blinking blue cap light

I have a compaq cq61, with the battery in and charger plugged in, you can power it on and all happens is a blinking blue light at caps lock and at sys req. button. have tried hard reset, changing memory sticks around.still the same? please help.

 

Remove the battery and keep it off the computer. Plug in the charger/adapter and turn it on. What happens?

 

thanks but i did what you said and the same thing happened. it doesen't even get to the post point, no video at all. can't hear much of anything goin on. don't leave me now!!!

 

Some computers refuse to boot when the battery no longer holds a charge. I was hoping that might be the case with your HP/Compaq. Looks like that is not the case.
Without a POST, it means hardware problem. It could be the motherboard, CPU, lack of sufficient power (the blinking blue lights show some power is going through).
Wait to see what someone else suggests because I am not a hardware expert. We do have a few here who can tell you how to test components - but not me.

Obviously you have a different CQ61 model because from this picture
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/10/compaq-cq61-hands-03.jpg
there are two lights The left is the power on and the blue light on the right is the wifi.

State the alphanumeric values behind CQ61 so we can see what your model looks like.

 

it is a CQ61 319WM, your rite about the power light and the wifi, but on front left side there are three

 

Hi,

See if you can count the number of flashes the lights make. There should be a sequence then a pause. http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...n&product=4033869&query=CQ61-310SA&tool=#N369

The lights that are blinking aren't the three on the front but the ones inside next to caps lock and num lock--correct?

 

right, caps and numbs. they blink three times in a sequince of three.

 

From that link I gave, three flashes would be memory related. When you moved memory around are you certain you seated it properly--it can be a bit tricky and usually takes a bit of a firmer push then you might think.

Try taking all the memory out and try to start with no memory. Do you get the three flashes or nothing at all?

Then try with just one module. If you still get the three flashes try a different module in the same slot. Still no change then try one module in a different slot.

 

They blink 3 time then pause, then 3 more times and pause, it repeats this over until i shut it down.

 

I understand that you are getting three blinks in a row. Hp says 3 blinks indicates a memory/RAM problem. So you want to troubleshoot the RAM by trying one module at a time. If you have two modules then one may be bad, you want to try to figure out which one is bad. So you want to try to start the laptop with just one module. If it still blinks with that module remove it and try the other module by itself in the same slot.

 

i have tried this, first one module then the other.even tried each in the two different bays.even took the ram out of my dv6500 [pc5300] and same, same? i checked hp also before contacting yall. thanks

 

Since it indicates a memory problem then either the sticks are not inserted properly or there is a problem with both slots since you know all the sticks are working in another computer.

Crucial specs
DDR2 PC2-6400, DDR2 (non-ECC) for the Presario CQ61-319WM
DDR2 PC2-6400, DDR2 PC2-5300, DDR2 (non-ECC) for the Pavilion dv6500

 

thats what has drove me nuts! i have inserted them easily, firmly,i can't see any reason for them not to seat like they should. what could hold them back, like maybe they aren't going in deep enough for the right contact? but i sincerely thank you all. and hope to get it straight.

 

Greetings, redbone57...

You should hear a 'click' when the module is inserted correctly. There may also be small tabs on each end of the slot that will lock into place. Don't be shy - sometimes the modules may take a very firm push to get them to snap in...

Did this machine ever work with these RAM modules? If so, did some event occur that might have caused the problem?

 

i actually bought it in this condition, they said Bestbuys guy told them that it was the memory modules. i bought it for $40.00, it is like new otherwise. i work on desktops and laptops, not like yall. but i never been here before with one. i think i will try to check the side clips, or something. again thanks so much.

 

You may have already answered this but with no RAM installed did you get the same three blink sequence?

If it is the same three blinks with no RAM then maybe try BIOS recovery with at least one RAM module installed. http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...c=en&product=4080525&tmp_track_link=ot_search

 

do i replace the ram before trying the power\windows\ and the B key?

 

Yes, you want at least one RAM module in place.

Your laptop may not have BIOS recovery but it couldn't hurt to see if it attempts it.

Did you get the same three flashes with no RAM?

 

It came on [ with no ram] lights blinked twice, and it beeped twice and shutdown?

 

well alternated the ram, one then the other, while trying the windows\b push power with ram no beep? same lights, but blinked twice

 

If it was different with no RAM than with the RAM installed then it appears it is seeing the RAM. It is unlikely that two RAM modules could go bad at the same time.

I didn't find anything useful about the three blinks being something other than RAM but I'll see if anything else comes up.

 

all you are doing is greatly appreciated.

 

one more question, the battery appears to be dead. so do i try a new battery first or new ram?

 

If the battery is dead you should be running it from just A/C power with the battery removed to eliminate a bad battery as causing a problem.

I've been looking and have not found anything useful. Most people with the sequence of three blinking lights resolve it with switching out RAM. You have already tried that.

All I can say is try the hard reset again and then try switching the RAM modules again. When you do the hard reset don't put the battery back in but run just off A/C power to keep the bad battery out of the equation.

 

ok, thanks

 

Hello, what you told me to do must have made a change because the lights just blink twice not three times.the HP chart showed twice as a bios problem, what do i do to fix this? thanks

 

The Windows key and B should have tried to go back to an archived copy of the BIOS. I don't understand how it could allow a change to the BIOS before verifying its integrity.

Can you attach the HD from the laptop to another computer and see if there is a partition named HP_Tools? On that partition should be a folder named Hewlett-Packard which should contain backups of your old BIOS. I would copy that folder somewhere for safe keeping. Then we can try to recover your last version of BIOS.

 

ok, thanks so much.i will try and get back to you.

 

I believe this is what your Hewlett-Packard folder should look like on the HP_Tools partition. This copy is empty but I am hoping yours has a BIOS folder that has files in the Current, New and Previous folders. Those would include your old BIOS versions.

 

thanks alot. see what i can do with this.going to get an external enclosure and try that. thanks.

 

What I am thinking is that there may be a way to use a USB flash/thumb drive to reflash the BIOS. A new BIOS file can be downloaded for that. But if there is a copy of the previous BIOS in the Hewlett-Packard folder on the HP_Tools partition then I think it is worth saving a copy of that first so it is not overwritten. That way we can go back to that version to see if we can get back to where we started before taking a chance on a downloaded file.

My overall impression is that there is something wrong with the laptop or motherboard. If it was a simple memory fix then my thought is why didn't Best Buy take 5 minutes and just replace the memory modules when they looked at it?