Laptop won't turn on or stay on unless I press & hold any button other than the power button

[carnivore2024]

Disclaimer: the problem has been solved, the purpose of the post is to document the problem and solution for anyone else that could face the same problem in the future.

Problem occured: while web-browsing with very light-load computing the laptop just shut down abruptly. Battery was fully charged, AC cord is plugged in and the system is receiving power from the cord. Long-pressing power button for >60 seconds does not do anything.

Troubleshooting: out of frustration I just randomly and repititively press buttons on the keyboard, and the power button and screen backlight seemed to light up for a brief moment. I proceeded to press & hold a random button and NOT LET GO (esc button in my case) and the laptop somehow turned on. Laptop turned on as normal, as long as I keep the button pressed down and not let go. The system will shut down again if I take my finger off the button.

Solution: since the laptop is still under warranty HP sent an onsite repair technician over. I had to make sure that the technician brought along a new spare part for the keyboard, which he promptly dismantled my laptop and replaced the chassis (the keyboard is attached with the chassis so the whole thing was changed). Upon inspection the keyboard's ribbon connector had a dent, which we suspect was the cause of the issue. Likely to be due to poor assembly or laptop's structural integrity. 

Hope this helps anyone in the future, HP or otherwise. This problem have occured to other people using other brands of laptops too.

[A_Gayathri]

Hi @carnivore2024,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.  

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

Thank you for sharing your experience and the solution to your laptop issue. It’s great that you were able to resolve the problem with HP’s support and that your detailed troubleshooting helped pinpoint the issue. 

Here’s a concise summary of the problem and solution for others who might encounter a similar issue:

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.