hp compaq nc6000 problems

[stlcraft]

I had an idea that the power jack could be causing the short as it's the most messed with thing that directly links to something that would shut this thing off. So I plugged it in to the docking station, up comes windows and as soon as everything was loaded up it froze again. It's 199 for a new motherboard for this thing and I don't trust getting one from ebay used as how do you know you're not just getting another messed up part? I got a Laptop 2.5" HD to Regular IDE HD Converter Adapter KIT from ebay for a couple bucks. You're going to need it to get back your data and wipe the drive clean. I'm going to run some antivirus tests on the drive too, but it looks like a shoddy board from all the posts. Intel, maby there is a solution from their site?

[dpritchard]

Originally Posted by stlcraft

It's 199 for a new motherboard for this thing and I don't trust getting one from ebay used as how do you know you're not just getting another messed up part?

$199 Is not too bad - US Dollars I presume? I am temped to do the replacement myself, but it may just be I take it in to the HP people and hope that I can reproduce the problem under pressure...

Originally Posted by stlcraft

I got a Laptop 2.5" HD to Regular IDE HD Converter Adapter KIT from ebay for a couple bucks. You're going to need it to get back your data and wipe the drive clean.

Backing up is not too much of an issue for me: I have a converter / external 2.5" case already and my data is well backed up to the server at home in anycase...

Originally Posted by stlcraft

I'm going to run some antivirus tests on the drive too, but it looks like a shoddy board from all the posts. Intel, maby there is a solution from their site?

Good luck with that. Tell us how it goes. I was virus free according to AVG just yesterday (which was the last time I got my NC6000 to boot - now it is dead again). Yep it is certainly looking like new MoBo time.

Regards,
Dan

[speedflare]

Compaq nc6000 Admin password
It works without replacing the security chip
pull the keyboard
unplug battery plug next to the cd rom
unscrew a little board on top of battery plug it has two small screws
pull the little board out
wait like 5 min.
now be sure you pull the laptop batt off and harddrive aswell
canect it just with the power cord
turn it on
and magic.......
Turn it off
Place everything back into place
and you are ready to rumble
I sincerelly apreciate all the feedback from those who invest time in posting solutions for other.
thank you all.

[bboc]

I have a number of nc6000s at our school. I came across this forum looking for the power on problem that is described in this thread. I accidentally found a very strange situation that occurs. This is not a fix, in fact it actually points towards a problem with HP's repair center.
Once this problem occurs, and after it shuts itself back down, if you use the palm of your hand and press down gently on the J-K-L area of the keyboard, then press the power on switch, the units powers up normally!!!!!! DO NOT PRESS DOWN HARD!
Sometimes the unit comes on and stays on, sometimes it is very movement sensitive, sometimes it drops power again in short order. Whichever the situation, it is always repeatable. The very unfortunate part of this is that a replacement motherboard may have exactly the same problem. I suspect that the HP repair facility, not being able to find a problem with the failed motherboard, simply puts it back into the "good spare part" category.
All of my units are still under service contract. On the very first one of these, the unit was out of service for two and a half months while the service technician replaced motherboard, CPU, etc., and ultimately sent it back to HP who replaced the motherboard again. So far there have been six, one arriving on my bench this afternoon. This problem first surfaced after the notebooks had been in service for 22 months.
To summarize, if you purchase a motherboard from anyone at all, insist on at least a 30 day warranty, preferably longer.

[mellor]

It may have just been coincidence I don't know, but I followed the steps of a previous poster in this thread, supposedly from a HP technician, to remove the mains and battery, and then hold down the power button for 30 seconds. It actually worked for me, so thanks for that post!

Just wanted to repost this in case anyone else missed it earlier in the topic. Hope it helps any others in the same boat, because I know its frustrated me for days!

[dhakir]

I've also had the orange light problem for a week before I finally got it working (partially) again.

My problems began when I removed the battery and connected the AC adapter directly to the laptop, as suggested in the manual (to preserve battery life). Probably it was a bad coincidence, but after that it would not boot normally (orange light and sometimes the blue led as well, but no green power light). I thought the adapter had somehow burned something out, since I followed all suggestions in this thread (including opening the laptop several times) and tried booting it at least 30 times, trying different things, but it had NEVER come back again.

Yesterday, I disassembled it completely, checked the entire motherboard, disconnected everything and tried booting it, and nothing. Then I assembled it back and was ready to take it to some tech support (my warranty has expired so I couldn't take it to hp), until today I noticed there was an extra screw. It was one of the fan assembly, so I opened it again and put it there. But I had forgotten to remove the battery this time (I always removed it before disassembling), so I don't know if it helped somehow (probably it didn't), so I tried booting it as I always did after changing things. Miraculously, it went on (by the way, I then noticed that during the first 2 seconds or so you can notice whether it's going to boot or not - the fan does not make so much noise and the green light turns on almost instantly). My happiness didn't last long, though; after some minutes on (without touching it), the screen went off. I rebooted and the orange light came back on. I then tried moving it here and there, until I found out that by pressing the right side of the keyboard (in my case, it's not above the keyboard, it's the right edge of the laptop that works better) with quite some strength (I had tried similar stuff before, but never that hard, since someone in the thread suggested not to press it too hard), it would boot. If I let it go, sometimes the screen goes off and everything apparently stops responding. Then I have to boot it again.

Anyway, what I could notice, booting the laptop without one of the plates, is that there is the fan assembly can move, like, a millimeter or so, if I press it very hard. There are 2 screws around it, and apparently the region where it needs pressure is the lower left corner - quite distant of these screws. Normally, a very tightened keyboard screw (the left one, when the laptop is upside down) should be able to hold it in place, but it can still go loose. I had unscrewed the keyboard a few times before this problem happened (to upgrade the memory), and also had moved the laptop around quite a lot, and it had never happened. Suddenly it went off, and it was just by luck that I found out it was still working and not burned out. I still don't have a solution to make sure the fan assembly will keep tightly in place, so I'm afraid of using the laptop again and having it lock up in the middle of something important. I just couldn't believe such a small displacement could make a difference - there must be some bad quality sensor or connector near that region. Someone in the thread mentioned the fan could "tilt" and be somewhat "loose". For me, it had always seemed secured enough in place, until I found out this incredibly small displacement could be the difference between booting or not booting.

To sum up, my suggestions to anyone with the "orange light" problem would be:

- Remove the keyboard
- Remove the LED board (unscrew 2 black screws on the back of the laptop)
- Remove the memory and keyboard plates
- Push down hard the lower left corner of the fan assembly (the thick metal around the fan)
- Try booting it on while pushing this part down

If it works, release the fan assembly and if the screen goes off, then you have to make sure this part will somehow remain pressed to avoid the problem from happening. In theory, screwing really hard the keyboard screw close to the fan assembly should do, but not always.

I think it's really a shame for hp that this notebook, which seems quite sturdy, has such a problem with something that's not even broken. No wonder so many people sell this laptop cheap on eBay...

[magicmerlin67]

Hello People, I have a HP Compaq NC6000 that doesn't power up. When I switch it on, a fan comes on and an amber light for about 15 seconds before it switches itself off. I have replaced the battery and tried a new mains charger but unfortunately I have had no joy. Any ideas anybody for a remedy.

[dhakir]

Originally Posted by magicmerlin67

Hello People, I have a HP Compaq NC6000 that doesn't power up. When I switch it on, a fan comes on and an amber light for about 15 seconds before it switches itself off. I have replaced the battery and tried a new mains charger but unfortunately I have had no joy. Any ideas anybody for a remedy.

As you can see, several people in this thread have had the same problem.
If it started happening suddenly, I'd guess it might be bad contact near the fan assembly. I've had the same problem and it took me quite a while to fix it.

I'd recommend you read my previous post, or in short, try the following:
- Press down hard near the right side of the laptop and try booting. The 3 LEDs (num lock and caps lock and scroll lock) shoud blink and the power light (between the blue wireless light and the amber charge light) should turn on almost instantly. If this doesn't happen, after a few seconds you'll hear a distinct fan noise and the amber light will turn on. Even if you push hard after this point, it won't help; you'll have to wait until it turns off to try again.
- If that does not solve the problem, try tightening the left keyboard screw (when you turn the laptop upside down). It helped me a few times.
- If it still does not boot, try opening the laptop (remove the 2 keyboard screws and 2 LED board screws - they're near the dock connector, refer to the service manual for more detail), remove the keyboard, then the LED board (the one that has the Power button), then remove the memory and keyboard plates. You'll see the fan assembly on the right side. Try pushing it down hard on its lower left part and then booting. It almost always helps for me.

The real problem, after managing to make it boot again, is to make sure it won't lose contact while using it. If this happens, the screen will go blank and the computer will halt. You'll have to reboot it.

I'm currently taking lots of care not to press the keyboard keys too hard, especially on the left corner, since any minor movements can tilt the laptop and make it lose contact again. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a solution to put it in place for good, neither have I found the exact spot where it needs to be pushed. But if I take care and have some patience, I can still make some use of the laptop, instead of having to throw it away for good.

If these instructions do not work, or if you find a permanent solution to this problem, please post it to the forum.

[nixz]

Hey guys, I am having problems too with the NC6000. I have been trying to remove the Hard Drive so that I could replace it with a new one. However, the original hard drive seems like it is jammed. I have tried pulling on the tab several times but the hard drive does not release. Could someone explain to me how to remove the hard drive? Thanks in advance

[dhakir]

If you have removed the screw on the back of the case (besides the one that allows you to open the HD tray), there shouldn't be any problem. Mine did require a quite strong pull the first time. When I put a HD without a tab, I needed to remove it with pliers, but the plastic silver tab sufficed for the original one.