HP Pavillion P6000 power switch will not light up, but fan goes on and power light in back is green [ Edited ]

[imfritzy]

Hello,

I have an HP Pavillion P6000 series. Yesterday the computer was working fine. Then I tried to install a KVM switch, so that I could switch between this computer and an older computer. After a while, I noticed that the power switch was amber or yellow, and the computer had frozen. I tried to do a hard reboot by holding down the power switch, but the computer would not turn off. (It seemed to go off momentarily, but then went back on).

I turned off the power strip supplying power to the computer and all the peripherals. I also removed the KVM switch.

Then I tried to turn the computer on. Now the computer won't turn on and boot up. More specifically, when I press the power switch to turn on the computer, the light in back goes green, and there is no beeping and no flashing. Just a steady green light. The fan is on. But the power switch itself is not illuminated, and the computer does not boot up.

I disconnected all of the peripherals, removed the power cord for a minute, and then reattached the power cord. I then tried to turn the computer back on, but I get the same response when I attempt to turn on the computer: green light in back, fan on, no beep, no flashing lights, and the power switch itself won't light up, and nothing boots.

I am not technologically sophisticated, but would be grateful for any help.

Thank you.

[Danjen]

It could be the power supply, shorted device of any kind attached (bad printer, flash drive, keyboard, mouse, network connection), memory problem, video card fan not spinning and the video card could have overheated, bad capacitors (rounded or leaking a brown or dark substance). The first think you should do is make sure it is not under warrantee.  If it is, contact HP.  If it isn't, remove the cover and inspect the board for bad capacitors, fans not turning, disconnect all non essential items like the hard drive, DVD, floppy if you have one, all external devices (yes the monitor) and turn on the computer. Does it appear to stay on? If yes, shut it down by holding in the power button for 5 or more seconds or flipping the power switch on the power supply or pulling the plug. Connect the monitor and then one item at a time leaving the hard drive with your important data as the last item. If it didn't stay on. Try to use only one piece of memory and try each memory slot, try the next piece etc. If that doesn't work, the best guess is the power supply (if you have an ohm meter - test the power supply first).

[imfritzy]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. My on-line research inclined me to think that the problem was the power supply, too. But I brought the computer into Office Depot for a free diagnosis, and the technician thought that the problem was the video card (because he could not detect a video feed).

Although the HP warranty has expired, I've learned that my credit card company may extend the warranty of purchases for another year. If true, I'm covered under the extended warranty. Therefore, I may simply send the computer in to HP for repairs (they quoted me $200, including shipping), and let my credit card company pay the cost under the extended warranty. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll exhaust myself trying to troubleshoot.