Lenovo Laptop Will Not Boot

Lenovo laptop with Windows 7 OS. The laptop shut down while plugged in overnight. I have removed the battery and let it sit for hours to cool/reset. Upon power up, the hard drive light comes on for 2-3 seconds, then goes off. Sometimes the screen flickers white for another 2-3 seconds, but the OS never boots up. I have removed the hard drive and plugged it into another computer via a SATA cable. I was able to read data. The drive appears to be working. I ran Malware Bytes and it cleared off some suspect files (PUP.FunWebProducts and PUP.MyWebSearch). I have a log file to post if helpful. When I put the hard drive back into the laptop, I get the same result as before. I made a recovery disc on another Win 7 computer and attempted to boot the Lenovo from the disc, but still I get the same result. Is this a BIOS issue, failed HD controller, or something else?

 

Possible heat issue. The laptop overheats due to a fan not working or working intermittently or CPU too hot because of too little or dried up thermal paste between the chip and the heat sink.

PUP files mean Potentially Unwanted Program. Removing those two items should not cause the computer to shut down.

Since you can't get the Lenovo to remain on when booting from a disk, I 'd say it probably is a heat problem.

 

Heat is a possible issue. I am perplexed that it will not even begin to boot now. The HD indicator is on for only 2-3 seconds, and then off again, even if the laptop has sat, unplugged with the battery removed. Is there a guide posted somewhere that defines the amount of thermal paste, if it can be reapplied? The fan may be defunct. I do not notice any fan noise, but it was typically quiet in the past.

 

Thank you for all of the responses. I am still not able to boot, even from a flash drive. I took the back cover off to observe the fan operation. It spins for 2-3 seconds when the power is turned on, then stops, just as the hard drive indicator does. Coincidence or indicator of a problem beyond BIOS? The hard drive still functions when removed and connected via cable. I do not get any response when pressing F8, F11, or any other F key. It just refuses to boot, regardless of what I do. Any suggestions beyond scrapping it out for parts? I am truly frustrated at this point. I have resuscitated another laptop and a desktop so far this year, so this is not my first rodeo. Just can not seem to get this one figured out. :banghead

 

Have you tried booting on A/C only, with the battery removed?

 

Yep, tried without battery, with batter, and with A/C and battery in place. Same lack of results. Any other ideas? Thanks again. :confused, :banghead

 

Sounds like a BIOS problem or a hardware problem.

Remove the battery and A/C power hold the power button for 30 seconds to draw down saved power and reset BIOS. Try to boot.

I take it you get the same scenario with trying to boot with no HD.

I'm not sure what to try other than the BIOS reset. Everything else would be a hardware problem.

 

Thanks to all for replying. I have tried holding the power button on for 30+ seconds with the a/c and battery unplugged - still will not boot. I have not yet removed the BIOS battery. I will try that tonight. Tonight I will also try to boot with the hard drive removed. If it is a hardware issue, what would be cooked to prevent the boot up process from even beginning?

 

Just to be sure you get a black screen the whole time (except for occasional white), no Lenovo logo or anything?

I don't know the cause just want to make sure the laptop is not even beginning to POST enough to get something on screen.

Do you hear/see anything like the DVDROM being accessed? Just want to know if it gets far enough that it powers that up and tries to recognizes it.

 

I'd replace that fan. Once the fan stops, the computer will shut off to protect everything from heat. If the fan runs, maybe the hard drive will boot up. (You mentioned that it is fine as seen when viewed on another computer).

 

I do hear the DVD spin for a few seconds, then coasts back to 0 rpm. Same with the fan; starts and then quits after 3 seconds. Hard drive indicator follows the same pattern of misbehavior. A flicker of life for 3 seconds, then flat lines. The power indicator light stays on, but nothing happens. After some minutes, I push the power button again to turn the power off for the next test.

 

My interpretation is that checking the HD and DVD are part of the POST process so it is probably not a BIOS problem. I'll have to leave it to others but shutting down from heat would be my guess.

I don't know if it would be the fan or bad thermal grease or something else. This is a basic guide to removing and reapplyin thermal grease. The basic tip is less is more so you want a very thin layer just enough to fill microscopic imperfections.

 

So far, no joy here. I have replaced the fan and heat sink assembly, along with fresh thermal paste. Still get the same behavior. Press the power button, the fan starts, the hard drive spins, the dvd-rom spins, then nothing after 3 seconds. After about 6 seconds, the screen flickers white for about 4 more seconds, then goes black again and no further activity. The hard drive is good, and the data is accessible when I attach a SATA to USB cable to the drive when it is removed from the laptop. What could be the issue? Bad hard drive controller? RAM failure?

 

Do you see a startup "splash screen" that says "Lenovo" or something to that effect?

Can you access BIOS at all?

 

No "splash" screen and no access to BIOS. Everything seems to stop before it can really get going.

 

My guess, the video chip is bad. Screen flickers then goes out as in dead.

 

I agree. Either video, or mobo issues. Probably can't just pull an EEPROM, and flash it on another PC with a reader. It most likely is soldered to the board, but you never know. Have you pulled the CMOS battery? I saw you reference it.

Not sure it would be worth the trouble replacing the mobo if it's the PSU itself, and said PSU is integrated. How old is the laptop?

 

Lenovo G550, model name 2958
build date is 10/05/08

I have not pulled the CMOS battery. I did replace the thermal past under the CPU heat sink and installed a new fan + heat sink assembly. The heat sink over the VPU is the foam pad type. It appeared to be okay, so I did not do anything to it. Nothing obviously fried, but the fan and heat sink are much more easily accessed compared to the HP G60 I have been working on concurrently. I have not had the case completely apart.

 

To determine if there's a problem with the motherboard you could remove the RAM, it would cause either the indicator lights to blink or the laptop would beep intermittently to indicate that there is no RAM. If after removing the RAM you do not see these symptoms, then the motherboard is not responding.