Page 1 of 1
W500 won't boot
Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 8:27 pm
by Kogey
Well here we go. It was working fine all day, powered it off, took a nap, woke up, plugged it in, now it doesn't boot. Lights come on, no HDD indicator, just the power light and no post or display. I pulled and swapped the ram and same issue. No beeps, just the power light. How screwed am I?
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 9:37 pm
by Brad
I would try the static discharge procedure. With no battery or A/C adapter press and hold the power button ten times for about a second each time.
Then attach battery and A/C and make another boot attempt.
Brad
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 10:17 pm
by Kogey
Brad wrote:I would try the static discharge procedure. With no battery or A/C adapter press and hold the power button ten times for about a second each time.
Then attach battery and A/C and make another boot attempt.
Brad
Tried that about an hour ago. No dice.
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 12:17 am
by Brad
If you remove the ram and boot do you get the 1-3-3-1 beep sequence?
Brad
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 12:24 am
by precip9
One thing to try: remove the HD, DVD, and battery, not in any particular order. See if you get a BIOS POST that way.
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 11:34 am
by Kogey
Brad wrote:If you remove the ram and boot do you get the 1-3-3-1 beep sequence?
Brad
Removed ram, HDD, and optical drive, no beeps just the power light
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:01 pm
by Kogey
So I went through and just decided to re-seat everything internally, checking all screws and suddenly
she posts!
Currently posting this from my W500, looks like she's gonna live to see another good few years.
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 5:25 pm
by precip9
I have a superstition which is chronically reinforced by experience.
When I insert a DIMM, I do it three times. Too many times, omitting this has resulted in trouble. It seems that the chemical cleaning procedure of the maker just isn't enough.
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 5:30 pm
by rkawakami
Pencil eraser (not pen), rubbed across the gold contacts on the module helps too. Just be sure to brush/blow away any rubber residue before installing.
Re: W500 won't boot
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 6:17 pm
by precip9
Yes, a pencil eraser works. But the guys who do the plating don't like it, because it takes the gold off. They argue that with multiple insertions, under a microscope, the gold just balls up and moves around.
First I clean with alcohol and a Bounty towel, which, being purified of lignin, is safe for optics. But then I do the 3-insert ritual.
