DV9000 Black blank Screen, No Video, Fix

[marshall110]

Not sure if this will work but it saved my $2300 HP DV9000 from being auctioned off on ebay for parts just yesterday.

Symptoms:

DV9000 boots and you can see the HP logo and bios prompt, then black screen.  No Windows logo or anything.  Lights and fans still on the laptop.  The screen is backlit but you can only see black.  Outputting to an external monitor via VGA gives you a signal but same thing.  HP logo and then black screen.

Majority of diagnosis is that the video card needs to be re-flowed.  I sent my DV9000 into http://www.avonpcpitstop.com/ which has gotten rave reviews + at $90 after shipping and a generous refund policy, it's worth trying to save your laptop.

Anyhow, I got my DV9000 back with the guys from avonpcpitstop saying it was running like a champ.  I popped my hard drives back in (didn't sent my HDs due to sensitive information but I highly recommend that you do) and to my dismay, the same exact problem.  Black backlit screen, no Windows Logo, same thing.  I tried loading a boot disk such as Norton Ghost and Windows XP install disk and still black screen.

I was close to asking for a refund when I decided to boot the laptop under the same circumstances that the repair shop had.  I popped out both hard drives and booted from Norton Ghost boot disk.  To my surprise I got a graphical display from Norton Ghost.  This left me scratching my head.  I shut it down, popped back in my Windows OS drive, booted from the Norton Ghost disc and black screen.  So from there, I popped my Windows OS HD into hard drive bay 2 booted into Norton Ghost and restored an image I took from January.  Swapped the HD back into HD bay 1 and booted it.  Low and behold, it booted right into Windows, no problems!!!

Conclusion, for whatever reason, the boot discs weren't loading their typical generic display drivers but the corrupted one that was on the Windows HD.  It's worth a try.  Follow the steps below:

1.  Try booting from a bootable disc to see if you can get a display.  Use an OS disc, or even "The Ultimate Boot Disc" that you can download for free.

2.  If you get a visual display of any sort, than there is something wrong with your Windows install and/or graphics driver.

3.  If you still get black screen, pop out your Hard Drives and try booting again from the CD.  If you get a visual display of any kind then it may be your Windows install and or graphics driver.

4.  If you still get black backlit, it's time to have it reflowed.

5.  If you so happen to have imaged your OS drive with imaging software such as Norton Ghost now is the time to restore it.  Pop that drive into HD bay 2 and boot into Norton Ghost or whatever you got and restore your image.  If you have data on there that you need to get off before restoring the image, pop the drive into another laptop or get an external laptop hd enclosure and save your files.

6.  If you don't have a backup image, you're going to need to format your drive and reinstall Windows.  This is of course if you're getting a graphical display when using the boot disc without the HD in bay 1.  Be sure to backup your data.

7.  Do the above at your own risk.  It's worth a  shot.  If none of the above works, I recommend getting it reflowed from the guys I mentioned above.  However, I do not recommend getting the Fan Mod which has your fan running at full speed at all times.  It is incredibly loud and downright unbearable.  It cools it much better but I would recommend skipping on the fan mod and spending $20 on a Cooler Master NotePal which is a laptop stand with build in positionable fans that will blow fool air up into your DV9000 and is much quieter.

Hope this helps someone.

[Dragon-Fur]

Marshall,

I have learned at least one thing

From every one whom I have ever met,

And many things from those I'll never see.

I love success stories!

The fact that this happens to be one of my favorite subjects makes it even better!  Smiling.

Thank you for posting!

[sizroch]

The problem could be one of your memory Dimms.

Remove your battery.

Remove one of the Dimms.

Try starting your laptop.

If the screen comes up, replace the faulty Dimm.

Repeat the process above to test each Memory Dimm.