Complete Laptop death!

[Oleron]

I just don't understand it - my work laptop is fried!

Here's the story:
I powered down my laptop at the end of the day and left it docked in its docking station. I locked my office and went home.
Next morning I unlocked my office and sat down to switch on my laptop. I opened the laptop lid - odd, I was certain I hadn't closed the lid before leaving - and switched on. Nothing. No lights, sound or anything else.

It was then I noticed that my room smelt faintly of fried circuit board. That unmistakeable whiff of doom.

I began diagnosing the problem. Power transformer - OK. Screen - OK. Battery - OK.

Mainboard - Fried. CPU - fried. 2 ram memory modules - 1 fried, 1 OK. Hard disk - fried. Graphics card module - fried.

Data isn't a problem - I had a backup.

I first thought it might be a power surge but the transformer was still working and all fuses were intact. Then I remembered that I was convinced my laptop lid was open when I left it and that it was shut when I came back. Sabotage? Accidental damage?

The only person who has the key to my room is the security guard for the building - he lets the cleaners in at night.

Maybe cleaning spray sprayed a little too liberally shorted the machine, resulting in a fizzle and pop. The cleaner might have panicked and closed the lid, hoping no-one would notice? There was no fluid inside the machine, however.

But for so many components to be damaged at once? I have never seen a laptop fail like this, at least not unless it has been dropped from a tall building!

Oh well, at least I have an excuse for ordering a nice new one now!

:D

Anybody seen anything like this before?

[Zep]

Have you had any storms or power surges overnight? Could be simply a power spike would do this. Looks like you have been spiked - laptops don't like spiky power; they don't handle it well.

Incidentally, having a heavy-duty vaccuum-cleaner plugged into the same circuit while switched on already (i.e. plugging it in powers up the VC), does cause heavy sags and spikes, etc. Solution is either get a desktop UPS, or don't have your laptop plugged in overnight.

Personally, I wouldn't leave a laptop out on a desk overnight anywhere at work anyway - they are the first and easiest things to get pinched by light fingers.

[Oleron]

Yes, it wasn't so smart leaving the laptop in the office overnight. I do that far too often.

There is lot of construction work near my office at the moment. They have tripped out the power supply a few times in the past week or so.

But would a spike not blow out the transformer or the fuses?

[AlH]

The damage may not have come in through the power lines. Was the laptop/docking station connected to the network or phone lines? Though that won't close the lid. Was your desk dusted? Perhaps the cleaning person was dusting your desk and laptop and a static discharge knocked it out.

[Soapy Sam]

"Powered down" .
You mean you switched it off?

How could a voltage spike affect it unless the switch was shorted?

Power supply is OK, battery is OK, fuses are intact?

No way it's a power surge.

[AlH]

Desktops have not "turned off" when shut down since AT & PC power supplies. ATX power supplies are on all the time, the motherboard has power to it at all times unless it is unplugged or physically switched off on the back by the switch next to the powercord.

Laptops may be different, but even when "off" the battery is usually being charged or maintained. It would be very odd to have a power surge kill the laptop through the power supply and leave the power supply undamaged.

[SmooveK]

Originally posted by AlH
The damage may not have come in through the power lines. Was the laptop/docking station connected to the network or phone lines? Though that won't close the lid. Was your desk dusted? Perhaps the cleaning person was dusting your desk and laptop and a static discharge knocked it out.

Perhaps a combination of the 2. Lid closing can have many possible solutions. This description completely mirrors the time my old laptop got fried through the phone cable, when such things were actually used to connect online.

[Soapy Sam]

AIH- That's why I asked for a clarification of what's meant by "powered down".
My PC is either on, (running) or off (switched off at the wall socket).
(Virtually all domestic or office power sockets in the UK incorporate a physical switch, as well as the actual outlet connectors. I know that is not usually so in the USA.)

Short of a lightning strike on my flat, it's impossible for the PC to get any juice at all when switched off.

[Zep]

Induced current in the earth lead is one way of getting spiked. Ditto in the phone connection is another.

Fuses require continuous high current to blow - they are usually of the type that need to heat up and melt in order to blow, so a couple of cycles or more may be required to make them go.

However spikes can be very short duration, sometimes less than half a cycle, and can indeed "go through" fuses and power supplies under some conditions. Even certain designs of UPS's are not immune to spikes. Check out line conditioners - there is much discussion on this very subject.

As mentioned above, most PCs are indeed "powered on" even when they are "switched off", as long as they are connected to mains power. The best and easiest safety against power spiking is a physical disconnect - pull the plug out!

[Soapy Sam]

I did not know that about fuses. What about earth leakage circuit breakers? (Not that I'm arguing about unplugging).

[Beerina]

Originally posted by AlH
Desktops have not "turned off" when shut down since AT & PC power supplies. ATX power supplies are on all the time, the motherboard has power to it at all times unless it is unplugged or physically switched off on the back by the switch next to the powercord.

Laptops may be different, but even when "off" the battery is usually being charged or maintained. It would be very odd to have a power surge kill the laptop through the power supply and leave the power supply undamaged.

Don't rule out defects.

My wife just took her Toshiba laptop in for two, count 'em, two recalls, both of which the defect had sprung. (And I'm glad Toshiba owned up to this to fix it for free.)

You might want to look into this possibility.