Laptop Power Woes

**dchw_dude** · January 12th, 2005, 03:27 PM

I have a lot of laptops that I have recently fell into, and one of them is an old Micron TransPort XPE. I do not have the original power brick that came with it, but managed to find one with the same voltage and amperage(15v, 2.3A), yet it still will not see the current. The plug sizze is also correct. Is there anything I can do?(besides use it as a boat anchor)

Another has a BIOS password. Besides waiting a couple years, could I change the BIOS chip with another of the same one(both Phoenix NoteBIOS 4.0) and have it re-flash the NVRAM?

Any help would be appreciated.

**Kuasimodem** · January 12th, 2005, 03:45 PM

It could be possible that the new power brick is reverse polarity, this could be the reason that the laptop doesn't see it. Most electronics that use external power sources have diodes which protect the unit from having reverse voltage applied to them.

As for the bios password, you could either disassemble the laptop and disconnect the bios and normal batteries. Or possibly look for a reset button (usually recessed in a small hole) somewhere on the laptop. To use it, you must remove all power sources, including the main battery, and hold the button in for a few seconds. Use a paperclip or toothpick to press the button.

**dchw_dude** · January 15th, 2005, 10:39 PM

I managed to find another brick that had the same volt/amp as the laptop, and it is even a laptop power brick. That still doesn't work. How would I go about reversing the polarity of a brick?

About the laptop with the BIOS password - I cannot find a battery anywhere, Once I get underneath the mainboard i can check if it is there. On most that I have fixed, the battery was in the fron left corner. This is not the case. I also do not see a reset button. Maybe this old Dell is unfixable.