compaq laptop presario 2500 wont boot

Anyone have a guess why my laptop wont boot? I press the power button and it gets lights like its going to start up(about 2 seconds worth) and then it will just power off. Almost like its going into a safety shutdown. No video...it never makes it that far and does this with ac adapter or battery? I have a little knowledge of repairs but Im stumped. Thanks for any help..

 

ok my dell has been doing this too ... sorry thats no help but damnit it makes me mad

I'm able to get it to boot after many attempts at startups and I mean like 15 minutes of hitting the start button.

 

tried booting without the battery in place?

faulty batteries can sometimes cause boot problems

 

Yes I get the same result.

 

Try reseating the RAM Sticks, if that doesn't work, swap then if there is more then one. I know that sounds stupid, But I've had a couple of Dell's that would do similar things and the RAM was usually the problem.

 

by reseating the ram stick -- as I only have 256 -- should I switch the side on which its located or simply take it out and reinsert it.

 

No, If you only have one stick it usually will have to be in slot "0" or Slot "1", whichever is first (depends on the manufacturer, some use 0 & 1, some use 1 & 2 ). You may need to see if you can borrow a known good stick from someone. It shouldn't hurt to try and reseat the one you have, just be sure to remove the battery, touch the metal chasis of the laptop before touching the RAM stick, and try not to touch the chips or contacts on the stick when you remove it.

 

I just found some information that sounds like it may be a MOSF power chip, (whatever that is, I not that familiar with laptops) If all else fails I found a company that says they will repair it for $99 + shipping. I have never used them and I am not affiliated with them, just passing on info. The website is www.laptoponcall.com