Familiar Story - tx2000 - lights and fan on, but black screen at boot up

[MikeyK]

What a bunch of crap, I really don't think they know if they are coming or going. I received a call from a case mgr a few days ago in regards to my daughters dv9000...sos, lights and fan on but black screen at boot up, she said she was from HP consumer relations and then hung up ?? I guess I will drop the CEO another email..They just want us to go away which

isn't going to happen..

[WebFX]

I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau against Hewlett-Packard (headquarters) regarding the tx1000 series laptops - which I am still awaiting resolution on.  I am also still in close contact with CTV News regarding the matter and hopefully they will be aiding me in pressing the issue even farther with HP. I am not willing to let this matter go, everyone else with a tx1000 series laptop deserves the same resolution from HP as myself. I'll keep you posted.

[jonasrkp]

Hi! I'm from Calgary and have the same issue w/ my tx1418ca.

I bought the laptop in May 2008 and in Sept 09 it was loosing wireless connection. I bought a wireless adapter but in last week of Oct. I had a blank screen w/ all LEDs on. I called HP but of course nothing happened and was told to send if for a $399 diagnostic and repair + the cost of the parts. I am now trying to claim a warranty on my credit card company w/c I used when I bought the laptop but also taking time as I need a written estimate  of the total cost for repair and parts from an authorized HP repair centre.

let me know what BBB comes up or if CTV will need some more case.

[jonasrkp]

Btw, I saw in somewhere forum a picture of the GPU that there is a glue around the BGA IC which if that was the original condition of the chip, means that HP knew that there was a problem w/ the BGA solder balls lifting away from the board. I never opened mine yet as I want to wait for the reply of the claim. I know about that glue as I work in a electronics co. w/ SMT lines and we usually place the glue around the problematic BGAs (when customer requests) to minimize the lifting of the solder balls/BGA.

[MikeyK]

Off course they knew about it, it is called cost saving, they take a component that does not have a high fail rate and figure out how to make it cheaper, and to make it work for the warranty period, if the project fails as in this case, they fire the project mgr and all his/her little ants. My tx1000 that was repaired under the warranty and most likely has the 'rtv' around it to make it last until the warranty expired. Now for the dirty deal, figure out how to get people to pay you to repair and give them a 90 day warranty. I retired in 2004 after 30+ years as a field technician for a very, very large company and saw it happen quite often,

in fact I was on a team to figure out how to correct the problem in the field without having to replace the product. I could also

no charge the repair on the spot, but I suspect that policy ended. These people are stupid to screw their consumers, like us,

they should handle a no charge repair as a 'one-on-one" policy. Folks, it's called, $MAKE-MOE$, I called them 'bean counters'. We must Keep On Pushin" !

[Chojun]

jonasrkp,

Thanks for the post.  Your insights into the glue around the IC I think is extremely important in this case.

Could you tell me what the trade name/process is for the glue?  I'd like to look up some of the specifications on the glue if I can get a name for it.  For example, what its temperature threshold is.  Maybe you know this off-hand.

[MikeyK]

Hey..I saw a video somewhere where they were pulling it off with some type of very small heat gun, it looked like RTV=RTV Sealer. Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) sealant hardens when exposed to air. But I'm not sure that is what was used

on the board. I have not opened my 'notebook' because I got it working with the hair dryer trick, all but the wifi, and I am

going to keep on fighting with them to fix it right. I'm not sure where I saw the video but I will look for it and see if they

name the black stuff. You know, this tx1000 was my first non desktop and I juiced it up to the tune of $2K plus, if I had

only spent $4 or $5 hundred bucks I would have got the consumer guy for the local news/tv channel, hang it from a

tree while being filmed and put a .45cal hole in it, but I will fight this until the end of time...

[MikeyK]

UP-DATE Just spent an hour on the phone with another case mgr, bottom like is that there is no program to repair my tx1000 or my daughters dv9000, period, and she was very nice and I know there is no magic button for her to push today. So I told her "we" aren't just dropping this. So keep complaining people and don't spend a penny for anything with the HP name on it, and let the retail people know why...

[jonasrkp]

Chojun,

The glue we use is Surface Epoxy 4044 by AIM (American Iron Metal) used for bonding chips (IC), red color, w/c is probably the same stuff they use.

[Chojun]

Jonasrkp,

Thanks again for that valuable information.  I've emailed AIM for more information, but their data sheets for their Surface Epoxy products show that the Heat Deflection Temperature is 97C.  The GPU exceeds this temperature, so it's fairly safe to assume that at a maximum operating temperature with the GPU of 105C (that I've seen in my unit), the surface epoxy is failing to hold the GPU die to the motherboard tightly as it should.  We already know that solder (depending on its constituent components) begins to soften at around 95C-110C.

The thing is, I don't know how much more of this information is needed before HP will pull their heads out and realize they have a very serious problem with these units.

Also, as a side note, the removal temperature of the epoxy is 120C, so I would STRONGLY CAUTION people TO NOT USE A HEAT GUN ON THE MOTHERBOARD.  Some solutions, especially on youtube, show people using heat guns to reseat the chip.  Do not do this.