Laptop No Wake, and Charge LED Constaly Blinks White then Orange

[Mauserkm]

This laptop was on and working fine.  I closed the screen and then plugged it in to charge.  Now it will not wake up, and the charging light constantly flashes from white to orange, then a very brief off (less than a second), then white/orange again.  This flashing happens when any charger is connected (have tried 3 different ones).  When the charger is not connected, the charging light stays off. 

Ever since I first closed the lid, the power light has been slowly blinking white, exactly like normal sleep mode.  This does not change even when the power cord is connected and the charging light begins flashing white/orange.

I have tried hard reset by holding down the power button 15 seconds and longer MANY MANY MANY times, with absolutely no results.  The laptop is not very old, but the warranty expired 6 months ago.

Other than the blinking power light that seems to indicate sleep mode, this laptop seems to be totally and completely dead.  Nothing I do causes it to react in any way, and the battery is nor removable.

[erico]

That is an indication of a battery that has reached the end of its service life.

It is time to replace the main battery with a new one.

[Mauserkm]

Thank you for your reply.  I pretty much suspected that the alternating orange/white charge light indicated a battery problem, but numerous searches here and elsewhere turned up nothing on that specific symptom (I have since then found another post using the search term "LED orange/white").  Sometimes it is hard to guess exactly what words someone else might have used in a post on the same subject!

Anyway, I have opened the laptop and removed the battery for a few minutes, replaced it, and it seems to have charged normally.  I'll see if it lasts and replace it if the problems continue.  This particular battery is an HT03XL.  Seems pretty bad to me if the original battery is shot in just one year!  Glad my other HP laptops have been more reliable.

UPDATE:  Looks like I have to replace the battery - after showing a normal white light for a full charge, the laptop still will not start.  It is back to the slowly blinking white power LED, and now when I connect the power cord the charging LED just starts a slow white flash.  I'll report back here later this week when I have replaced the battery.

[erico]

I highly recommend unplugging the battery and not using the notebook until you have the new battery ready to install.

Otherwise, you may find yourself with a system board that has a dead charging circuit.

[Mauserkm]

Sad to say that replacing the battery did absolutely nothing to fix this laptop (or change the symptoms in any way).  Beginning to look like I need to buy another computer, and it probably won't be another HP this time!

Is there any way to test if somehow the screen-closed switch is borked?  I do not even know where that switch is or how it operates; I'm guessing it might be magnetic?  That circuit seems like the only other plausible cause, considering the last thing I did with this laptop before the problem was simply to close the screen.  In addition, the symptoms are the same as I get if I close the screen on another HP laptop and then try to wake it with the power button while the screen is still closed (the on/off LED continues to flash slowly, and the power button does nothing).

[Mauserkm]

Just to briefly recap:  The current problem is that this laptop will never power on - the ONLY thing it will do is slowly flash the power LED exactly as if it was asleep.  NOTHING causes the laptop to fully shutdown or reboot; once the power LED starts slowly blinking, the only way to stop it is to pull the battery.

The original reported issue with the charge light blinking alternately orange/white was resolved after removing the battery for the first time.  That problem has not come back.  The original battery seems to charge fine to a steady white light, and a new replacement battery charged fine.

The power button IS working, as pressing it to turn on the laptop after a battery is replaced starts the power light blinking slowly (as if the laptop is asleep), but NOTHING else happens.  Holding down the power button for 4 seconds, 20 seconds, or over a minute does nothing at all.  Attempting to start the laptop with or without external power applied makes no difference.  In fact, attempting to start the laptop with NO battery installed and only external power makes no difference.  Same symptoms with any of three different power supplies.

Is there anything else I should try, or am I at the end of the road with this 1 year old laptop (purchased new on 3/4/2021!).?