Please Help: Laptop Computer Shuts Down After Powering Up

[donetao]

Hi Your welcome! No need to apologize! There are a lot of PC users that don't like Windows. I some times feel the same way. Sense your HDD is good and you tested your Ram, what's left?? PSU and mother board. I suppose there could be a electrical component that causes this problem when it heats up as you have said your PC runs after leaving it shut down for awhile.
We have some really smart members here and we take all problems serious and do our best to advise to the best of our ability. If you have this problem while on battery as well as AC adapter then that's another thing to consider. Have you tried to remove the battery and just operate with the AC adapter??
Gary!

 

[crazyman143]

I see, but given that the keyboard incident was 3 months ago and the power off problem just started, do you still consider this the most likely source of the problem?. It was not a lot of water like an spill. If the keyboard problem was due to water, it would have been that some of the wetness of the tissue made it past the keycaps. Are laptop keyboards closed on the bottom?.

I think it is possible for the damage to progress over time, yes. And no, they are usually not closed on the bottom. They are porous on the bottom as is the palm rest that they snap into. Regardless of whether it was caused by your cleaning the keyboard or not, I'm leaning towards motherboard failure. You can try reseating your ram and processor. If you do indeed pinpoint the motherboard as the failure, you can try a solder reflow as a last resort. Perhaps others will have more ideas.

Oh, and as I forgot to mention, welcome to the forums. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Lounge area. There's a good bunch of members here and I'm sure you'll be able to both give and receive quality advice!

EDIT: another thought that crossed my mind: check your ports for any damage. bent pins in USB ports are super common and will short a motherboard. Just spitballing.

 

[setishock]

Late to this party, sorry.
The water spilled in to the computer is the main clue. Although it occurred a bit back it still is doing it's insidious dirty work. Corrosion is still at play here.

In the model community we have a problem with corrosion when a model gets dunked. Although the model's electronics is cleaned off and packed in rice as an absorbent, corrosion has begun any way. The corrosion does what's called by me, growing fur. The metal actually grows spikes of metal oxides that can reach over to other circuit traces and cause shorts.

The solution here would be to completely disassemble the laptop and with a stiff brush, brush off the board. This should be followed up by a soft cloth to continue the cleaning. Then finally a through blasting with canned air. Use as many cans as need to be sure you get all traces of the loosened "fur" off the board and out of plugs and other places. Inspect the board with a magnifying glass to be sure there are no shorts and reassemble.

If it continues to exhibit the same behavior, then it's a sure bet a chip or other component, got damaged or blown up. Toss it and buy another one. The main board is beyond repair or not cost effect to repair.

Spilling liquids in to a laptop most times, is signing its death warrant. It may die right away or putt on for a while before it finally does. But it's a sure bet it's going to laptop nirvana sooner or later. Moral of the story is keeps drinks and other conductive liquids away from ANY electronics. One act of clumsiness and your expensive little hot rod becomes an expensive door prop. I don't mean to be a tool about it but... crazyman143 and I have the same school of thought, progressive damage.

 

[donetao]

Hi! Not sure there was water spilled. OP said he used just a damp cloth. However the OP did say the KB stopped working and he was now using a USB KB. I'm wondering how damp was the cloth that stopped the KB from working a few months ago!. Sorry those are just my 2 cents.
PS! It's never to late to join the party. My guess would also be the MB. Hardware is not my best feature however. I really don't have a best feature, LOL