Strange problem with ProBook 4540s

Discussion in 'PC Hardware' started by maxb2000, Dec 13, 2018.

  1. maxb2000

    maxb2000 MDL Member

    Aug 5, 2012
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  2. Sajjo

    Sajjo MDL Member

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  3. maxb2000

    maxb2000 MDL Member

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  4. taviruni

    taviruni MDL Senior Member

    May 8, 2010
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    I have seen a problem like this when one of the RAM boards has a failure somewhere in the mittle, then depending if this part is in use during boot it fails, if that part is not used at boot time it boots ok, so try only with a single RAM board, first on one slot, then on the other slot, if no luck try the other RAM board alone on each slot, maybe this can help you find wich one is failing if this is the case. Wish you good luck!

    Edit: Remember to clean gold plated connectors of RAM board with a soft eraser before running this test.
     
  5. Sajjo

    Sajjo MDL Member

    Feb 6, 2018
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    I think @maxb2000 tried that earlier....
    :good3: advice @taviruni

    :)
     
  6. maxb2000

    maxb2000 MDL Member

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    I already cleaned the RAM slots but still nothing. 2 days ago, I took apart the whole laptop (for the third time) and I took the hairdryer and I blow it to the motherboard and guess what. Now there is like 75 % chance that it will power on from first time. Today it started from first time. So it seems to be some bad solder somwhere on the board.Anyway, now works and seems okay. Thanks a lot guys !

    There is still a small thing: why my Core i7 3612QM doesn't turbo on battery like is locked at max 2.1 GHz on battery and when it's plugged in there are no problems like that ? Linux seems fine: it goes on turbo without AC. Doesn't matter if it's balanced or high performance mode.
     
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  7. Sajjo

    Sajjo MDL Member

    Feb 6, 2018
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    @maxb2000
    Great news buddy :good3:
    Dunno about turbo, hopefully someone more qualified than me can answer.
     
  8. digiquandry

    digiquandry MDL Member

    Sep 13, 2015
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    Bizarre. Including the fix. :rolleyes:

    I was going to lean towards memtest but he said he tested the RAM. Sounds like memory going bad to me. I'd say unplug, remove battery, hold start button to clear all capacitors, re-insert battery and power plug, and run memtest via BIOS on bootable USB.

    It wouldn't hurt to go to a computer repair shop (with your case already open) and ask if you could borrow some RAM for 2 minutes and test while there, to see if your problem is resolved by swapping out RAM. They should do it free of charge.
     
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  9. Sajjo

    Sajjo MDL Member

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  10. digiquandry

    digiquandry MDL Member

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    Thanks! (I was wondering if anyone would notice!) It's the first 12 digits of Pi :druff:. LOL
     
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  11. Sajjo

    Sajjo MDL Member

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    I noticed, I tried to click :laie:
    :)
     
  12. digiquandry

    digiquandry MDL Member

    Sep 13, 2015
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    It worked! :roflmao: Literally LMAO. I guess I'm sneaky.
     
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  13. Sajjo

    Sajjo MDL Member

    Feb 6, 2018
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    Now THAT is a proper like!:biggrin:
     
  14. maxb2000

    maxb2000 MDL Member

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    I am doing IT maintenance in my free time so I can just go to a client with some DDR3 memory and test it. and btw for that signature you got a like from me too !
     
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  15. LatinMcG

    LatinMcG Bios Borker

    Feb 27, 2011
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    sounds like chipset is coming lose on BGA or other chip.. reflow board
     
  16. maxb2000

    maxb2000 MDL Member

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  17. Hadron-Curious

    Hadron-Curious MDL Guru

    Jul 4, 2014
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    I have come to understand(after experiencing one myself) that the two major causes of this kind of issue if the RAM problem and CMOS reset have been eliminated are processor going bad or the processor is too high for the motherboard or simply faulty capacitors or loose capacitors.

    I would advise you take it to an experienced service person to look into the issue properly. This is beyond home repair for somebody who is not good with soldering and reading multimeter.
     
  18. maxb2000

    maxb2000 MDL Member

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    I already solved the problem. See my post above.
     
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  19. Hadron-Curious

    Hadron-Curious MDL Guru

    Jul 4, 2014
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    Okay. I thought I read somewhere that you couldn't flash the same BIOS initially. I am glad you find a solution.