captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| VAIO no POST issue
Hey guys, looking for input, pretty much any ideas...
Got a Sony Vaio VGN-FS660/W laptop. The problem it has is it will not POST. When you power it on, it will flash the VAIO logo on the screen with the little tune they play, and then it just stops. Goes no further. VAIO on screen, and it goes nowhere.
I was able to get into the BIOS once or twice through F2, what normally happens, is you hit F2, the screen changes and shows you the items detected screen with "Entering BIOS.... Please wait...." at the bottom, and does nothing afterward.
The 2 times I did get it into BIOS, I reset all settings to default - VERY limited BIOS, you can't do jack to it to turn onboard things off, and no change. The second time I got it into BIOS, I let it sit, and it locked up soon after.
What I've tried:
Removed everything I could from the unit, hard drive, CD, memory, (swapped with new RAM) and no change. Fans all spin and work when power is applied. I could disassemble the unit further, but would like some feedback prior to doing so. I also removed the keyboard to rule that out.
It looks like a mobo issue to me.
Ideas? |
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yuutomo
The Wonder Kitter
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Missoula, MT | you may want to remove ac power, battery, and then the button cell battery and let it sit for a bit then reverse order and see if you can get into the bios. |
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PeteC2
Ballad Of A Thin Man
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join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT
clubs:
 ·AT&T Yahoo
| said by yuutomo  :you may want to remove ac power, battery, and then the button cell battery and let it sit for a bit then reverse order and see if you can get into the bios. Good suggestion. If re-setting the bios from scratch does not work, then at this stage it does sound like a motherboard issue.
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...something is happening here but you don't know what it is...do you, Mr. Jones? |
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yuutomo
The Wonder Kitter
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Missoula, MT | reply to captokita
it may not be, could be a bad button cell battery or main battery or bad ac adapter at the moment, will need further testing before assuming that. |
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PeteC2
Ballad Of A Thin Man
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join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT
clubs:
·AT&T Yahoo
| said by yuutomo :it may not be, could be a bad button cell battery or main battery or bad ac adapter at the moment, will need further testing before assuming that. The main battery could be dead and it will still run on the ac adapter...seen that many times. In fact, my wife's Viao notebook has a dead battery even as we speak...and the notebook runs just fine.
Not 100% impossible, but unlikely a bad ac adapter...generally they work, or they are dead, not much middle ground there (unless it is a 3d party adapter, possibly not a proper match for that notebook).
As far as the CMOS battery? Test it and/or replace it, no biggie there...
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...something is happening here but you don't know what it is...do you, Mr. Jones? |
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yuutomo
The Wonder Kitter
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Missoula, MT
 ·Bresnan Online
| reply to captokita
pete, if it's anything electronic, it can do more than work or not work, I've seen many AC adapters that were failing, but would output properly under a test, but when it came to handling the load from the laptop it would attempt to output and fail. I never assume anything till it's been tested thoroughly. |
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captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| reply to yuutomo
Thanks for the ideas.
I'll have to find where the battery for the CMOS is so I can disconnect it. It's not easily accessible where I am with the laptop. (keyboard off, bottom covers off. I may have to pull the thing completely apart for that. (was really hoping not to have to do this, but it seems inevitable.
As for battery / power pack. Removed the battery completely. Using the stock adapter it came with. (I'm assuming, it's not a universal adapter. I'll try my universal to rule that out.
Thanks again, will post back results. |
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captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| Ok, update:
Tried universal adapter, same no post results. I've got the whole bottom of the unit off, and removed the CD drive, still can't see the CMOS battery......  Have removed basically anything and everything I can think of that would prevent it from booting, and still it will not.
Next? (still looking for the CMOS battery) I'll look for a schematic for this model, maybe that will help.... |
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captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| Update again - get this:
I basically disassembled the whole damn thing. Right down to bare components, and with each item removed, I would boot the unit, and get the same results - VAIO boot screen with nothing as soon as it comes up.
So could not find the CMOS battery on this thing. Looked and looked for wiring that would lead to one, but no luck.
Frustrated, I put everything back together again. Flipped it over, and turned it on. VAIO comes up, and GOES AWAY! It starts to boot, and fails with a "Windows could not start because" basically corrupted registry error.
So I don't know why, but it's started working again. I'll try to repair the registry and see if it will boot, but consider me still stumped...... |
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yuutomo
The Wonder Kitter
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Missoula, MT | reply to captokita
well, glad to see that it's booting again, you may have reseated something like the battery or HDD or some other component when you reassembled it. |
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PeteC2
Ballad Of A Thin Man
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT
clubs:
·AT&T Yahoo
| reply to yuutomo
said by yuutomo :pete, if it's anything electronic, it can do more than work or not work, I've seen many AC adapters that were failing, but would output properly under a test, but when it came to handling the load from the laptop it would attempt to output and fail. I never assume anything till it's been tested thoroughly. I am not arguing there, but I've got say that I have never had an AC adapter on anything printers/laptops/routers/the list goes on (and that is one hell of a lot of ac adapters!), that only "semi-worked"...it either did, or it did not (certainly had some that died!), but if you have actually experienced this, I'll take your word on it!
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...something is happening here but you don't know what it is...do you, Mr. Jones? |
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PeteC2
Ballad Of A Thin Man
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-20
Bristol, CT
clubs:
·AT&T Yahoo
| reply to yuutomo
said by yuutomo :well, glad to see that it's booting again, you may have reseated something like the battery or HDD or some other component when you reassembled it. Could be...maybe the HD "froze"? Also maybe a bit of dust/debris causing a bridge that got loosened/fell off.
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...something is happening here but you don't know what it is...do you, Mr. Jones? |
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captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| said by PeteC2 :Could be...maybe the HD "froze"? Also maybe a bit of dust/debris causing a bridge that got loosened/fell off. Well, after it checked the drive, and found several bad spots on it, I decided to just clone the drive, and replace it. Unfortunately, the drive had other plans and up and died during the cloning. Ah well.
Replaced the drive, and ran a fresh install of XP. Installed all system drivers, and ran the SP3 install, no problem.
System reboots from the install, and it's right back to where it was before. Locks at the VAIO screen and will go no further...... ARGH! Something must be defective on the board....  |
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yuutomo
The Wonder Kitter
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Missoula, MT | reply to captokita
nope, it's a problem with SP3. |
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captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| said by yuutomo :nope, it's a problem with SP3. How can a service pack to an OS prevent a system from completing POST? Impossible. Corrupt the OS and cause BSODs certainly, but it will not effect the POST.
That said, I left it alone overnight, and the sucker booted with no issues the next morning.
It's a board level problem somewhere, but I don't know what it is, and it's doubtful it'd be repairable by me anyway.
Thanks for the input gang! |
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yuutomo
The Wonder Kitter
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Missoula, MT
·Bresnan Online
| reply to captokita
»forums.cnet.com/5208-6142_102-0.···=2715153
»www.osnews.com/story/19738
»www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-N···ontinue/ |
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captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| Ok, and? Again, those are related issues to the OS, not with POST. Unless the SP has the ability to flash your BIOS, it's not gonna effect your POST ability. We're talking lockup at POST, NOT during boot.
I know SP3 has it's issues, as SP2 did, and on a clean install is a breeze from my experience with it.
I'm not trying to come off as an ass, but I'm obviously not following where you're trying to go. |
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