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General discussion

Laptop loses power and shuts down...why?

Dec 7, 2003 4:27PM PST

Hi,
I have a fairly new HP zt1130 laptop and it had been shutting down on its own after being on for only five minutes. It gave no warning and did not log off of windows, but simply turned up as if it was out of power. I did some tests and my battery and power cord are fine so I assumed that the problem was a virus.
I ran all of my antivirus software to no avail so I decided to format my hard drive and start over with the boot disk. Now the boot disk will only run for 5 minutes because the computer STILL shuts down just as before. Does anyone know why it does this? Thanks

Discussion is locked

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Re:Laptop loses power and shuts down...why?
Dec 7, 2003 8:38PM PST

Only the HP service center will have replacement motherboards, power supplies and such to find out which part has failed. "Fairly new" can be under a year, but for some of us, 5 years is new too. I reseating what parts you can get to doesn't cure it, then it's time to call HP for repair.

Bob

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Re:Laptop loses power and shuts down...why?
Dec 8, 2003 3:51AM PST

Clean the battery area contacts plus battery. Makes ure you completely discharhe the battery provided you can. Then retry your system. If it still fails, then you have a possible h/w fault or bad battery. If fault from h/w a warranty issue? if battery but covered bu warranty, use it, if not buy anotrher battery.

FYI - Infrequent use of the laptop or overcharging the battery will cause problems. So, it does matter it seems what a laptop does, its prone to its own unique problems. Just use it and pay attention to lifecycle of the battery. Batteries usually start to get flaky after a yr. or so of normal use, IMHO.

good luck -----Willy

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Check for failed int. or exhaust port fan
Dec 9, 2003 11:44PM PST

OK?

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Kinda what willy said, but in addition
Dec 9, 2003 10:56AM PST

Try the laptop totally without the battery. I'm having a battery problem myself with my Gateway laptop, and it works best with the battery *out* entirely. Luckily, I'm still under warranty and will have that fixed at my leisure.

I'm thinking you may have a heat issue also- have you been using the laptop on a completely flat surface where the fan can't properly ventilate the heat? It's generally good practice to elevate the rear part of the laptop to allow the fan ventilate. If none of the suggestions resolve your problem, I think it's time for a trip to the repair shop. Good luck.