Laptop keeps turning off when im trying to reformat

[AznAnarchy99]

Im trying to format this old laptop for a friend. It keeps shutting itself down right after the system finishes loading the windows xp set up files. Its an HP xe4500. I tried taking out the battery and just running with the ac, both the ac and the battery, and just the battery by itself. It was running fine before but I can't even recover the old OS because it shut off half way through the format.

Any ideas?

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: AznAnarchy99
Im trying to format this old laptop for a friend. It keeps shutting itself down right after the system finishes loading the windows xp set up files. Its an HP xe4500. I tried taking out the battery and just running with the ac, both the ac and the battery, and just the battery by itself. It was running fine before but I can't even recover the old OS because it shut off half way through the format.

Any ideas?

Temps or HDD issues probably

 

[Bateluer]

Some laptops have temp monitoring in the BIOS. I'd also run the self booting memtest86 and some hard drive diagnostic software.

Also, you could try booting into a Linux Live CD and formating from within there with Gparted or similar. It'd also be able to tell you the battery life. If you try it right after such a shutdown, the battery charge will be extremely low.

 

[corkyg]

It may have an accumulation of dust bunnies in the cooling space. Try putting a vacuum crevice tool against the air outlet vent and see if you can suck anything out.

If you can, replace the HDD. That should help the diagnosis of heat or HDD problems.

Booting with a 3rd party bootable CD such as Linux of UBCD or BartPE could provide further diagnosis and get it formatted.

 

[Paperlantern]

Its almost certainly getting too hot.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: corkyg
It may have an accumulation of dust bunnies in the cooling space. Try putting a vacuum crevice tool against the air outlet[...]

Nature hates a vacuum! Compressed air is your friend...

Originally posted by: Paperlantern
Its almost certainly getting too hot.

One way to find out...

Crank up Conky!

http://www.vindsl.com/images/Conky-Toshy-20-SEPT-09.png (VinDSL.com - current Conky stats)

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: VinDSL
Nature hates a vacuum! Compressed air is your friend...

Not in laptops - compressed air further compresses the dirt inside - where is it going to go? There is usually one vent, it it is where the cooling fan blows out. Cool air comes in through small cracks in the bottom and the keyboard on top. This is why you should not use laptops on a pillow, a bed, or run them with the lid closed.

Ya' gotta suck!

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Not in laptops - compressed air further compresses the dirt inside - where is it going to go? There is usually one vent, it it is where the cooling fan blows out. Cool air comes in through small cracks in the bottom and the keyboard on top. This is why you should not use laptops on a pillow, a bed, or run them with the lid closed.

Ya' gotta suck!

Hrm... Red herring argument, eh?

In true Anandtech fashion, let's be brutally honest, okay?

Lappies are different than desktops - less is more - more is less - and all that sort of stuff. You're just as likely to get pubic hair, skin mites, and lent in them as the ubiquitous household 'dust bunny'. Generally speaking, desktop machine (so called) live at your feet - and lappies sit on your testicles, inches away from your bunghole (Home of the Eternal Flame), you know?

The biggest problem with cleaning a lappy is ppl are lazy and stupid, and try to clean them without taking them apart! I fall into the lazy category, but I'm smart enough to know that vacuum doesn't work!

On a desktop machine, I ALWAYS remove the covers and blow compressed air in the same direction as the normal airflow. Blowing compressed air (and dirt) in the opposite direction of the normal airflow is a great way to puke the case fan bearings (on a desktop box)!

It doesn't work that way with lappies... who the hell wants to bust a lappy down to the chassis (as you properly should)?!?!?

Typically, the dirt in a lappy accumulates, and gets trapped, between the fan(s) and the heat sink(s). If you use a vacuum on the exhaust port(s) - usually doing so through a restrictive grate - all you'll do is run the risk of plugging up components worse. Vacuums just are powerful enough to evacuate an (entire) lappy. All it does is rearrange the dirt - and probably into places you don't want it do be...

Blowing compressed air into the fan intake(s) runs the risk of spinning those little blades to oblivion. Sooo...

My recommendation is to blow compressed air INTO the exhaust port(s) and create positive pressure inside the case - not negative pressure (e.g. vacuum) and suck the dirt even further into the components.

 

[corkyg]

To each his own -am on my 6th laptop in 14 years - never had a problem with dirt. (I'm a clean liver.)

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: corkyg
[N]ever had a problem with dirt. (I'm a clean liver.)

LoL!

I've been to Tucson many, many, times. I know it's just as dirty down there as up here...

Let me dig up a snappie of my Home Theater amp (from a few years ago).

(5 minutes later)

Forget the Home Theater amp - I found something more appropriate...

http://lenon.com/images/dirty_fan_before&after.png (Lenon.com - Before n' after snappie - Intel P4 'boxed fan')

That *%$ ! Intel pancake cooler used to look like that every 2 months (plugged solid - look between the fan blades).

I'd take my destop box apart, go outside and hit it with 90psi - made my garage look like a London fog!

Now, let's pretend that's what the typical plugged heatsink in an overheated lappy looks like (on a smaller scale).

How the hell are you going to clean something like that - through an exhaust port grate - with a vacuum cleaner?

 

[corkyg]

Ah. the joys taking things apart. Maybe the best solution is to first, blow, them suck. Use your compressed air to first loosen the bunnies - then apply the vacuum with the nifty static proof toolset shown here: (have had this set since 2002)

Vac

1. Blow to loosen
2. Suck to remove

 

[Paperlantern]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Ah. the joys taking things apart. Maybe the best solution is to first, blow, them suck. Use your compressed air to first loosen the bunnies - then apply the vacuum with the nifty static proof toolset shown here: (have had this set since 2002)

Vac

1. Blow to loosen
2. Suck to remove

Did i miss something? When did i get to the XXX site?

I actually agree with both of you, but it depends on the design on of the lappy. Not ALL lappies pull in through the keyboard and blow out through an exhaust port. Some pull through one port on one side and blow out through another on the back, these are ok to blow air through since it generally will blow out the intake. Others pull air from under the laptop and exhaust it out the back. I would still only recommend cleaning it properly by taking it apart however, it is the only way I ever clean mine, or any customer's laptops.