (hopefully) have two working laptops for under $400. also, i just found a NEW motherboard online for $149, i think i'll definitely go for this instead of one of the used/tested ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted September 29, 2009 Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 dont fool around though.. get one for the exact make and model of your laptop. you can also look around for repair instruction on how to disassemble the laptop. the most you have to worry about it several ribbon cables. but it's getting it apart and back together in one piece that's the problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 still not sure about buying a replacement laptop yet. the seller now says that he may have made a mistake in the listing and that it might actually have the AMD ML-32 (1.8gHz) processor. would i notice a significant difference between 1.8gHz and 2.2gHz (which is what i had)? besides that i'm not sure of the exact differences between the model numbers. they both definitely use the same motherboard and have pretty much identical specs besides the processor. i just spent the last hour or so taking apart the laptop. found a PDF of the dv5000 service manual online and followed that. i must say that, yes, it was a complete pain in the ass (and yeah, getting it back together will be even more so). this was mainly due to the dozen or so ribbon cables and other wiring assemblies. in order to swap motherboards i see that i'll also have to swap the fan assembly and heat sink for the processor, along with the processor itself (obviously). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted September 29, 2009 Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 if the motherboard is the same, but the processor is an upgrade, you're good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 well, the processor is actually a downgrade. having trouble finding one with the ML-40 (2.2gHz) like i have now. should still be ok, but i'm just wondering if i'd notice the difference in performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sinner6 Posted September 29, 2009 Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 The cache is significant. The difference between a Celeron and a Pentium was that the Celeron had no cache and, resultantly, performed worse even when clocked higher. Nowadays, it's not uncommon to see 2Mb per core of L2 cache, though you can sure get more than that. It's basically ultra fast RAM that the CPU uses to do EVERYTHING that it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 thanks for the info on that, good to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 here's a pic of the hard drive, anyone able to tell if it's SATA or IDE? i don't see any markings on it that would indicate one or the other. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted September 29, 2009 Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 my bad on the CPU. it's an IDE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 thanks! i'll place an order now for one of those external drive enclosures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted September 29, 2009 Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 CPU's actually have more than one cache; There's the L1 cache, L2 cache, and some systems have an L3 cache. The closer to the CPU, the faster (but more expensive hence smaller) the RAM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JohnBenussi Posted September 29, 2009 Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 (i also put this in the computer HW/SW forum, but figured you guys here might be of some help as well...) this morning my laptop {censored} the bed. here's the specs: HP dv5040us (dv5000) AMD Turion 64 ML-40 (single core, 2.2gHz) 100gb HD (4200rpm) 1gb RAM (had 2gb but one card crapped out a while back and i haven't replaced it) ATI Radeon video TI Firewire chipset Windows XP when trying to boot it emits three beeps (one long followed by two short). power and buttons light up but the screen is blank. looking around on the net for info on the beep codes it seems that it might be a problem with the motherboard/video. one post that i saw said it might be due to a bad solder joint on the video chip, that they'd seen this problem before and have had success in fixing it. called HP support and they said it'd cost me at least $400 to send it in and have them check it out (and of course they wanted me to think about just buying a new computer from them). have some questions: - would bringing it to a local computer shop be of any use? would they be able to troubleshoot and/or fix it, or would they just tell me to send it to HP? i can actually solder pretty well myself (even surface mount), might it be worthwhile to take it apart and see if reflowing the solder joints helps? - unfortunately, it's been quite a while since i've backed up my hard drive and it's obviously got all my software, samples, and a ton of other things on it. assuming that it's not a problem with the hard drive itself, how hard would it be to recover what's on it? at least all my files, if i end up having to install all my software on another computer then i'll just have to deal with that. is it possible to mount the laptop drive in a desktop PC and recover the files that way. if so, is this hard to do? - i've considered buying a used one and swapping my hard drive into it (obviously the same model/specs or as close as i can find). good idea or no? - i've also considered buying something a bit newer (though probably used) with at least a dual-core processor. would it be possible to swap my hard drive into something like this? with a newer laptop (which was probably made for running Vista), is it possible to just toss my drive in there and be up and running again? how dependent on the computer specs/motherboard/etc are the contents of the drive? really at a loss regarding where to go from here, any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks! Why not buy a Clevo i7 laptop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unfed Posted September 29, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 29, 2009 well, i don't see that happening any time soon, but thanks. on the other hand, my birthday is coming up in a few weeks if you're feeling generous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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