Sudden black screen with no way to recover

[bjdlrl]

In the middle of creating an email, screen went black and have been unable to recover. I have plugged and unplugged everything more than once with no luck. I have no idea whether or not the computer is on, but the battery pack light is on.

[itsmyname]

Unplug it from the electrical outlet, and plug something else electrical (radio, phone charger, etc.) into that socket, to verify that the socket is OK.

Could a circuit-breaker in your electrical panel have "popped" ?

Does the computer have any video-output port, such as to connect to a video-projector? If so, borrow a monitor, and connect the monitor to that port on your computer, and power-on your computer. Any video output to this secondary screen?

Is the original HP warranty still valid? If so, HP will fix it, for free (shipping costs?).

If the warranty has expired, HP can still fix it, for a fee. Or, any owner/operator computer-store can take a look at it.

Got a nearby university that has a "helpdesk", backed-up by HP-certified computer repair technicians?

[bjdlrl]

Thanks. I tried those things. Don't know if warranty still valid but doubt it. I'll find someone experienced with HP to check it out. Appreciate your help!

[itsmyname]

Forgot to add two things:

1. Take the computer to a completely-dark room, and start it up. If you look closely at the monitor, do you see a very-dark image of your normal "desktop" ? If so, then a component of the monitor has failed, resulting in a very-dark screen.

2. Immediately while powering-up the computer, do you hear any noise from the fan inside the computer? Any "crackling" sound from the (non-SSD) disk-drive moving the read/write head? Any lamps on the edge of the computer, that blink when there is disk-drive input/output, or any lamp to be "on" when the computer is receiving power?

P.S. It is "good news" that your disk-drive probably is OK -- all your files probably can be accessed, if your disk-drive is removed, and then connected as a secondary disk-drive in some other computer.

[stevecomputer]

Try staring with the battery removed.  Take out the battery and hold the power down for at least ten seconds then leave the battery out and try to start it.  Listen carefully for the fan. If it is on then try plugging your laptop into and external display using whatever port it has, VGA or HDMI.  Can you test the power supply on a similar laptop?

[bjdlrl]

Hey Steve. Thanks. This computer, however, is an envy all in one; The battery pack is external and an actual part of the power plug so I can't "take the battery out." Appreciate your time though.

[stevecomputer]

If it is and external power pack it could be blown.  Can you hear a fan spin in the all in one when you try to start?  You could still try unplugging the power and holding the power button down for ten seconds then plugging in and trying again. Sometimes it can reset things.

[bjdlrl]

Yes I have done those things. The light on the battery pack is on and a friend tested it to confirm it's got power. This computer is silent so no way to even tell if it's on or off. I intend to find an authorized HP repair person. But thanks again!

[stevecomputer]

No problem and good luck.