Disassembled laptop not working anymore :-(

[Oink!]

Hi!

Maybe one of you know a bit about laptop hardware and can help me out (if it's the wrong place to post this, please let me know).

Last week a friend of mine gave an "old" laptop. Some of the keys were not working but everything else was fine. Just perfect for a small arcade like Agent9's.

Pic. Laptop mid-way disassembled.


Pic. Pieces!


I had extreme care disassembling it. No yanks, no force anywhere... But when I plugged the essential pieces back again, it didn't work anymore

I tried everything, so I thought I should just forget about it and dump it. But yesterday I tried one last time and... it worked! 

Pic. Working. Screen is lit, fan is spinning. There's an error on the screen saying that it won't boot without a HDD


I unplugged it, plugged the HDD, plugged the board again and now it's not working anymore. Back to square one ;( Pressing the on/off button does nothing at all. It doesn't even switch on any LED 

Do you have any clues on what could be going on? I'm pretty sure this machine works, but I'm missing something. Do you know if there's some kind of circuit/switch that detects that the screen lid is "closed" so it won't start?

Thanks!

[Vigo]

Can't see the pics from work, but.....If you remove the HDD again, can you get the laptop to post again?

And simply because I have to ask, are you plugged into the wall? Could be low battery.

[rpgposer]

Vigo is on the right track.  Check power.  It could be a problem with the power adapter itself or where it connects to the laptop.  Common issue when someone trips over the cord a few times.

[ark_ader]

I give one possible solution.

There is a dead man switch that needs to be connected in order for the laptop to power up.

What is the make and model of the laptop?

I'll give good odds that you will fry the inverter before you are finished. 

[kahlid74]

As has been suggested you need to hold the power button down until it shuts off completely.  Unplug the HDD and then turn it back on.  If it turns on you know it's either HDD related or Deadman switch related.  If it doesn't you know connected the HDD fried something.

[Oink!]

Sorry for the lack of updates, I was on holidays the last few days

If you remove the HDD again, can you get the laptop to post again?

Nop. It doesn't work anymore. With/without HDD.

And simply because I have to ask, are you plugged into the wall? Could be low battery.

Yes, I'm plugged to the wall. I've tried with the battery as well, just for the shake of it. It didn't work either.

There is a dead man switch that needs to be connected in order for the laptop to power up.
What is the make and model of the laptop?

That makes sense! It's a Packard Bell Easy Note BG45. I couldn't find any proper hardware's manual for this model, though.

I'll give good odds that you will fry the inverter before you are finished.

Maybe I already did!

As has been suggested you need to hold the power button down until it shuts off completely.  Unplug the HDD and then turn it back on.  If it turns on you know it's either HDD related or Deadman switch related.

I've tried that as well. Both with the power outlet connected and disconnected. I've read somewhere that one should hold the power button with the PC unplugged in order to "discharge the system". Anyway, it didn't work! 

So... What does the deadman switch look like? Or is it some software-based thing?

[kahlid74]

Try digging deeper through Google and see if you can find the manual.  It will be imperitive to getting a good idea of where things are on the MB.

Do you have a voltmeter?  I would check the Adapter, and then the leads on the MB.  When you try to turn it on does that fan spin at all?  If you take the memory out and try to turn it on does it beep?

[ark_ader]

Right go back and look at the document below.  It is the disassembly guide for your laptop.

It might be a good time to invest in an anti static wrist strap before you touch the laptop.

Trace back the steps in the manual and make sure you are inserting the 40 pin drive in the right way.  Otherwise it will short the laptop.  Some goofy laptop connectors are sneaky and allow you to reverse the drive.

I accidentally did this with a relic (Thinkpad 386X) I was fixing and after putting in another drive (if you do not have another drive source a CF to 40 pin IDE on ebay for some change if you have a spare CF card floating around) it fired right up.

Otherwise it is working fine and your inverter (they do not like leaving their snug confines of the lid) is toast.  This will make it look like your LCD is not working thus making you run around in circles.  Hook it up to a spare VGA monitor and see it if will perform a Power On Self Test.  If it doesn't locate the battery for the CMOS and remove it for 1 minute, making sure you do not damage the holder, unless it is self contained (the manual doesn't make it clear) then try again.  Make sure you install the VGA board properly.

Ensure that you have seated all the cables and use a small flat bladed screw driver and carefully make sure all the cable connectors are locked.  You might hear a click when pressing down.  Look at the track pad and the keyboard.  Maybe a setting in BIOS halts on errors like a missing keyboard and that could be a ribbon cable that was not threaded into the connector properly.

The more I see this PB the more it reminds me of Ergo Pros.  Which are very similar in construction = PINTA.

Remember it is not a race. Take your time and be methodical. Try documenting by writing out a test plan ensuring you have covered everything, and checking it off your list once you do a section.  I do this all the time and it gives me a way to verify a step before making a fatally bad one later on..

Have fun! 

And remember next time: LEAVE THE LAPTOP IN ITS PLASTICS ESPECIALLY THE LCD!   

Manual.