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Question

Laptop randomly shutting off(not overheating)

May 14, 2020 12:54AM PDT

I have an HP 15 ab584tx. It was working totally fine until last week. Now, it doesn’t turn on for more than a couple of minutes, sometimes less than a minute. It turns on and then, immediately turns off fully. All components turn off, even the power input port light goes off for a second, before coming back on. Sometimes it even makes it as far as the windows desktop screen and works fine for a minute or two, before randomly turning off again. It also sometimes gives me an overheating warning on boot(but doesn’t really overheat, more info below).

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

Removing the battery, draining any static power and plugging in the AC cord.

Opening it up and cleaning it fully, repasting the CPU and GPU.

Systematically removing each component and testing(each RAM module in alternating slots, HDD, CMOS battery, DVD drive, display unit,WiFi card) without them, one by one.

Entering the BIOS and letting it idle. (goes off after a couple of minutes here too)

Checking the temps and fan air flow. (normal)

Checked each cable for loose connection.

Booting from a Live linux pen-drive.
//
Everything I’ve tried yields the same result: the laptop turning off after a couple of minutes. I checked the temps via HWMonitor, which I managed to somehow install before it shut off, it was around 45-60 degrees overall, nothing concerning. During another boot I managed to install CPUZ and check the hardware displayed and everything looked perfectly fine(showed both the iGPU and Nvidia GPU and all 16GB of RAM)There was no physical damage to the laptop either.
When plugged in, it displays an orange light and a white light on the charger port for when the battery is inserted and when the battery is removed, respectively. For the brief moments that it stays alive, it does indicate charging/discharging etc. The charger light stays on. The only time it goes off is when it suddenly dies. At that moment, it goes off for a second before coming back on. I have not checked the voltage of the charger because I don't have an multi-meter. I tried flexing the cord at all points, but there is no disturbance in the output due to it whatsoever. HP also has a diagnostic test menu, and it passed the AC Adapter component test.
I’m really lost as to what exactly is wrong with it. Since I’m in a high risk COVID zone, I can’t go to any service centers for a long time. Any help/input is greatly appreciated!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
You've completed the steps
May 14, 2020 1:04AM PDT

That you would do to avoid replacing parts and it still fails. This leaves us to replace parts like battery, motherboard and charger. I advise you replace the cheapest parts of these first.

This does look like a 4 year old laptop so while it would be nice for it to last more years this is a typical life span under normal to heavy use. Even here with covid restrictions we can drop off PCs for repair or even order new ones.

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It's almost 3 years old
May 14, 2020 5:20PM PDT

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply to my post! And for the last year or so, it hasn't been used at all due to this issue. So, it is in mint condition. As for your suggestion regarding the replacements, I think the battery and adapter are fine becuase the laptop dies even when plugged in without the battery(so, the issue isn't related to it) and the adapter passed the on-board diagnostic test(even then, I'll get it checked with a multimeter when I do get access to one). As for a motherboard failure, which I honestly hope it isn't, sounds like an expensive replacement. I'll try to get it to a nearby technician as soon as the lockdown gets lifted.
Another thing I've noticed is that if I run it only on battery, not plugged in, it hibernates due to overheating, but it does so systematically, not abruptly, so I'm even more confused right now. One thing I know is that it isn't really overheating at all, temps were at approximately 38 degree Celsius when it died yesterday. So maybe it's a faulty thermal sensor?

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Could be.
May 14, 2020 6:11PM PDT

Remember there are only so many temp sensors so let's talk about maintenance. At this old it may be time to do a deep clean. Get to where you can see heatsinks and fans to give them a good shot of canned air. What is canned air and use is on many youtubes so I don't write about that here.

My thought on the battery and charger is it's not much compared to motherboard or such replacement so if the machine is over a few years old we try that since the next replacement part (motherboard) almost always hits over half the price of a new laptop.

Since it's out of warranty why not try the cleaning first.

Post was last edited on May 14, 2020 6:12 PM PDT

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I did
May 15, 2020 5:28AM PDT

this isn't my first rodeo with overheating laptops, so that was literally the first thing I did. 'Happy Cleaned it thoroughly, repasted the CPU and GPU. It wasn't really dirty at all, but still did it. The fan spits out a good breeze, so no issues there, idle temps are arpound 38-40 degree celcius.

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Thanks for covering these areas and methods.
May 15, 2020 12:17PM PDT

Then the bake is next unless you find another option. With the Pb free solder I find cracks in solder in today's boards but finding such is done with a microscope and maybe a big screen TV so you can scan a lot of area on the board. Nod to Louis Rossmann on Youtube showing this many many times to all.

What's also known is that some chips become heat sensitive. I find these by supplying cold air to the device under test and see if it keeps running under load. If it does what happens next depends on the company I'm at. Some have surface mount rework machines and parts, but some don't which means the board is replaced.

This is why we replace what we can in the field outside of well equipped shops before the motherboard.

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Answer
could be bad capacitor on motherboard, but...
May 14, 2020 10:01AM PDT
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Literally clicked that thrice to confirm
May 14, 2020 5:12PM PDT

Baking the motherboard sounded like a prank XD. Thanks for taking the time to read through and for your input though, will definitely check it out!