Samsung Series 9 won't turn on

New Samsung Series 9 np900x3b owned for about a week, but won't turn on now. Display stays blank though blue power button light lights up. Tried holding down power button, disconnecting battery (via pin hole on back) but nothing.

The fans sometimes spin a little when it's turned on, but nothing comes up on the display.

Anyone seen this?

 

Did anyone ever figure out what the proper procedure and use for the battery pin hole actually is?

I believe the last time I used it I pressed it with a paper clip for a count of 10. After that my machine finally reset and booted.

The only reason I needed to use it was because I had removed the bottom cover, then removed the battery. After putting everything back together it wouldn't boot. It took me a few minutes of messing around with the power button and pin hole to finally get it to boot.

It was a horrifying experience and I really don't know what the magic combination of presses was.

 

Pages 11 and 12 of the User Guide endeavour to explain how the battery disconnect works. It seems that with the mains power disconnected then one poke through the hole is enough to disconnect the battery. The battery will then be automatically reconnected when mains power is plugged in. it appears that Samsung's motive for providing this facility is for emergencies such as getting liquid into the computer, not for a deep reset of a sulking machine.

As for the OP's problem, I have to wonder whether there is a problem with the display / display cable. Did you try getting into the BIOS by repeatedly pressing the F2 button immediately after pressing the power button? (There's a very limited time for this to register because of the Fast Boot facility). There's a small chance that the computer thinks it is trying to output to a an external screen. Unfortunately, unless you have access to either an HDMI display with suitable cables or a VGA dongle (and display) you can't check this.

John

 

Ah, I never spotted that section in my hasty review of the Users Guide. In my case I was trying to get it to boot while on battery only. I believe what happens is that the pin hole push and removal of the battery are in effect the same thing. A switch is thrown and they remain in a disconnected state until the AC adapter is plugged back in. I did of course do that later and it booted fine.

Good to know how it is supposed to work. Thanks!

The threat of liquid is very real on the NP900X3B with the slits in the bottom cover for the fans and the memory. There is very little clearance from the rubber feet on the bottom. I was excited to see the Ivy Bridge machine picture no longer have the slits. Hopefully that ends up being true because it will help in the event of a coffee spill or something.

 

I'm having a similar problem. Mine won't power on at all but I'm not getting any lights or anything at all. I know the power supply works because it charges my wife's with no problem. Samsung was no help to me and just said to send it in. After researching on this site I tried the batter reset switch but that didn't seem to do anything.

If anybody has any ideas I'd love to hear them! Thanks!

 

Are you saying you have two NP900X3B machines? If so, I would try her battery in your machine to see if it's a battery issue. If that isn't the problem, then you are likely going to need to get it serviced since it sounds like you are past most normal return periods.

 

Yes, I have two of them but the batteries are not easily removable and I don't want to take it apart to try swapping batteries before sending it in. Any other ideas? I really don't want to send it in!

 

I actually thought it was rather easy. But I am used to taking stuff apart.

This discussion highlights several things people need to consider:

1. Where can you get walk-in warranty service? Does Samsung have a warranty service provider close by?
2. If you open the case and do a part swap for something like a battery, does it void your warranty?
3. Should you ship the machine with the mSATA hard drive and your personal data?

Personally I would not ship the machine with my personal data on it. No way. Anyone know the answers for the other questions?

 

Removing the battery is pretty simple. There are no "warranty void if removed" sticker, so all you have to do is take the screws off the bottom of the notebook, then take the screws off the battery and disconnect it. Takes about 5 minutes.

This is not a tutorial video, but it shows how the inside looks like. You can see the area around the battery.

Samsung S9 NP900X3B Internals - YouTube

 

My NP900X4B-A02US was DOA. When first I plugged it in and tried to turn it on, all that happened was that the blue LED on the power button lit up and a high-pitched noise started coming from underneath. I fiddled around with the pinhole &c. without success.

I ended up sending it in to Samsung, and they said they’re replacing the motherboard. Hope I have a functioning machine soon.

 

If it came DOA, why not return it to where ever you got it for a replacement? The turnaround time will be much quicker than RMA directly to samsung. Only time you'd want to RMA would be if the window to return to the store is over.

 

I got it from Amazon, who showed it as sold out by the time I received it.

 

Amazon stock changes hourly. Certainly daily.

 

Hi there... Just logged on as I just had the exact same problem happen to mine. Mine is the x4b by the way. I too was freaking out when it happened; seeing it is only 3 weeks old!
But but now it's fine again. I believe its that battery automatic shut off when either a power surge or failure kicks in. I resolved it by taking out the power cord - sticking the pin into the back where that battery sign is - count for 10ish seconds - put the power cord back in & then press the power button again. I hope this works for you or you resolved the problem all ready?

& of course this may help others out there.

Cool laptop though isn't it
B good.
P

 

Thank goodness for you guys!

My Samsung Series 9 is only 2 weeks old, all the lights were on but the screen would not power up.

I stuck a paperclip into the tiny hole where the battery sign for about 5 seconds, then put the power cord back in and pressed the power button again. It has come on now like nothing happened.

It is a cool laptop, but I hope this doesn't happen too often....

Helpful quotes

 

It seems to be a rare event. Otherwise this thread would be busier.

John

 

I managed to have a near heart attack over this issue the first or second day I had the machine. I had opened the bottom up and removed the battery.

After assembling everything it would not turn on. Freaked me out. I was horrified.

Then I started reading up on how the circuit breaker (pin hole switch) worked and the intent behind the design. Courtesy of our moderator (John).

 

Hi,

It's a year after the last post on this thread, but I have same issue. Followed the guidance indicated here, and no luck. Still not operational. Unplugging the AC power, using a pin in the reset hole, and then plugging the AC power back in and trying to turn on does light up the On button LED for about 1 sec, but then it goes back off again.

It will not go on at all after using a pin in the reset hole, and then trying the power on button (without the AC), even though I know the battery is fully charged. So from that standpoint, I know the pin reset hole is working the way the user manual indicates, as in it is disconnecting the battery until you plug AC power back in. But just can't get the computer to turn back on even with AC power plugged in.

I wouldn't assume that this is a rare issue, just because there aren't that many reports of this issue. A lot of people use forums as a reference, but don't post.

 

Are you saying the PC has been sitting nonoperational for a year? That's too bad with such a nice machine. Did you ever call Samsung to have it serviced while it as in warranty?

I got an extra three months warranty on mine by registering on Samsung.com. Don't know if that was unique to my model (Series 7) or location (US). But couldn't hurt trying.

Actually I believe by far the majority who post on forums are users who have issues or questions AND a few who don't have problems and are here to help those who do. The largest majority, though, just use their PCs, accepting whatever quirks they may have, and never join a forum.

 

Read the bricked computer thread and the BIOS Update thread in case any of the fixes there might work in your case.

John

 

Having the same problem, any news?

 

I have the same problem too!! I was watching my shows on the laptop, then i put it on sleep mode while i went for a quick dinner. But after i came back i realised that the laptop was no longer charging though the blue light on the charger was still on. I tried to power up the machine but nothing happened. So i read this forum and poked the battery reset button for 10seconds but i still cant power the laptop up even when it's connected to the charger. the orange light at the top left hand corner did not light up when charging...it's like the laptop is dead.. any ways to help??? ㅠㅠ

 

Which model of the Series 9?

Try this procedure:

1. Disconnect the mains power supply
2. Poke something through the battery disconnect hole (listen for a small click). The battery will remain disconnected until mains power is reconnected.
3. Open the display and hold down the power button for a minute.
4. Reconnect the power supply and press the power button.

If the orange charge light doesn't come on when reconnecting the PSU then perhaps the PSU has died. And if there's no power from the PSU then the battery will remain disconnected.

Are you still in warranty?

John

 

No im not in warrenty..i tried that but nothing happened ㅠㅠ means i have no choice but to send it in for servicing??? The model is np900x4d

 

I can't think of anything else. If there's no light when the PSU is plugged in then something has died. Possibly the PSU (which you will also need to send in) but most likely the power circuit in the computer.

John

 

ㅠㅠ guess i have no choice then...thanks for the help though!!

 

I've found myself in the exact same position. Came into my home office this morning to use my plugged in Samsung Series 9 NP900X4C-A03US and no power, no charging light, nada. I put the charger on the volt meter and was getting 19V and between 1.3-1.6A. Took the case off to check the connection and test voltage there and it was getting to the motherboard. Disconnected the battery physically, reattached, reassembled, and still nothing. Tested the power adapter on another Samsung machine with the same specs, and it showed charging and power as normal. I tried all the procedures for disconnecting the computer from power, hitting the battery reset, holding down power, reconnecting to AC, etc. No change. I spoke to Samsung, and they're 7-10 business days for repair, and I'm just out of warranty. I take extremely good care of my equipment, never had any previous issues with this machine.

It looks like the on-board power regulator is integrated to the motherboard. If that's the case, I suppose a new motherboard is the only solution?

Any thoughts or advice before I seek service. Should I process the repairs through Inelisol or Samsung directly? This is my primary work machine for my business, and all of my data us backed up and secure, and I have a backup machine to use, but it's still going to be incredibly painful to lose this machine for even 24 hours.

Thanks in advance to the fellow users and experts here. Even feedback about your repair experience through Samsung, Intelisol, or other including diagnosis, costs of repair, and timeline for equipment servicing is helpful.

 

I think you've done all the trouble-shooting.

My worry would be whether they will charge you for a full replacement motherboard which is a $500 part. You can find all the X4C parts at samsungparts.com. The board is BA92-10643A. It's an expensive fix for what may be a $10 part.

If that's likely to be the case then it could be cheaper to buy an X4C with a broken screen off ebay and then put the mainboard into your model.

John

 

Thanks for the advice John. When you mention a $10 part, are you referring to something specific, or just the fact that it might be another part other than the motherboard at $500. I have repaired many PC's and even done several notebook hardware replacements including main board swaps, but at this time, I don't really have the time or know where to start with diagnosing the problem further. I'm afraid to give it over to a local tech if they can't determine the exact problem before replacing parts that may or may not be the problem. Upon speaking to Samsung a couple of times, it appears Intelisol is the only "authorized" service, but they get horrible reviews and so far, I have been unsuccessful in contacting them, just left several voice mails and service requests through the online portal. I'm not even worried about spending $500 or more, but I just need to get this computer up and running again ASAP.

Again, thoughts or other's experience dealing with service is greatly appreciated.

 

My reference to the $10 part was following your hypothesis that the problem is with the power regulator chip (more likely a $1 part).

There's no mention of a power board in the list at samsungparts.com and from what I've seen of the inside of the X4C the daughterboard holds some of the sockets. If time is of the essence then one of the X4Cs with a broken screen on ebay might be the fastest fix. I expect the service people might fix the problem by swapping parts and, if a new mainboard gets the computer running, then that is what you will probably get charged for.

John

 

Hi Mr.T

I have the same issue you had, even the 1sec blink of the power led. What was the solution to your particular problem? since I already tried everything in this thread and more.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Nico.

 

If your Series 9 has removable RAM (eg NP900X4C /D) then try removing / replacing the RAM modules and trying them one at a time. A bad RAM contact can cause a brief flash of the power LED as the computer starts but then discovers that it can't load the boot loader into the RAM. Removal / replacement usually cleans the contacts.

John

 

OK so I just had this same issue with my Samsung Series 9 laptop and the reason why the blue light would flicker and then go off was due to a short. I had replaced the keyboard and upon doing so I noticed that it would not power on but it did power on when I lifted up the mother board off of the metal keyboard so basically the trick was to put some padding between the motherboard and the keyboard. If you haven't ever opened up your laptop I would suspect something has has happened that caused metal contact and is causing a short. If its out of warranty you could try to open it up and take a look.

 

Hey

I have also encountered the exact same problem with my Samsung series 9 ultrabook. The computer would suddenly not turn on after the battery had accidentally been fully drained a couple of times in a row. I made the assumption that the battery was dead, but found it weird that the computer wouldn't turn on even with the power supply connected. I opened the computer and took out the battery. After doing this, I can turn on the computer and use it as normal, but if I reinsert the battery, it doesn't turn on. Even though I know it's a bad idea, I tried to connect the battery while the computer was running, which just made the computer shut off immediately. The computer still worked after taking the battery out again.

This caused me to think that the power somehow runs through the battery when it is connected, and cannot take another route if the battery is inserted. It seemed like the battery was dead, so I decided to order a new one. After getting a new one I unfortunately experienced the same problems though. The computer won't turn on with the new battery inserted. I tried to let it sit overnight to charge, but it still doesn't turn on as long as the battery is inserted. Right now I'm still using my laptop daily without the battery, but it is very annoying not being able to carry it around and always having to sit by an outlet.

I suspect there being an error between the power supply and the battery, but I just find it weird that the circuitry can be damaged by the battery draining completely, as seems to be the common cause of the problem.

I think this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/series-9-dead-battery.775805/page-2
talking about the same problem, but no solution has been found yet other than using the computer without the battery.

 

I posted there too.

 

My 900x4c has just started to not fully boot.
I can turn it on and gets to the boot screen but then dies after a couple of seconds and I have to poke the battery reset on the back to get it to turn on again.

I've tried running one stick of ram, and with the battery completely disconnected but I still can't get it to fully boot.
I've tested the CMOS battery and power supply and they are both still outputting 3v and 19v like they should be and I can't see anywhere obvious where it might be shorting.

Anybody have any other ideas on what might be causing the issue?

 

Not too fully boot could be many issues. Since a hard power reset reboots it probably is the HDD. You could try once the logo appears to F10 and see if there is a boot menu. Alternate is to remove the HDD and see what you get. be careful though as a bad HDD has result in many a bricked Sammy'.

 

I wonder if it is the SSD (might it be a Sandisk U100?). And is the X4C Windows 7 or Windows 8. The latter has UEFI enabled by default which can cause a few headaches.

Can you get into the BIOS setup OK, which will confirm that the BIOS doesn't have problems?

Checking the SSD's health would be the next stage. Find a Windows boot disc / flash drive, boot from it and check the SSD with chkdsk.

John

 

Sorry I didn't get notified that anybody had replied.

It still dies when I try to access the BIOS. I have a password set and I get to the password screen but it shuts off.
I've also tried booting without the SSD installed but again it still dies after a couple of seconds.

Edit: and yes it has a U100 and I have windows 10 installed

 

Did the computer come with Windows 7 or Windows 8? The latter (P**ABK BIOS) has UEFI enabled by default and this has caused various headaches. Various BIOS updates have cleared many of the bugs but I recall that Samsung recently issued a further update so there must have been another serious bug.Also, UEFI stores some data on the drive and if it can't be found then confusion results.

I think your best hope is to look at the bricking threads.

John

 

It came with windows 7.

Thanks for the links but fortunately they weren't needed.

It's so strange but I went try turn it on yesterday and it just booted first time. It had been left untouched and unplugged for nearly 3 weeks. I haven't a clue why it's working again but it seems to be working just fine again now. The system date was set to the 5th October though when it finally did boot which was the day it first wouldn't turn on.

The only thing I can think of what might have caused it was using the powered USB port to charge my phone with laptop off. The next time I tried to turn it on it wouldn't boot.
I can't be 100% if they're related but I'm just not going use that again.

Thanks for your help anyway!

 

Thanks for the update.

I've always avoided using the computer battery for charging external devices because of the drain on the battery but you may have discovered another side-effect.

A wide selection of external batteries specifically designed for charging USB devices is now available so I use one of these if mains power is not available.

John

 

I just fixed 2 of these notebooks by replacing the motherboard. It is not the power supply or the battery, just the motherboard. Symptoms, red lamp on but would not power on no matter what.

 

Hello there,
I wonder if anyone has managed to fix it without taking the laptop without taking it to the service.
I have Samsung NP900X3C and just refuses to turn on. It is showing, however, the blue light near the power button, and the green light that it is charging, but the screen remains black. Having it opened, noticed that one of the fans tried to work but after a couple of seconds stops. Also tried to press the power off button on the back of the laptop, unplugging the power cord, taking out the battery… nothing helped.
Would be so grateful if anybody could help with this!
Thanks in advance!

 

Try removing the SSD. There's a small chance that it's gone sick and won't talk to the BIOS. If the SSD is removed completely then the BIOS won't try to talk to it and should let you get to the BIOS screen.

Otherwise, please advise if the notebook was shipped with Windows 7 or Windows 8. The latter had UEFI enabled which caused quite a few problems although most of these were fixed by various BIOS updates. Did you regularly check for and apply any BIOS updates?

I would also suggest that you read through the Unbricking solutions sticky thread. One of the fixes there may work for you.

John

 

Hello John,
Thank you for the prompt reply!
Have just tried removing the SSD but, unfortunately, it made no difference. When I press the power button one of the fans tries to wind, then stops, the blue light near the power button remains on, and the greenish light is continuing to indicate that it is connected to the power cord.
The laptop was shipped with Windows 7.
I think I have never actually updated the BIOS, and now I am not sure whether it is possible at this stage as the laptop doesn't allow to do anything, showing the black screen, and no buttons make any response.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks very much again!

 

You need to work through the threads linked in the Unbricking Solutions sticky to see which may be most likely applicable to your problem. I would start with this one.

I can't point to an instant solution but those threads contain several examples where persistence by the owners resurrected computers which appeared to be dead. So don't give up hope. The fact that you probably haven't updated the BIOS may make your task easier. See this thread about getting the most recent BIOS. I'm not sure if ITEM_20131127_21276_WIN_P07AAC.exe is the most recent BIOS but it gives you a starting place.

John

 

HI!
I though my series 9 is dead BUT .. If I remove the battery, the old beast is starting again !!!

But how can I get the battery to work again?
Any ideas?

 

Its working now:

- Disconnect Battery
- Remove Dust from connector
- Connect it again (with pressure .. be sure that there is no gap!)
- Press Reset-Button
- Insert Power
- Remove Power (after 5 sek)
- Insert Power again
- Green light is on!
- Start PC
- Battery is connected - all works fine!

 

hello,

I have similar problem with NP930X5J. When I press power button, blue light is turned but the computer does not turn on. But after playing with a button for couple of minutes it ussualy starts. I have noticed that this started to happen after newest sasmung update has been instaled. I do not know if that can be the couse.