Hi,
I have an HP HDX 18t-1200 laptop that won't stay on for more than a minute or so. I wondered if anyone else has had this problem.
In May, I left it on and returned to find it had shut itself off. I started it up with no problem and it worked fine for a few more times. A couple of weeks after that, it shut itself off again. This time, when I restarted it, it got as far as the Windows desktop before shutting off again. I tried several more times, and each time it would begin to start up, but then shut off after a few seconds. When it starts, the keyboard lights come on. When it shuts off, there is one small, soft beep. I don't think there are any flashing light codes or beep codes.
I have tried starting with the battery in and out, and with it plugged in and unplugged. The light on the AC adapter is on, and the light where it plugs into the computer is also on when it's plugged in. The lightning bolt on the front of the computer has a solid light when it's plugged in (until it shuts off, at which point the light goes out).
I have tried a hard reset. After a reset, it does the same thing (begins to start, then shuts off) and then the lightning bolt light goes out. It won't start again, and the lightning bolt light stays off, until after I do another hard reset.
After several tries, the lightning bolt wouldn't light up even after a hard reset. However, yesterday I left the battery out overnight, then put it back in the computer. The lightning bolt came on. I plugged it into the wall and left it in for several hours. I tried starting it and this time it stayed on for a minute or two--long enough to reach the desktop. I looked at the battery icon and it said "0%, charging". Shortly after that, it shut itself off again.
I haven't installed any new software or updates lately. The laptop hasn't had hard usage, and I usually only turn it on once or twice a week. Sometimes when it's plugged in I can hear a very high-pitched hum coming from the AC adapter and/or where it plugs into the computer. (I never noticed this noise before the problem started).
It's running Vista Ultimate SP1. Other technical specifications:
RAM 4 GB
64 bit
Could a bad battery be the cause of this? I'm not too experienced with computer terms and repairs and I wondered if anyone else had had this kind of problem, or knew what might be causing it. I'd really appreciate any help or advice. Thanks!
