HP Pavillion dv7 Issues

[fsnorkin]

I have a HP Pavillion dv7 - 1245dx Entertainment Notebook.  I am running Windows 7 64-bit.  I haven't made any recent changes to my computer, and up until lastnight it seemed to be working fine.  I put the laptop in sleep mode, and went back a few minutes later and moved the mouse to wake it, and it acted like it was loading, but the screen stayed black.  The Caps Lock & Scroll Lock LED lights are flashing consistently.  I have done the reset by removing all devices, the battery and power cable, pushed the power button for 30 seconds and then tried to reboot with the power cord.  Still the same reaction.  Any thoughts as to the problem and cost for repairs?  HP on the phone & Best Buy where I purchased the laptop have provided little help.  The computer is only 2 1/2 years old.  I have had it in for multiple repairs during the warranty process, now the warranty is expired.   This is my work computer - I am a graphic designer that works from home, really not a great time for a new computer.

Thanks for any suggestions!

KIm

[HaggisCat]

Remove the battery and adpater, do another hard reset, but when that's done, try booting up with only one stick of RAM. If no success, try the other stick.

 Do you get any HP logo on start up and/or can you get into the BIOS by immediately tapping on the f10 key ?

 From what you describe it sounds like it's not even getting that far.

[fsnorkin]

No it's not getting that far, and the sound is muted so I can't tell if any sounds are coming up at all, and the on keyboard volume controls are unresponsive (even thought they light up).  When I try booting, do I put the stick of ram in the bottom position or the top? OR does it matter?  I did check them both to make sure they weren't loose, but didn't think to try one at a time. 

I appreciate you're help!

Kim

[HaggisCat]

Use the bottom slot, but it may not matter, however you could try both as one person did report it made a difference. That was on a different model though.

[fsnorkin]

Thank You for such a quick response, i will try it out and let you know. I already had one memory stick go bad, so I am hoping this is the problem, this I can fix!
Kim

[fsnorkin]

I tried both RAM sticks in both positions individually & together.  Still no change.   Any other suggestions?

[HaggisCat]

I am really sorry, that's all I have. If you want to repair it, take it to a trusted private repair shop, HP is not that great and Best Buy is even worse. If you need to rescue stuff off the hard drive you can by a 2.5 inch external laptop caddy that can be hooked up to another computer through USB to rescue your files.

 That is assuming the hard drive is still functioning and is not the cause of the problem.

 You are a graphics designer, does any of your software make the laptop work hard and get hot ?  I am thinking the video card may have failed or rather the solder that holds the card to the mother board.

  http://www.vantecusa.com/front/product/view_detail/272