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    Samsung Series 7 Chronos Np700z5c - is it motherboard?

    Discussion in 'Samsung' started by Chestbumpme, Jul 30, 2015.

  1. Chestbumpme

    Chestbumpme Newbie

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    Never thought it would happen to me, but today I'm mourning my motherboard.

    When I was cleaning out dust, I got a little too ambitious and tried to catch more with a screwdriver. Touched the motherboard, saw a spark, and sadness ensued.

    The computer is coming on, but the screen stays black and it seems like it's rebooting. The CAPS LOCK key light flashes to indicate it's starting over. I also notice the fans spinning up. Plugged it into a monitor and still no picture.

    I've searched everywhere and done every "fix" that I can but to no avail. Taking it in first thing tomorrow to figure out if it really is the motherboard.

    Does anyone have any idea what else it could be or any possible solutions to not having to send Samsung my notebook? They literally won't pay you mind of day without a warranty.

    (Also, my first time posting. Been frequenting here since I got my lappy and John's and others' information have allowed me to make several upgrades to my notebook)
     
    Chestbumpme, Jul 30, 2015
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  2. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    Was the computer running when the spark occurred? Flashing lights and spinning fans shows that the BIOS is able to load. However, something has died. If you are lucky it could be a fuse but I expect you are going to need a very competent electronics troubleshooter to figure out what has died. A normal service technician would simply swap components such as the mainboard.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Jul 30, 2015
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  3. TANWare

    TANWare Just This Side of Senile, I think. Super Moderator

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    Sorry to hear about the issue. As John mentions it will need to be pulled apart by someone capable of diagnosis and repair of components and that is no guaranty.
     
    TANWare, Jul 30, 2015
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  4. Chestbumpme

    Chestbumpme Newbie

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    Alright, thank you guys for your speedy responses.

    I had shutdown the computer before I opened it. I hadn't disconnected the battery before I created the spark though.

    I'm trying to avoid a complete motherboard swap because of price and the downtime associated with delivery/shipping. Also, would I lose any info or quality in my current device? Mine has the Nvidia GPU on it and I'm dreading thinking about full overhaul.

    While, I'm noticing this isn't something I can do myself (sadface), is there a specific script I can recite to an electrician/laptop repair shop? The ones I visited today just took what I said about a bad fuse in motherboard and then throw diagnostics and hard drive checks at me.
     
    Chestbumpme, Jul 30, 2015
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  5. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    If you are lucky it is a fuse that has blown. Somewhere there will be a power circuit that produces different voltages to feed to different components and, sensibly, they are protected by fuses. This could explain why the spark (= power surge) can kill the supply to some components while others (eg the CPU since the BIOS shows some life) still work.

    If the fuses exist, will be small (perhaps like these). If the mainboard is removed then it can be scrutinised for possibly dead components using a magnifying glass. However, I don't know if an SMD fuse visibly changes if it is blown.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Jul 30, 2015
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  6. Chestbumpme

    Chestbumpme Newbie

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    Okay, I've taken everything you've told me and did my best to explain
    to a laptop repair guy. Seems like he understood. He was talking about maybe replacing dead cells or something like that. I assumed that could be the components you mentioned.

    Once again, I really do appreciate the help. This has been really my only resource to figuring out exactly how badly I messed up.

    I find out tomorrow at around noon (EST) if it's fixable. Fingers crossed.
     
    Chestbumpme, Jul 31, 2015
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  7. Chestbumpme

    Chestbumpme Newbie

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    Got the verdict today. Technician followed the short to an ICU. Said the video card is completely fried. The model that I have came with the Nvidia GT 640.

    My next step would be to buy a new system or find a replacement motherboard that has an external graphics card.

    What do you guys recommend, I know the video card in there is a little old but the work I do requires more than the integrated card. Do you have an recommendations for motherboards that can fit in this model that have dedicated graphics? Or just a point in the general direction?
     
    Chestbumpme, Aug 1, 2015
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  8. TANWare

    TANWare Just This Side of Senile, I think. Super Moderator

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    TANWare, Aug 1, 2015
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    Chestbumpme and Dannemand like this.