I left my HP Pavilion laptop sitting unused for a long time. Now it shows no charging light, won't power on, and doesn't appear to respond when I connect the charger. I already tried a different charger with the same result. What should I check to determine whether the problem is the battery, charging port, or something on the motherboard, and is there anything I can safely try to fix it?
3 Answers
Disconnect all accessories, unplug the charger, and hold the power button down for a full 30–60 seconds to discharge any residual power. Then connect the charger directly and try starting it again. If the laptop has USB-C charging, that port may also be worth testing, provided the model supports charging over USB-C.
Check the exact Pavilion model to see whether its battery can be disconnected internally and whether it supports charging through USB-C. If a power reset and a known-good compatible charger make no difference, the charging port or motherboard power circuit may need repair. Also inspect the port and connector for looseness or damage, and consider corrosion if the laptop was stored somewhere damp.
The battery may have discharged below its safe voltage limit after sitting unused. On models with a removable battery, take it out, connect the charger, and try powering on without it. If the laptop starts, the battery likely needs replacement. If it still shows no light or response, the issue could be the charging jack, adapter circuitry, or motherboard. Since there isn’t even a charging indicator, the laptop may not be receiving power at all.
That’s the problem I’m seeing—it has no response at all, even while connected to the charger, and the charging light never comes on.