Member Avatar for tamushrek

Browsed these forums often and now I have a post of my own. Let me start off with the specs of my machine.

Compaq Presario V2000
Turion 64 ML-34 1.8ghz
895mb RAM
Radeon Xpress 200M
80gb harddrive
etc

WEll my problem started a week ago when my computer started taking forever booting up windows xp pro. Well my solution was a fresh install of windows so I reformated the drive and reinstalled windows. AFter installing I updated all drivers and software. Well when browsing in firefox sometimes it just stops loading a page, the screen turns black and the harddrive and optical drive stops running BUT the lights and such stay on, almost seems as if it went into sleep mode but the lights remain on. I have no idea why it does this and I am so happy it didn't happen while i typed this :)

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Marymead-IT

Dani AI

Generated

Good starting point from — overheating is the single most likely cause when a laptop runs very warm and then locks up to a black screen while lights stay on. Before sending the machine in, collect a few simple diagnostics that will help you or the technician pinpoint the fault.

First steps to reproduce and capture evidence:

  • Back up important files right away.
  • Try an external monitor. If the external shows the desktop when the laptop screen goes black, the LCD/cable is suspect; if both are blank the system itself is hanging.
  • Boot into Safe Mode or a Linux live USB. If the problem does not occur there, it points to drivers or Windows settings.
  • Check Event Viewer (System log) for thermal or kernel power errors and note any repeating Event IDs.
  • Run a temperature monitor while using the laptop (light browsing and heavier load) and record peak temps. Also try a short CPU/GPU stress run to see whether temperatures spike just before the freeze.

Quick tests and troubleshooting to try now:

  • Disable Firefox hardware acceleration to rule out GPU driver hangs.
  • Set Power Options to High Performance and disable any aggressive “turn off hard disk” or sleep timers while testing.
  • With the machine powered off, verify vents are clear. Use compressed air to blow dust from intake/exhaust if you can do so without breaking warranty seals. Listen for fan changes under load.

If under warranty:

  • Do not void coverage by opening the chassis for thermal paste replacement if accidental/warranty cover is active. Instead, contact HP/Compaq support and provide the test notes (what reproduces the issue, Event Viewer entries, temperature logs, and whether an external monitor shows output). That will speed repairs and help avoid unnecessary parts swaps.

These steps will either identify a clear overheating/hardware issue you can fix or give the service tech useful data so a warranty repair is faster and less disruptive.

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Member Avatar for Marymead-IT

Hi Tamushrek,

Is it just Firefox that it crashes with?

If not, sounds like it could be your processor overheating.

I'd check the processor fan is running when your computer is on.

Chris Fry

Member Avatar for tamushrek

I was thinking overheating is the culprit as well because my laptop has been getting VERY warm lately even with the cooling fan going (it is always running). I have it under warranty (includes acciental) so I may just send it in soon.

Member Avatar for Marymead-IT

If its under warranty, I'd talk to HP about it.

Chris Fry

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