Member Avatar for b2bhound

Anybody ever repair a Compaq 1200 - XL106 laptop from a dead machine? I have done the usual: buy new battery, adapter and even the regulator board. I did discover the BIOS-Battery was bad. Replaced it but still no luck.

I know the laptop is old and not really up to 'speed' but it has some information I want off it plus the sound is pretty good and I want to remove the audio files.

BTW, while I had it apart the hard drive looks like a ISD connection. Any chance I could connect the hard drive to one of my old desktop ISD as a slave drive? If so then I can copy the data from that drive...

Thanks in advance for your responses!!

  • 5 Contributors
  • 11 Replies
  • 207 Views
  • 3 Years Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by faroukmuhammad
Member Avatar for mjdodd

can u get any life out of it in the bios, a linux cd (with boot changed to cd first boot device) might start it.

If not then therei s no reason why you should not try swapping the hard disk. I bought for about £20 20€ 20$ an external disk drive carrier and most drives plug into that and then it plugs into the USB of any computer great gadget adn great for things like this, it then just appears as the next disk drive. Good for backups too.

Best of luck
M

Member Avatar for b2bhound

I do not get anything out of the laptop. No startup. No lights for disk access and no screen changes. Everything is dark. It appears the power supply is not even appling any voltage to the system board or devices. That is why I thought the regulator board was bad and replaced it. I wish I could find a manual and schematic to troubleshot the power source.

If nothing else I will get the extenal hard drive enclosure and salvage what I can.

Found the specifications this morning for the drive and it is an IDE. So 6GB external is not big but will be a nice backup or temp storage.

Thanks.

Member Avatar for mjdodd

I still suspect the power supply is shot....if the main battery is flat and the power supply not charging bingo... its not worth replacing but see if you can 'beg' a trial replacement. I bought a generic and it has worked well ever since and I have another friend who also has the same problem with a compaq. It is a known fault see the compaq web site and the blogs...!yes the mboard regulator is bust too but it will work off the mains and nearly everywhere where one want to use the thing has a mains plug?! It wil give back a bit of life I believe in this fashion;
Min even showed that it was charging withthe light on the front and that the battery was full! (it wasnt to both!)
best of luck and signing off this tthred
M

Member Avatar for mlmeng16

I am having a similar problem with the laptop of a deceased relative. The computer will power up w/o a battery but just the slightest motion and the power drops out to the system. I am thinking it is the power connection in the computer. There are some files that I would like to retrieve but the power won't stay on long enough.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? What I am trying to find out is it the connection from the pwr sply, the pwr sply, a regulator board.

Member Avatar for mlmeng16

Yes the fan(s) work. The slightest motion will cause the power connection to be broken to the laptop. Without a battery (the one I have won't take a charge), when the power is interrupted, the computer goes dead. It is very difficult to look for files on the HDD when the computer keeps going dead.

Member Avatar for PcTestCard.com

This seems like a laptop about 10 years ago, right?
Likey with CPU with 1000hz speed.

Could be mainboard and the power management module problem.

Hope this helps!
Bill
Tech Manager

Edited by PcTestCard.com because: n/a
Member Avatar for faroukmuhammad

Then there are two possibilities, you have to troubleshoot by elimination, these are;

  1. Charger's head (or outlet) where you normally connect to the computer must have disconnected frm the cable supplying it with power. It's a common problem that occur due to users bending the cable continuously.
  2. Laptop charging point (or inlet) mst have slightly dettach from it board due to violent movement.
Edited by faroukmuhammad because: n/a
Member Avatar for mlmeng16

Could be mainboard and the power management module problem.

Is there an inexpensive way to check this?

Member Avatar for mlmeng16

1. Charger's head (or outlet) where you normally connect to the computer must have disconnected frm the cable supplying it with power. It's a common problem that occur due to users bending the cable continuously.

How does one check this? Can it be done with a multi-meter? Or would one have to purchase another power supply to see if the new supply would work with the laptop?

2. Laptop charging point (or inlet) mst have slightly dettach from it board due to violent movement.

It looks like I would have to open the unit and use a magnifying glass to see if a solder connection is broken. Do you know where I could obtain a "pdf" version of the manual that tells how to open the computer?

Member Avatar for faroukmuhammad

How does one check this? Can it be done with a multi-meter? Or would one have to purchase another power supply to see if the new supply would work with the laptop?

Yes, it can be checked with a multi-meter.

  • Set the meter to voltage level higher than your chargers rating.
  • Put the red probe inside the chargers head and the black on the outter (metalic area) of the head. the reading should be the same as that of the charger

(see also: attachment)

It looks like I would have to open the unit and use a magnifying glass to see if a solder connection is broken. Do you know where I could obtain a "pdf" version of the manual that tells how to open the computer?

Patience step one before step two :cool:

Untitled.jpg 11.5 KB
Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.