Editing HP Envy 4-1030us Troubleshooting

[flag|student_wiki] [title|HP Envy 4-1030us Troubleshooting] [summary]Release July 15, 2012, Product No. B5T04UA[/summary] == The computer won’t start == ''The computer not starting on will generally mean one of three things. There is no power, no post, or no boot.'' ''No power means that when the power button is being held, none of the lights are going off, there are no sounds made by the fans, and there is no indication that any power is reaching your device.'' ''No post describes when the device will power on, but it won’t make it past that, the lcd display will generally be a light gray color. However, it might reach some manufacturer logo and nothing else.'' ''No boot for this devices means that windows will not load, either not at all, or you will encounter a windows specific error.'' == The Computer Won’t Turn on at All == ''If you hold the power button and there are no lights, no sounds from the fans, or any other indication of power, then there is likely an issue with either the battery or the AC adapter power cord.'' === Motherboard Failure === A no power issue can also be the result of a motherboard failure. If the battery and AC Adapter cannot be determined to be the cause of failure, then disconnect the hard drive, memory, and wireless card from the system and try powering it on again. If the system still does not show any signs of life, then the motherboard is the source of failure. If the system appears to receive any power at all, then add the components back one by one to see which one causes the system to appear not to receive any power. === Faulty AC Adapter === Try starting the device with the AC adapter unplugged, if it turns on without the adapter, but doesn’t with it, then you likely have a faulty cord. If the light on the AC power adapter (your power cord) is repeatedly blinking, then that means it is not supplying enough power and you likely need to replace it. === Bad Battery === If your device turns on with the adapter, but won’t turn on without it, then the battery is likely the issue. If you shutdown the device, and then hold the power button for 5 seconds check to see if the battery light (the light on the power button) is steadily lit. If so that means that the battery is charging, but it is not charged enough to power the laptop. == The Computer will Turn on, But it Won’t Do Anything Afterwards == ''If there are lights, and it seems like the computer is turning on, but it is stuck at a blank screen, then the computer is failing to initiate its post. To diagnose this, power the device off completely, then hold the power button down for 10 seconds. The Caps Lock/Num Lock lights should start blinking in a sequence, pause for a second, and then repeat the sequence.'' === Using the Blink Codes to Diagnose the Problem === When a computer does a POST check, it is basically checking if all components are present and working, if this process fails, any one of components may be the issue, luckily Hewlett Packard includes a blinking code to let us know which component is failing. 2 blinks indicate the CPU has failed 3 blinks indicate the BIOS (Basic Input-Output System) is corrupt 4 blinks indicate the graphics system has failed 5 blinks indicate that there is a motherboard failure 6 blinks indicate that the BIOS is failing to authenticate === Memory Failure and Performing a Memory Test === You might be able to perform a memory diagnostics test if you are having one of these issues. If you can turn on your computer, then press f10 while it is loading, it might load the BIOS menu. If this happens, use the arrow keys to navigate to the “Diagnostics” tab, then select “Memory Test”. if this test fails, then your memory is either corrupt or not placed into the laptop properly, you can use the following guide to replace your memory. [guide|98237] == The Computer Won’t Boot into Windows == ''If your device is either lighting up, the fans are spinning, or there is some indication of power, getting to and past the HP logo, and windows loads to some capacity and fails, then you have a boot issue. There are many different causes of this but it is usually caused by one of two things.'' ''If you get an error along the lines of “boot device not found” or “failed to load the boot device” then there is likely an issue with your hard drive, which contains the information for booting.'' === Missing Boot Device === The issue may also be with the installation of Windows. If the boot sector is corrupt or missing, then the BIOS would not be able to identify the installation as a “bootable device”. You can attempt to repair or rebuild the sector using Windows Installation Media. === Windows is Corrupt === If Windows loads and you get an error code, this usually indicates that the hardware of your computer is fine and you are encountering a software issue. In many cases windows will need to be reinstalled. You can either use the recovery discs that came with your computer, or you can follow this guide from microsoft if you have access to the windows install files, but not the discs. == Blank or black screen showing no video == ''A no video issue is characterized by the system receiving power but not displaying any images on screen, even before the operating system. So the HP logo or pre-boot information would not be visible.'' === LCD/LCD Cabling Failure === In the case of an LCD failure, the power button light and other LEDs should operate as normal and you may even hear Windows starting up. Attach an external monitor to the system, if you are able to receive video on the external monitor, then the issue is with the LCD itself, or the cables and connectors associated with the internal LCD. If physically adjusting the LCD itself affects the issue, then the cabling is probably also contributing to the issue. If there is no video coming from the LCD and there is no video displayed on an external monitor, then this may actually be a no POST issue where the system is not able to start up enough to generate any video to display. To troubleshoot this issue, go to the troubleshooting section labeled “The Computer will Turn on, But it Won’t Do Anything Afterwards”. == Flickering Video, Lines on Screen, Visual Artifacts Glitches == ''Visual artifacts, flickering video, lines across or down the screen can all be a result of a failure with the LCD or its cabling. To test if this is an issue with the LCD itself or its cabling, attach an external monitor to the system and see if the issues persist on that external monitor.'' === LCD/LCD Cabling failure === If the video displays fine on the external display, then this is a failure with the LCD hardware. If the issues are affected by physically adjusting the lid of the system, then the cabling and connectors are likely contributing to the issue, too. If the issues are present on the external display, too, then move on to the Video Processor Failure section. === Video Processor Failure === In the case that visual artifacts and other issues with the LCD persist even on other external displays, then the failure is with the system’s ability to generate that video to those displays. This means the failure is with the video processor. On this particular system that processor is integrated into the motherboard, so a motherboard replacement would be required to resolve the issue. == Very Dim Video == ''Video displayed is barely visible and extremely dim.'' === Backlight Failure === Extremely dim, but still present video, can indicate a failure with the backlight. This can be identified if even maximizing the brightness settings on the LCD do not make the image brighter. Shining a light on the screen can make the video more visible with a backlight failure. Additionally, if an external display is attached to the system, the video should display without brightness issues on that external display. The backlight is usually included in a replacement kit for the LCD, but it may be possible to obtain only the backlight to replace and, thus, resolve this issue. == Cracks, Ink Blotches, Black or Bright Spots == ''This can be identified by visually inspecting the video issue. Spider web patterns, ink blotches, cracks, etc.'' === Physical Damage to LCD === Visual issues can be the result of physical damage to the LCD itself. Note that there is a protective glass panel covering the LCD, so even if damage cannot be physically felt, it may still be present. Physical damage to the LCD will require a replacement LCD. You can see photos of physical damage to HP laptop LCDs here: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01608578 Physical issues can only be resolved by replacing the LCD. == System is slow to start, open programs, browse the internet, or run applications == ''Slow performance is characterized by programs loading very slowly or having an unresponsive system. For example, you can try to open a program or file and the system takes minutes to open it. The system may also be extremely slow to boot into the operating system. Many components in the system contribute to the performance of the system, such as processor speed, memory, hard drive, and number of concurrently running background services or possible system file corruption.'' === Hard Drive Failure === If the hard drive is failing then the system will be slow to load programs, but the mouse will still seem responsive inside the operating system. First, use the built in HP diagnostics to see if a hard drive failure can be immediately detected. You can run these diagnostics even if the system is not able to get into the operating system. To run them: # Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer. # Turn on the computer and immediately press Esc repeatedly, about once every second. When the menu appears, press the F2 key. # On the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu, click System Tests. # Click Fast Test. # Click Run once. If the diagnostics return an error for the hard drive, then the system likely has a failed hard drive. [guide|98233|Hard Drive Replacement Guide] It is also possible that an issue is with the hard drive connector on the system board, too, though. So if you want to be thorough, try swapping in a different hard drive to see if it passes the diagnostics. If a different drive still experiences issues, then go to the Motherboard failure section to continue working on this issue. If the diagnostics pass, but you are still experiencing slow performance systems. It’s still possible the hard drive may be failing, but not enough to trigger the diagnostics. You can further troubleshoot the hard drive, by attempting to reinstall Windows on the drive. If the reinstallation fails, or if the same issues persist after reinstalling Windows, then the issue is likely with the drive itself. You can confirm this by trying the drive in another system after reinstalling Windows to see if the issue follows the drive. If so, the drive needs to be replaced. If the issues do not follow the drive, then proceed to the Motherboard failure section. === Corrupt Windows System Files === If the system files Windows uses to run the operating system are corrupt, then this could cause degraded performance. First we must confirm the issue is related to the Windows system files themselves and not a third party application or service. This can be done by booting the system into Safe Mode which uses only the essential Windows system files and seeing if the performance issues persist in even in safe mode. To boot into safe mode: * In Windows 7: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17419/windows-7-advanced-startup-options-safe-mode * In Windows 8: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17076/windows-8-startup-settings-safe-mode * In Windows 10: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode If the issue persist in safe mode, continue with this guide. If there are no issues in Safe Mode, then a third party application or service is causing the issue, so instead go to the “Non-Windows Software Issue” troubleshooting guide. Windows has a built in tool for examining system files and attempting to repair them. This tool is called the System File Checker and is run within Windows. To run the tool: # Open a command prompt with administrative privileges by typing “cmd” into the Windows start menu search bar and then right clicking “cmd.exe” or “Command Prompt” and clicking “Run as Administrator” # Type “sfc /scannow” into the command prompt and press Enter to run it # The scan will begin and can take up to an hour to run. # After the scan completes it can say one of three things ## No issues detected ## Issues detected and corrected ## Issues detected but unable to correct In the event of case 3, issues detected but not able to correct, Windows installation media will be needed to either repair the system files or reinstall Windows completely. If SFC does not detect any issues, as in case 1, but the performance issues persist, then you’ll need to reinstall Windows, too. You can use the following link to help you create Windows Installation Media to use: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15088/windows-create-installation-media Be sure to backup your data, product keys, and license information before you do a reinstallation as all data will be erased on the drive after a reinstallation. === Non-Windows Software Issue === Slow performance can be caused if there is a particular program or service, or set of programs and services consuming a majority of system resources. Identifying and disabling or limiting these programs will resolve the performance issue. This guide should be followed if you are sure that Windows system files are not causing the performance issues. First, open the Task Manager by pressing Control+Shift+Esc, this will let us see the breakdown of the processor and memory usage by service. Are any particular non-essential programs consuming a majority of the processor, memory, or hard drive resource? If so, try to end those tasks or close those programs. If the system is activating normally after closing that program, then that application was causing the issue and should be removed, reinstalled, or repaired. If there is no particular program taking up the system resources, then it’s possible to narrow down the cause of the slowdown using a clean boot. You can see how to configure the system for a clean boot for all Windows versions here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows After performing the clean boot, the system should be performing normally. If performance issues persist even in a clean boot, then the issue may be with the operating system instead and a reinstallation of Windows is recommended. Now, enable those start up applications one at a time and reboot afterward to see if the system is performing normally or if the performance issues return. Once the issues return after enabling a particular start up service, then that particular service must be contributing to the cause. Disable, remove, or repair that service to resolve the issue. Continue checking the remaining start up applications and services to be sure that there were not multiple start up applications causing the issue. === Memory Failure === Slow performance in a system can be caused by issues with memory or the memory slots on the motherboard in a system. First run the built in HP diagnostics to see if any memory errors are detected. You can run these diagnostics even if the system is not able to get into the operating system. To run them: # Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer. # Turn on the computer and immediately press Esc repeatedly, about once every second. When the menu appears, press the F2 key. # On the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu, click System Tests. # Click Fast Test. # Click Run once. If no memory issues are detected with the Fast Test, the Extensive Test can be run which will more thoroughly test the memory, but also take 2 hours or more. You can choose to run the extensive test once or to have it continuously repeat until it detects an error to be more thorough. If a memory failure is detected then the issue is likely with the memory itself. If you have compatible working memory available for testing, try swapping that into the system to see if the diagnostics then pass or the performance issues disappear with different memory. If the test memory works just fine in the system, then the system’s original memory is the cause of the issue. [guide|98237|Memory Replacement Guide] === Motherboard Failure === Slow performance can uncommonly be the result of a failure with the motherboard, usually with the slots or connectors for memory, hard drive, and/or processor. The motherboard becomes suspicious as a point of failure if troubleshooting seems to indicate that the hard drive or memory is the source of the issue, but when swapping in a known working drive or memory, the issues still seem to persist. So if the hard drive or memory seems to be the point of failure and failing diagnostics, but swapping in a known working component does not resolve the issue, then the issue must be with the motherboard connector for that particular component and a replacement motherboard is required. This can happen when there is a partial failure in the connector for the particular component causing it to be detected but also resulting in communication errors with the component. The processor socket may be the point of failure if there is no other conclusion logically reached by troubleshooting the entirety of the rest of the system. Processor failures are exceedingly rare and the issue usually tends to be the processor socket when logical troubleshooting begins to lead to the processor as a potential point of failure. Motherboards can be difficult to replace. Taking your system to a repair shop is recommended in this case. === Processor Failure === A failure in the processor is extremely rare but possible. The only way to confidently diagnose a processor issue is using diagnostics. You can run the built in HP diagnostics even if the system is not able to get into the operating system. To run them: # Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer. # Turn on the computer and immediately press Esc repeatedly, about once every second. When the menu appears, press the F2 key. # On the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu, click System Tests. # Click Fast Test. # Click Run once. If the diagnostics return a processor failure and then the issue could be with the processor itself. In addition to the HP diagnostics, if you are using an Intel processor, you can use their diagnostics tool to check for processor issues too: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool == No Sound == ''Internal or external speakers are producing little to no sound. '' === External Speaker is not Working === First test for sound by using a different speaker, since it might be a problem with the speaker or the setting on the computer. If the other speaker does work, then see if the one prior is functional by testing it with another device. If they both work it probably has to do with the setting on the computer. To fix this: # Go to the control panel # Click sound # Find the speaker that you are using on the playback page (if not there, it is probably a connection issue) # Click the speaker, then click the properties on the bottom right of the playback page # Enable speaker The Driver for the specific speaker might also be outdated which could cause the audio to be distorted or completely off. To be able to fix this, just follow all the steps above then: # Click properties in the controller information after the steps above # Click the driver tab, and update the driver === Audio Port Not Registering Listening Devices === In some cases after wear and damage to the laptop the audio port could become faulty. To check if the audio port is still registering your listening device: # Go to the control panel # Click sound # Find the listening that you are using on the playback page # If the listening device is not there then the audio port is probably either disconnected or damaged. # To fix that, a replacement is needed and a like to the replacement manual will be found [http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03282135|here]. === Internal Speaker === If there is a problem with the internal speakers, then a dismantling of the computer is needed to be able to replace the speakers. To open the computer you can use our guide [guide|98482|here], which shows step by step solutions to open the computer up with no problems. This removal and replacement manual will show a step by step in reaching the speakers inside the laptop which can be found in the link,[http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03282135|here]. === Low and Fixed Volume === If there is sound or at least a sign on top of the usual speaker sign on the bottom right of your screen it could be a simple fix rather than a damaged part of the laptop. * Audio on the computer is set to mute * Click the mute audio key on the top row of the keyboard * If the key is disabled or broken then just click on the speaker sign on the bottom right of the taskbar * Click the muted speaker to unmute the computer * Audio volume is set to low * Click the audio increase key found on the top row on the keyboard * If the key is disabled or broken then just click on the speaker sign on the bottom right of the taskbar and toggle the volume mixer to the desired volume. * If you would like more options, right click the volume sign and open up the volume mixer and toggle the volume from different applications. * If it goes back down then the volume decrease key is probably jammed, to fix this try to pop the key out using the iFixit tools such as the spudger. * If the volume does not go up it could be a keyboard problem. == Overheating, Hot Underside of Computer and Sudden Shutdowns == ''Sudden shut downs during heavy loads and overall slower performance compared to how it originally runs. Hot air coming from air outlets, and clearly visible dust build up in the fan and heatsink'' === Dust Build up === After having the laptop for a couple years, you might realize that dust has been collecting inside the fan of the system. This can cause the cooling system to not function as intended and can cause overheating. To go into the system and clean out the dust in the fan and heat sink you must first: # First open the computer, you can use our guide [guide|98482|here] for help # Use an air duster to blow away most of the dust that has been trapped inside the fan and heat sink # If more cleaning is needed, use a swab to get into the areas that still contain dust # For more deep cleaning of the fan and heatsink, you can take them off of the computer by using our iFixit guide for the [guide|98234|CPU Fan Removal], or the [http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03282135|removal and replacement manual] === Thermal Throttling === This is caused by having heavy loads that the computer can not combat fast enough with the cooling system inside, causing the processor to overheat usually ending up with thermal throttling, which reduces performance, or can even cause a complete shutdown of the system. # Go to task manager and close most of the unnecessary background applications # Check the temperature of the processor by downloading a temperature monitoring software like Core Temp. http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/ # If it goes down, then it meant that you had too many things running beforehand # Go to the search by clicking on Start for Windows 7 and below, or just clicking the search bar for Windows 8 and 10 # Search msconfig.exe and click it # Open up the Startup tab # Disable any applications that you do not want to start up when turning on the system This way you can have less applications running in the background that should reduce overheating and also increase performance. == Problems Connecting to the Network == ''The computer can’t connect/drops connection to the internet.'' === Connection is Disabled === Lack of internet access can be caused by a disabled network connection. Make sure wireless mode is enabled if you’re using a wireless connection. If you’re using a wired connection make sure the Ethernet cable is fully inserted. Also make sure that you have the correct password if the wi-fi you’re connecting to requires it. If the problems persist after performing the previous steps try restarting the device as well as your router/modem. You should now be able to connect to the network after restarting all devices. If you are still having issues there may be a problem with your internet provider or with the wireless card and it may need to be replaced. Follow this guide to replace the wireless card. [guide|98236] === Connection to the Internet is Slow === If your internet connection is slow first make sure you are connected to the right network. Connecting to the wrong network may result in slower speeds because of proximity to the router. Try moving the device closer to the router and make sure there are as few solid objects as possible between the device and the router. Objects made of metal and some electronic devices like microwaves may also interfere with the connection. Try testing some devices by turning them off and checking if the connection improves. A slow connection may also be caused by programs that are performing background tasks. Certain programs automatically download updates as soon as they’re available and may slow down your connection. Try disabling some programs to test if the connection improves. Test the connection speed on other devices. If the other device is slow the issue may be with your ISP. Try contacting your ISP to resolve the issue.