HP laptop I'm told was originally worth $2000 will turn on and show the HP logo on the screen and then refuses to show anything else. What's wrong?

[FunkyMonkee]

I got it used 8 years ago and has worked perfectly fine until a few months ago when it started doing this. Obviously, it can't be a dead light source, otherwise I wouldn't get the HP logo. However, when that DOES come on, it has a slight pink or orange tint to it instead of being all white. After the logo, the screen goes black and, rather than show the Windows boot-up screen (Enterprise), it just stays black and I can't get anything else up on the screen. I tried going to Safe Mode. I have no idea if it actually showed up because the screen won't work.
The only other issue I've had with it is that it gets overheated if I have it on for about 45:00 or so, even though I have it propped up at least 3" above the surface it's on so it can get as much ventilation as it possibly can.

[contentious]

You'd have to get more information like beep codes or go into the BIOS and look around to see what is missing. To get into the BIOS, when you see the HP log try pressing F1, F2, F10, DEL, or ESC. You'll have to try them all being that no body know what your BIOS key is... If you figure out how to get into the BIOS, then you can look around in there to see if a hard drive is being detected, how much memory is installed, etc.

[FunkyMonkee]

As far as I know, repeatedly hitting F8 will do it. I did and got nothing.

[contentious]

The key can be different with every manufacturer and from one motherboard to the next. If you aren't certain on the appropriate key, you just have to start trying all of them one boot after another. If you are getting the HP logo, then the bios is at least loading on the mobo. If you go into the bios, you can check if a hard drive is being detected. If it is present and there are no beep codes to indicate things like memory errors, then you might just have to reinstall the operating system. That might mean that you have to make an installation flash drive and then change the boot order in the bios to boot from usb/flash drive first to install a new OS copy. Another possibility is that the graphics drivers are out of date, so when the operating system tries to load the drivers and fails, the graphic card is turning off and going to a black screen. So while you might hear a grinding sound like your hard drive is loading the OS you would just see a black screen because the graphics card drivers aren't processing output.

[WonderingManII]

Sometimes the thermal paste dries out. Maybe take it apart, and remove the heat sink, and clean off the cpu, and put new paste on it. Then I would try re seating the ram sticks. I would also check the boot drive that the os is on. You might want to reset the BIOS. Remove the BIOS battery and wait few hours and replace it. That should reset the BIOS.

[FunkyMonkee]

There's only one drive.
Too bad Goodwill doesn't fix computers anymore!! The one near me would take in used computers, fix them and resell them and even fix computers for you for a lot less than a regular puter tech would. I'd just take it to them.

[jshm2]

Seems either your Hard Drive has gone or the thermal paste needs replaced.

See if you can enter bios, else it's off to the repair shop, and no, no HP is ever worth $2000 regardless of what they say.

[FunkyMonkee]

I'm just going by what a computer nerd friend of mine told me it was worth.

[DryGermanGuy]

Dead harddisk, I suppose. Especially in the context of too much heat.

[jahaims]

A used laptop from 8 years ago is at the end of its use. Tech isn't made to last like that.

[FunkyMonkee]

I've got computers from the `80's and early `90's that still work great. I just can't edit music on them or burn CD's.

[Staximus]

8 years is a dog's age in the computer world. That thing is probably toast

[shortster]

Does it have an output for a monitor to plug into?

[FunkyMonkee]

Yes.

[FunkyMonkee]

It also has a remote control.

[shortster]

Try plugging in a monitor and see what happens.

[In_Trance]

Too much porn

[FunkyMonkee]

I never use it for that. I only edit music on it and burn CD's.