My girlfriends laptop has a serieus isssue. Upon startup, the screen remains black and there are 3 beeps; 1 long and 2 short. Now I searched google and it says this is videocard issue. Is this correct and if so, what can be done to fix it? I've heard that videocards are mostly integrated with the motherboard in a laptop, making it an (expensive) bitch to change it. Or could it be something else?
It's correct, and it sucks. Does she still have warranty? If she purchased it less than a year ago, she does. If it has been longer than that only if she also got an extended warranty (for 3 years). If there is still warranty contact HP and they can arrange UPS to come over and pick up the laptop and return when it's repaired, no costs. Usually takes around 10-15 business days for HP. If you go to the shop you'll be looking at 3-6 weeks, longer if the store sucks.
The waranty expired 2 months ago... So fat chance this will get fixed I suppose? Is it so that the price of fixing would cost more than getting a new one then?
Just went to a computer store (where I encountered a helpful IT-guy for the first time in my life) and he screwed it open and tested out several thing and indeed decleared it dead. Can be fixed of course, but it'll cost more than a new pc. So I just bought a cable to transfer the HD to another computer, for when we get the new laptop. Most shitty thing is of course that it's two months out of waranty. But I guess that's life.
I think HP charges €350 for reparations regardless of what's wrong. That isn't more than the laptop was now is it :) The main question is whether or not you want to spend your money on the reparation or on a new and better laptop.
They charge about €500 is what the guy said and it takes about 3-4 weeks. And that's simply too long for us to miss and indeed, why spent this much on repairing it when you have one that has twice the specs for an additional €200.
Then that guy is horribly wrong. Give HP a call, ask them about the prices and the time it takes and see for yourself ;)
Just called them and you were right The price isn't that bad (will prolly be €400 they said), but they did say it was gonna take 5 to 6 weeks due to the type of error. It was most likely the gfx card or the motherboard and seeing as both are integrated, that might take a while to fix they said. So still, we're thinking about getting a new one.
I had the same issue. Sounds like the Video Card. For me, my warranty expired 2 years prior. Since I never used my warranty, they serviced my laptop 1 time for free at no cost to me. try calling customer support. the first thing they will tell you to do is unplug the power cord and take out the battery, then hold down the power button for 45 seconds. Replace the battery and power cord. That takes out any static electricity that may be on the bored. I also found another way, if i rapidly hit f10 (enter bios for my laptop) the screen would appear sometimes. But best bet is call HP, they will typically service out of warranty devices 1 time for no cost..
