[Blackberry Bun]

My laptop suddenly died without any warning, and cannot be turned on again. The light on the adapter becomes dim and flashing, but backs to normal again if the adapter is unplugged from the laptop. I only can assume that my laptop stopped receiving electricity from the adapter. Which part do you think is broken based on this limited information I can give? Are all the data inside safe?

For now I can use my brother's laptop, but I'm worried about my data.

[RAMChYLD]

Hmmm, try removing the battery and see if the laptop will start without the battery. Some laptops will refuse to switch on when the battery gives up the ghost, but will still switch on when the battery is removed. If that doesn't work, try a new adapter- adapters die all the time.

If that still doesn't work, the only thing you can do is send the laptop in for repairs.

[Blackberry Bun]

The laptop suddenly made minor strange noises, and then after the noise ended I could turn the laptop on again and everything went back to normal. The battery is full and working fine.

My only guess is that my laptop deactivated itself because of overheat.

[RAMChYLD]

Overheat? Where did you place the laptop, and were you playing any CPU/GPU intensive games on it?

Anyways, strange noises could mean that the ventilation fan is not in good condition anymore. No big deal, but try not to stress the laptop with extended gaming runs . I always log out of Team Fortress 2 to let my laptop cool down after playing for an hour.

[cpd2009]

What brand/model of laptop do you currently have, and how old is it? (I remember you had a Toshiba a long time ago though....if my memory is right)

Were those strange noises fan related by any chance, or were they clicking noises? If it was a clicking sound, then that could mean the hard drive going bad, but a failing hard drive likely wouldn't cause the laptop to simply refuse to turn on even if the AC adaptor is connected. If it was a squealing or loud whirring noise, then the fans are being overstressed or failing, which cause the laptop to overheat and shut down without warning.

[huckleberrypie]

What brand/model of laptop do you currently have, and how old is it? (I remember you had a Toshiba a long time ago though....if my memory is right)

Were those strange noises fan related by any chance, or were they clicking noises? If it was a clicking sound, then that could mean the hard drive going bad, but a failing hard drive likely wouldn't cause the laptop to simply refuse to turn on even if the AC adaptor is connected. If it was a squealing or loud whirring noise, then the fans are being overstressed or failing, which cause the laptop to overheat and shut down without warning.

Yeah, the PC would still boot even if the hard disk knocks up, albeit with frequent freezing since the pickup mechanism might have been struggling to read the contents.

[Blackberry Bun]

My laptop is Packard Bell Etna-GM. Already 3.5 years old by now.

The strange noise came out about 20 mins after the laptop died, I don't know how to explain the noise, but it gave me a hunch to try again. I plugged the adapter in, and the green light stayed normal. I then pressed the switch, and the laptop booted normally.

[cpd2009]

My laptop is Packard Bell Etna-GM. Already 3.5 years old by now.

The strange noise came out about 20 mins after the laptop died, I don't know how to explain the noise, but it gave me a hunch to try again. I plugged the adapter in, and the green light stayed normal. I then pressed the switch, and the laptop booted normally.

Hmm....I'm thinking the strange noise could have came from the AC Adapter. You did say that when you tried to plug it in when it wouldn't turn on, the light would dim and start flashing. This could mean either the laptop isn't taking power from the adapter, or that the adapter may be failing with the dim blinking being some sort of error code perhaps.

Well, it boots up now, but back up all your data any way possible (DVDs, flash drives, portable hard drives). If it dies again, let us know and remember what you were doing before it died.

Off Topic, but I saw some stock photos of the Etna-GM on Google Images, and it has a circular-shaped trackpad!! How does one scroll with that?

[Blackberry Bun]

The strange noise came from the dead laptop. Anyway, I think it was indeed automatic deactivation because of overheat. Now to prevent it I direct my bedroom's air conditioner towards my laptop. =P

You can't scroll with it. I always use my wireless mouse anyway.

[cpd2009]

The strange noise came from the dead laptop. Anyway, I think it was indeed automatic deactivation because of overheat. Now to prevent it I direct my bedroom's air conditioner towards my laptop. =P

You can't scroll with it. I always use my wireless mouse anyway.

If you can find a can of compressed air, try blowing it through the vents on the laptop to clear out any dust. If the laptop still shuts down due to heat, then a professional cleaning or fan replacement may be required. The air conditioning should help out with the heat. I would suggest a USB laptop cooling fan, but their usefulness is questionable. I tried using one on Chrysanthemum in an attempt to get her to cool down about a year before she died, but it didn't seem to help one bit.

Does the laptop get warmer than usual? Chrysanthemum used to run warm, then she ran hot because of a combination of Windows Vista, aging fans, and dust I believe. And the heat killed her GPU.

Another off topic question....what GPU does your laptop have? (sorry, if you want, there is a thread here that I made for us to show off our computer systems. You can post it there if you want.)