HP Pavilion dv 9205 us tries to start up, screen stays black

THIS IS A LONG REPLY POST BE WARNED : HOWEVER IS LIKELY HELPFUL TO OTHERS WITH INTERMITTENT LCD / PORT ISSUES. MY STORY,... Hi all. Ok, i'm gonna chime in here on this. I have the HP DV9205us and i've returned my unit a total of three times. Ultimately I was told (under warranty for 24 ms) that it will likely need to be repaired due to same intermittent display and other intermittent issues with most ports. I had three different people 'working' on it. Uh-huh. They advised it would likely need to be replaced. I sent it in. Two weeks later I got my same laptop back. The billing sheet was $0.00 however, it stated they replaced the MB, HD, memory and LCD. The first repair was exactly what you're commenting on for intermittent ports and most notably display failure at times. I, again went through phone troubleshooting with them. Had to send it in a second time for same issue. They then told me they had to replace the MB and memory this second time. It worked for awhile. Within a few weeks (maybe five) the same issue happened. However, accompanying the intermittent issues was a serious heat problem. My unit was running VERY hot. In fact one of the ports actually melted the plastic side face. They asked me to send it back a third time and the billing sheet went down the list of everything replaced. MB, HD, memory, LCD and this time replaced the power supply. Hmmm,... I though to myself. My unit overheated to the point of smoking and melting. They've now replaced everything at least twice or more. Now they have basically given me a whole different laptop with piecing it together and now my case is melted. I contacted them and they advised that it was 'cosmetic' and not covered by my extended warranty. I wasn't pleased to say the least being that they pieced together my supposedly new laptop over the course of hit and miss at my expense of course (time without laptop). I told them I took the extended warranty for almost $300 extra dollars and was told it was covered for EVERYTHING except intentional damage. i even bought the high joules-rated power compressor, blank media, screen wipes, plate cooler, etc. It didn't matter, he didn't relent. I was keeping this laptop. He stood his ground. Whatever my case may be it's not going to be as agreed. So, I moved on to the second question. Why was my power supply replaced the third time and not the first time? He began to state it was customary to troubleshoot in a chain method until it's resolved. I then posed to him, why they sent me a differnt power supply this time. Different model than I was sold. He stated it was the same model. I told him I recorded everything for my insurance and it includes serial / model numbers. He read to me what the model of the PS should be and asked me if that's what I have. Of course i've got that one now. Why was I sold a defective PS in the first place. To me, it's very clear that my problems were resolved not by replacing everything in the pc. But by starting at the most common sense place. The power distribution from the wall pack or the MB. Nothing more. To me it was overkill to replace EVERYTHING multiple times. It told me HP didn't know what they were doing. It was a clear sign of that.

As of this date, I have had a functioning laptop without intermittent problems. No longer overheating and still am reminded by the scars on my melted case. Cosmetic? Umm,... I think that's why they spend millions marketing colors and flashy things. The look is what brings customers to see what the laptop offers. I actually researched HP and am a Sony guy typically. I bought my wife the Sony and I bought my HP. I waited two years to make the decision. I not only took the leap, I also took their full coverage option. I feel taking a laptop without the + warranty isn't smart investment. It depends on how mobile you'll be. Many people are business, as am I. Downtime is critical. Needless to say, I got no appology from HP. Meanwhile, my wife has yet to even reformat her HD again. With a year plus in my pocket, i've had to personally reimage four times trying to troubleshoot with them on the phone. Also, the two or three HD's they put in.

The long and short of it. HP took me for a ride. I sat patiently. I did everything they asked. I went without. I payed additional. In the end, I have a port module melted that reminds me every day that HP will not be welcomed anymore. I am sorry to kick them to the curb, but going off of how I was treated and the idiocracies they subjected me to in troubleshooting, i'd venture to guess many of you feel the same way. I'm sure mine is a little more labor intensive. I just want you to know your complaints didn't fall on deaf ears. HP abandoned the 9205 and I haven't found quite the same problems with the newer models. Aside from my treatment, I love the look and feel of HP. I have fourteen Sony products in my home entertainment system. Guess where my first look will be in the future of laptops? I shouldn't have strayed. My wife is plenty happy and i'm jealous.

Maybe the PS issue is related. Maybe ohm and test it for output. Most techie nerds you know can do this for you. Look for intermittent power delivery. HP never acknowledged the problem in writing. I couldn't even get them to acknowledge my question on the phone. It was the slippery-trickery on the phone. So, i'm passing it on. When I troubleshoot such problems in the future. I'll start at the most obvious. However, I have no problems with any Sony products nor my wife's (Sony) laptop. So, I don't figure on having it happen ever again. This is likely helpful to a variety of laptop owners with intermittent LCD / Port issues. Glad to help.

Thanks for allowing me to vent. I think I feel better. No wait,... may be the whiskey.

The hp 9205us has a bad graphics chip which causes the computer to overheat. The overheating leads to motherboard failure. HP has extended the warranty by a year for this problem. They will replace the motherboard for free for one time after the one year warranty is up. It does not really fix the problem but will make the computer work for a few more months. My laptop last about 4-6 months each time they "fix" it. I have had mine fixed 4 times for free so far. Due for # 5 soon. I keep getting mine fixed for free by asking for a Supervisor and persisting until I land in a US call center. Then I explain to the Supervisor that mine had failed under warranty and they never really fixed the problem or it would not keep breaking. Once I reach the US call center it is quickly resolved. The overseas call center seams mostly to say there is nothing they can do and transfer you from person to person who asks the same questions (name phone # model # serial # etc.) before telling you they can not help you. Good luck

Hi,

possible motherboard/ graphics driver fault.
Try connecting the laptop, to an external monitor. And boot to that.
This if it works, will give you access, to correct the Fault.

Thankyou for using fixya.

mike @ compurepair.

Just to let everyone know, HP issued an extended 12 month warranty on top of the standard 1 year warranty for several notebook models, including this one. One of the conditions for a free repair during the 24 month warranty period was this exact symptom of failing to start; sometimes the external monitor works, but not all the time. The HP website has the infornation about how to obtain free service for those who are covered; unfortunately, I think I am out of luck since my notebook is now about 26 months old. Not sure if they will cover it but plan to call soon. Here is a link to the support page on HP: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=c01087277&product=3308899&printable=yes&encodeUrl=true&