Question Special Laptop Troubleshoot(Lenovo B560 power led blinking, No display)

[GurkiratSingh]

So here's the whole story.

I was trying to repair this laptop i.e. Lenovo B560. It had lagging issues. The way it was lagging, I was pretty sure it was cause of tons of viruses in it.

So I started installing a fresh windows on it. And after that, when I was about to install the antivirus, I faced the same problem. I thought that the viruses are too heavy and can't be deleted directly. Seriously I was barely able to move my cursor.

Then I made a Kaspersky Rescue Disc, to be done with it. But that didn't helped me either. Whenever I tried to start the full system scan or even the basic scan. It'd scan a very few files then close itself. So I was confused again, why? Cause this KRD seems to be based on Linux and I couldn't understand how the viruses were affecting that.

So some wild idea came into my mind. And I decided to open the <<snip>> thing, which wasn't easy and for what, to apply thermal paste on the cpu in minimal appropriate amount which was in tons before. Then I put the whole thing back.

Here comes the plot twist, when I tried to run it again. The power led kept blinking, and I was confused AGAIN like what <<edited>> happened? Anyways it was getting pretty late, so I thought I'd look into it in the morning.

Next morning, first I thought maybe I made a mistake in assembling the product. So I opened it again and saw some bits of previous thermal paste on the cpu socket, so I cleaned it with the help of a tooth brush, maybe it went there when I was cleaning the cpu.

But even after doing all that, the same problem remained. Sometimes if I let it on, then stuff like cpu & it's fan would run but would stop after some time. But normally the LEDs kept blinking i.e. power and dvd writer(yes it was blinking before but I didn't noticed.)

Also in any case there was nothing showing on the display.

So help me out if you know something about this.

Solutions I've already tried -

1. The popular one, holding the power button for 5/15/30/60 seconds without battery and adapter, so laptop gets discharged, then try different combinations to check where the problem is, battery or adapter. DID NOT WORK.
2. Second, if there was a problem with BIOS, I eliminated it by resetting it physically. So again DID NOT WORK.

 

[Ralston18]

How old is the Lenovo laptop?

Hardware specs? Especially PSU?

 

[hang-the-9]

So here's the whole story.

I was trying to repair this laptop i.e. Lenovo B560. It had lagging issues. The way it was lagging, I was pretty sure it was cause of tons of viruses in it.

So I started installing a fresh windows on it. And after that, when I was about to install the antivirus, I faced the same problem. I thought that the viruses are too heavy and can't be deleted directly. Seriously I was barely able to move my cursor.

Then I made a Kaspersky Rescue Disc, to be done with it. But that didn't helped me either. Whenever I tried to start the full system scan or even the basic scan. It'd scan a very few files then close itself. So I was confused again, why? Cause this KRD seems to be based on Linux and I couldn't understand how the viruses were affecting that.

So some wild idea came into my mind. And I decided to open the <<snip>> thing, which wasn't easy and for what, to apply thermal paste on the cpu in minimal appropriate amount which was in tons before. Then I put the whole thing back.

Here comes the plot twist, when I tried to run it again. The power led kept blinking, and I was confused AGAIN like what <<edited>> happened? Anyways it was getting pretty late, so I thought I'd look into it in the morning.

Next morning, first I thought maybe I made a mistake in assembling the product. So I opened it again and saw some bits of previous thermal paste on the cpu socket, so I cleaned it with the help of a tooth brush, maybe it went there when I was cleaning the cpu.

But even after doing all that, the same problem remained. Sometimes if I let it on, then stuff like cpu & it's fan would run but would stop after some time. But normally the LEDs kept blinking i.e. power and dvd writer(yes it was blinking before but I didn't noticed.)

Also in any case there was nothing showing on the display.

So help me out if you know something about this.

Solutions I've already tried -

1. The popular one, holding the power button for 5/15/30/60 seconds without battery and adapter, so laptop gets discharged, then try different combinations to check where the problem is, battery or adapter. DID NOT WORK.
2. Second, if there was a problem with BIOS, I eliminated it by resetting it physically. So again DID NOT WORK.

Few things here, the initial issue could have been caused by a failing hard drive just viruses. When you did a clean Windows setup, did you wipe the partitions off the disk first?

The second not turning on issue, you took it apart and there was paste on the socket, that could have damaged the motherboard and/or CPU. With what you tried, chances are you would need a new motherboard, or at least check the system again. Make sure RAM and other parts are seated properly.

Did you check the blinking light vs error codes from Lenovo support?

 

[GurkiratSingh]

How old is the Lenovo laptop?

Hardware specs? Especially PSU?

I mentioned the Laptop model no i.e. Lenovo B560. It's oold, how much, IDK.

Specs - I'm not sure. It has an i3 sticker on the keypad side, other than that I think it has 4/8gb ram.

 

[GurkiratSingh]

Few things here, the initial issue could have been caused by a failing hard drive just viruses. When you did a clean Windows setup, did you wipe the partitions off the disk first?

The second not turning on issue, you took it apart and there was paste on the socket, that could have damaged the motherboard and/or CPU. With what you tried, chances are you would need a new motherboard, or at least check the system again. Make sure RAM and other parts are seated properly.

Did you check the blinking light vs error codes from Lenovo support?

Do you mean wiping off the whole hard drive or just that partition? Cause I did formatted the partition before installing windows on it. Did you meant, it could've been caused by failed hard drive and not just viruses?

How can I make sure where the problem is mobo,CPU or ram? I did tried heating the CPU to get the display but only variable I got is led not blinking and becoming stable and laptop shutting off after some time, but still no display.

Which error codes, there is no display? Do you have a link to it?

I'd try changing the ram if I could find the compatible ones.

 

[GurkiratSingh]

Also I'm not getting notifications in my email, even when the settings are turned on.

 

[Ralston18]

Question: you posted that "I did tried heating the CPU to get the display".

What exactly did you do to heat the CPU?

Possible specs:

https://www.cnet.com/products/lenov...me-premium-64-bit-2-gb-ram-320-gb-hdd-series/

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-B560-Notebook.45337.0.html

There are a variety of models in the B560 series so finding the relevant specs may take some effort.

Once you have clearly identified the laptop then look for the applicable User Guide/Manual and any Technical or Repair Manuals. Start at Lenovo's website.

Overall, much has happened to that laptop and you will probably need to do a complete OS reinstall per @hang-the-9 's posting.

However, if there is physical damage to the laptop then reinstalling the software is not likely to improve things.

Whatever else you do it must be reasoned out, methodical, and carefully done.

Read the manuals and look for some tutorials about doing a clean install. If a clean install fails then most likely there is physical damage and the laptop will need professional repair. Repairs could be expensive and cost more than a newer laptop.

Regarding email notifications: you are referring to notifications from Tom's when people post to your thread - correct?

 

[GurkiratSingh]

Question: you posted that "I did tried heating the CPU to get the display".

What exactly did you do to heat the CPU?

Possible specs:

https://www.cnet.com/products/lenov...me-premium-64-bit-2-gb-ram-320-gb-hdd-series/

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-B560-Notebook.45337.0.html

There are a variety of models in the B560 series so finding the relevant specs may take some effort.

Once you have clearly identified the laptop then look for the applicable User Guide/Manual and any Technical or Repair Manuals. Start at Lenovo's website.

Overall, much has happened to that laptop and you will probably need to do a complete OS reinstall per @hang-the-9 's posting.

However, if there is physical damage to the laptop then reinstalling the software is not likely to improve things.

Whatever else you do it must be reasoned out, methodical, and carefully done.

Read the manuals and look for some tutorials about doing a clean install. If a clean install fails then most likely there is physical damage and the laptop will need professional repair. Repairs could be expensive and cost more than a newer laptop.

Regarding email notifications: you are referring to notifications from Tom's when people post to your thread - correct?

I used a heat gun to heat up the CPU, it was suggested by someone who knows about PC, laptop & repairs.

I think this is the one -

Lenovo B560 4330 - 15.6" - Core i3 370M - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD Series Specs

Lenovo B560 - 15.6" - Core i3 370M - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD overview and full product specs on CNET.

www.cnet.com

I don't think there is any physical damage.

I can't do anything as I mentioned I'm not not getting any display.

Yes, those notifications.

 

[Ralston18]

Heat is an enemy of electronics

What was the stated reason of having you heat up the CPU - temperature testing?

In any case such a process could easily go bad - heat gun or otherwise.....

=====

Did you receive any notifications with respect to my previous post and this post?

Doublecheck your Tom's Hardware Preference settings and be sure to Save them.

 

[hang-the-9]

I used a heat gun to heat up the CPU, it was suggested by someone who knows about PC, laptop & repairs.

I think this is the one -

Lenovo B560 4330 - 15.6" - Core i3 370M - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD Series Specs

Lenovo B560 - 15.6" - Core i3 370M - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD overview and full product specs on CNET.

www.cnet.com

I don't think there is any physical damage.

I can't do anything as I mentioned I'm not not getting any display.

Yes, those notifications.

I've never heard of anyone suggesting using a heat gun on a CPU to fix anything. It may be able to possibly fix a seating issue with a socket temporarily, but it's way more likely to damage something than fix it.

Error codes I am talking about is blink lights on the laptop. Most models, if they are somewhat alive, use the battery/drive/power lights as codes for what the issue may be in a specific blink pattern.

 

[GurkiratSingh]

Heat is an enemy of electronics

What was the stated reason of having you heat up the CPU - temperature testing?

In any case such a process could easily go bad - heat gun or otherwise.....

=====

Did you receive any notifications with respect to my previous post and this post?

Doublecheck your Tom's Hardware Preference settings and be sure to Save them.

Heat is also the thing, cause of which they work, like a human body, if any of them are frozen out, they won't even initiate.

I think, he suggested it cause he thought CPU was in deep sleep, that's why I wasn't getting anything on display. Just to wake it up.

It didn't go bad, neither it solved the problem, can we now move on to finding me a solution to the problem?

No notifications. I double checked, that's why I posted the problem.

 

[GurkiratSingh]

I've never heard of anyone suggesting using a heat gun on a CPU to fix anything. It may be able to possibly fix a seating issue with a socket temporarily, but it's way more likely to damage something than fix it.

Error codes I am talking about is blink lights on the laptop. Most models, if they are somewhat alive, use the battery/drive/power lights as codes for what the issue may be in a specific blink pattern.

Well I'm sorry if you have never heard it before. Just FTR I may not be an expert but I'm not an idiot either, I didn't burnt my CPU. It was a suggestion so I tried it but it didn't solved anything. I shared that detail just for being transparent, not for which I'd get questioned continuously. So let's move on to finding me a solution, shall we?

It's not blinking in any pattern. Just simple blink after a second or 2 continuously, sometimes it stop, otherwise need to disconnect the power. I may look into this manual if I could find anything. But I'd prefer a simple solution.

 

[Ralston18]

Reading back my overall assessment is that the laptop has been permanently damaged.

Just too much was done, for whatever reasons, and as a result any specifically identifiable problems were made worse or further masked.,

Find the manual for the laptop and/or the motherboard. First effort should be to discover what the blinking LED's indicate. The blinks may or may not be meaningful - some random or meaningless pattern would be, to me, just more evidence that physical damage has occurred.

Second effort; wipe the drive (or get a new one) and start over with a full new installation. Minimal - just Windows and see if the laptop will fully recover or at least recover enough to provide error information.

I doubt that any simple solutions are available. Unfortunate for certain but I have nothing else to suggest.

 

[hang-the-9]

Heat is also the thing, cause of which they work, like a human body, if any of them are frozen out, they won't even initiate.

I think, he suggested it cause he thought CPU was in deep sleep, that's why I wasn't getting anything on display. Just to wake it up.

It didn't go bad, neither it solved the problem, can we now move on to finding me a solution to the problem?

No notifications. I double checked, that's why I posted the problem.

That is not how computers won't, they don't work due to heat they work due to electricity, and electricity is what causes the system to heat up going through the wires. There is a reason the fastest systems need the most cooling, look up some overclocking competitions, they actually use things like liquid nitrogen to cool CPUs.

You can't wake up a CPU with heat, it's not a sleeping person. Whoever said the CPU was "in deep sleep" and needed heat to make it turn on should not be working with computers. When people try to heat up components to make them work, it's due to some physical issue with connections or stuck parts, which makes the material expand and with luck move in the right way to make a contact or do a small reflow of solder like people try to do when they bake video cards.

You probably need to try a new motherboard or CPU with all the things done to it at this point. Although for a 7,8 year old laptop, it is probably just as cheap and easier to just replace it with a $150-200 used working one.