Laptop won't turn on after changing thermal paste

[David840]

I changed the thermal paste, cleaned the fan and heat sink with a dry cloth, after I installed everything and pressed the power button, the power on led would turn on for 3 -  4 seconds but laptop would not boot up, no screen or fan spining , I tried multiple times and after few hours when I plug the ac adapter no led is turning on. 

[Raj_05]

Hi @David840,

Welcome to HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

I'm sorry to hear that you're facing issues with your HP laptop after changing the thermal paste. There could be several reasons why your laptop is not turning on. Let's go through some troubleshooting steps to try and identify the problem.

• Check power source and adapter: Ensure that the laptop is connected to a power source and that the power adapter is working correctly. Sometimes, the issue might be as simple as a dead battery or a faulty power adapter.
• Reset battery: If your laptop has a removable battery, try removing it, and then press and hold the power button for about 15-20 seconds. After that, reconnect the battery and try turning on the laptop again.
• Verify thermal paste application: Double-check that you applied the thermal paste correctly. Make sure you didn't use excessive paste, as it can cause electrical issues or short circuits if it comes into contact with sensitive components on the motherboard.
• Recheck connections: When you opened the laptop to apply the thermal paste, it's possible that some connections or components were accidentally disturbed. Open the laptop again and ensure that all connections, especially those involving the motherboard, are properly seated and secure.
• Static discharge: If you didn't take proper precautions against static electricity while working on your laptop, it's possible that static discharge damaged sensitive components. Static electricity can be harmful to electronics, so always use an anti-static wrist strap or regularly ground yourself by touching a metal surface before working on internal components.
• Inspect for physical damage: While you have the laptop open, inspect the motherboard and other components for any signs of physical damage, such as burnt areas, loose solder joints, or damaged capacitors.
• Try booting without certain components: As a last resort, if you're comfortable doing so, try booting the laptop with minimal components connected. This means removing unnecessary peripherals, such as DVD drives, additional RAM sticks, or secondary hard drives, to rule out any potential issues caused by those components.

I hope this helps. 
 

Take care and have a good day.

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Alden4
HP Support