I haven't used my HP Pavilion laptop in a long time. It was sitting on my desk, and when I tried to use it again, it wouldn't charge, showed no charging indicator, and wouldn't power on at all. I tried a different charger with no results. What steps can I take to determine whether the problem is the battery, charger port, or something on the motherboard, and is there anything I can fix myself?
3 Answers
Since a second charger made no difference and there’s no charging indicator, the issue may be the laptop’s DC-in port, a failed battery, or a motherboard power fault rather than the charger itself. Check the port for looseness, damage, or debris, and make sure the replacement charger has the correct voltage and connector. If the battery can be removed, test the laptop on wall power alone. If there is still absolutely no response, it will probably need hardware diagnosis or repair. Corrosion is another possibility if it was stored somewhere damp.
Disconnect the charger and every accessory, then hold the power button down for a full 30–60 seconds to discharge any residual power. After that, connect the charger directly and try powering it on again. If it still shows no light or response, the charging jack or motherboard power circuitry could be faulty. If the laptop supports USB-C charging, you could also test a compatible USB-C charger.
The battery may have discharged so deeply that its protection circuit is no longer allowing it to charge. If your Pavilion has a removable battery, take it out, connect the charger, and try starting the laptop without the battery installed. If it works that way, the battery likely needs replacement. For an internal battery, disconnecting it requires opening the laptop, so check the exact model instructions first.
That’s the problem I’m running into: it won’t turn on at all, and even with the charger connected there isn’t a charging light or any other sign of life.