[SOLVED] A question about fixing an broken 2008 HP pavilion dv7

[iNeedy]

My laptop hasn't been used in about 10 years, so disclaimer. Without the battery when I plug it in, it makes a burning smell. It won't charge neither turn on. I used a battery on it that I know that works and it has the same problem. The smell is the strongest near above the RAM. I actually digged a bit inside it and there was no corrosion but the fan, which doesn't turn on, has a lot of dust in it.
It doesn't have any ram or HDD(it has room for 2 of each), and oddly enough, it doesn't have a port for IDE or SATA. Thanks!

 

[USAFRet]

It is a 12 year old busted laptop.
If it were in perfect running condition today with a valid OS, it would be worth about $100.

No RAM, no drive, fan doesn't work, no battery, smells like smoke.
It is only fit for the recycle bin.

 

[iNeedy]

Yeah, the ** point is it fix it, it's my project and it's what I call entertainment.

 

[USAFRet]

Yeah, the ** point is it fix it, it's my project and it's what I call entertainment.

So:
Blow the dust out
Buy compatible RAM
Replace the busted fan
Locate and buy the applicable interface between a SATA drive and what is exposed in the laptop. There used to be one...probably removed with the original drive.
Diagnose and fix whatever is wrong with the battery/power connection
Buy a new battery

Done.

 

[iNeedy]

Battery-Check
Dust-Check
Fan-Check but not installed
I have no idea what is going on with the charging issue. I used a different Dell cord with it that had an ac adapter of half the power and it didn't do anything. Also, its SATA, not IDE, right?

 

[iNeedy]

I have recently started a project regarding putting new parts into my old 2008 HP Pavilion dv7. I used to have a battery, but I used it on a different laptop of the same product line and it didn't boot up. Today, without the battery, I plugged it in and it started making a burning smell. I also remember a light next to the AC DC port turned on for a millisecond and then turned off. I unplugged it and proceeded to take off the case and look at the fan. It had tons of dust in it, so I used some dust destroyer on it and things were fine. So i put the case back on and plugged it in, and the light next to the AC adapter port started blinking, except the burning smell was still there. The fan never turned on neither times I tried to boot it up. Also, if you leave it plugged in, there will be sparks and smoke. I have taken the fan out thinking it was broken, but I have no way of testing it, so idk why I did that lmao. Could there be a fluid leak somewhere? Any other suggestions?
Also, a capacitor popped off the motherboard yesterday.

 

[iNeedy]

I have checked the back of the battery slot and it looks like somebody spilled bronze paint onto it, or if it was corroded.

 

[iNeedy]

Hello, I started working on my 2011 HP Pavilion dv7, and I plugged it in, didn't push the power button or anything, and a burning smell just got worse and worse. One time, there were 2 sparks and smoke. I cracked it open. I blew out a bunch of dust in the fan, and I tried it again. This time, a light next to the power jack started blinking, but still that burning smell. I ended up opening up the motherboard and taking out the fan so I can replace it. Also, theres a ton of bronze color all around the battery, like somebody poured paint on it. Is this corrosion? Is the motherboard fried?

 

[lga1156_ftw]

Ah yeah, good old HP dv5 dv6 dv7 series, these things give me nightmares with all the failing gpu chips. If you start fixing laptops for a hobby i would not buy more HP dv series laptops, trust me i had probably 25 failing hard.

"capacitor popped off the motherboard yesterday", have to say there is multiple things going wrong with this repair, first forget the fan. Theres probably multiple things shorted at the same time, you killed the battery atleast. I would abandon this one and take parts from it if you need them in next repair.

 

[USAFRet]

Capacitor broken off
No battery
Burning smell
"bronze paint " = leaked battery
"there will be sparks and smoke "
No drive
No RAM

This only looks like a laptop. In reality, it is a pile of 12 year old broken parts.
Some things are too far gone to fix. This is one of them.

 

[iNeedy]

Ah yeah, good old HP dv5 dv6 dv7 series, these things give me nightmares with all the failing gpu chips. If you start fixing laptops for a hobby i would not buy more HP dv series laptops, trust me i had probably 25 failing hard.

"capacitor popped off the motherboard yesterday", have to say there is multiple things going wrong with this repair, first forget the fan. Theres probably multiple things shorted at the same time, you killed the battery atleast. I would abandon this one and take parts from it if you need them in next repair.

Thx
You think I should use the case? It has a couple cracks around the USB ports and the hinges, not very large. It's more sleek looking than the 2 crappy looking Toshiba satellites I have.

 

[lga1156_ftw]

LCD panel is good to save atleast, wifi card, processor (if removable and working), eDP cable (lcd) etc