Urgent help - My Sony VGN-B3VP simply does not start

[EmilyIC]

Hi there,

My notebook (Sony VGN-B3VP, 1.5 years old, 6 months out of warranty) suddenly stopped working – it simply does not start, it has no sound, no light, no nothing after pressed the power on button! (It went into hibernation almost normally after last use apart from maybe a bit quicker than usual as we recall, but there were no other problems).

I have searched Sony’s customer service site for info but could not find anything directly related.

Seems to me the notebook:

1.Has entered a hibernation state and does not want to wake up or
2.The internal fuse (if it exists) was blown out or
3.Internal connection went lose or
4.The internal power supply stopped working
5.…?

I guess it may simply need a BIOS reset, or may need to replace the internal DC Jack, … or upto entire motherboard(?).

Could any Expert out there shed some light here – I intended to open the notebook to get my hands dirty to isolate the problem but have no experience …

Any suggesntions or tips .. would be MUCH MUCH appreciated.

[kee-lo_]

Have you taken the battery out and tried booting with just AC?

[EmilyIC]

Hi Kee-Lo,

I have tried all usual troubleshooting methods in trying to rectify or isolate the problem:

Taking out battery, using AC only; Cleanning connector; Taking anti condensation measures etc. But the notebook just seems dead.

Sony has always been my favourite brand. I’d never expect this notebook to have problem this early. I also have a TX1XP which runs fine apart from one or two times locked itself in hibernating but it reponds to my interaction.

This notebook however, just does not give any response at all.

I guess the problem might be simple as I have not done anything to trick it.

[Thalamus.]

Hi EmilyIC

Welcome to Club Vaio,

Try, if you've not done so already, disconnecting the ac-power, remove the battery and press and hold the power button for a minute to discharge any remaining electric charge, then reconnect the power supply and try to start your vaio..

[EmilyIC]

Tried this a few times (learnt from your other post a while ago). Also tried using other AC power (DC 16V) from my TX1XP. The result is all the same: no respose at all.

If I am going to open up the machine – what I should be looking for or careful about?

[mikezoe]

Same thing happened to my daughter's SZ1/XP recently. Needed a new motherboard luckily under warranty. Hope your laptop doesn't need a new m/b as this is expensive. Let us know what happens. Opening a Sony laptop is not for the feint-hearted. Good Luck!

[kee-lo_]

It's 6 months out of warranty

If you can find someone who repairs Sony VAIOs in your area then I'd suggest getting a quote. If it's any thing over £500 then it's going to be cheaper to get a new notebook Terrible

[EmilyIC]

Sony has 3 flat rates for repairs: £120/£192/£469. To pay £469 for a notebook problem is unacceptable to almost anyone unless he/she is desperate or careless of money.

I am still doing my preparations for opening up the machine (tool/multimeter/ideas/suggestions/ tips), hoping to be able to diagnose/isolate the problem. Then I could focus on getting the part(s) and making the replacement.

So far I have found more than 10 different Service Manuals for other Sony Notebook but failed to find the one for my model (PCG-5B1M). But I still want to have a try.

Any further advice/tips would be most appreciated.

[kee-lo_]

The parts are going to need to be imported too, from www.nexttronics.com

[EmilyIC]

Many thanks for those who have replied to my message.

I managed to have opened up the laptop and dismantled it into pieces. The check up shows the power does reach the mother board. The Power On switch itself is working fine.

However, I can’t check anything else since I failed to find the right service manual.

What I am going to do next is to focus on reading out the data from the hard disk. Once this is done, I can take my time either looking for a similar laptop to exchange components or contact Sony for repair.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the hard disk of this machine is very easy to remove.

I suppose the notebook’s hard disk is standardised. But my TX1XP (11.4”) must use a smaller hard disk to achieve the lightweight.

How many different standards are there for a notebook then? If I can get hold of a 14” notebook, is the hard disk swappable with mine?