VOGONS


First post, by DaveDDS

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I have this Samsung NP700-Z5C laptop which has stopped working completely.
it powers ON, but no POST, no drive activity, cannot access BIOS etc.

I've discovered over the years that this machine has some "unusual" aspects,
but it has worked well for many years, and being an I7 I'd like it to continue.

It's been a long time since I worked on it, and I'm hoping some others may
know/suggest some tricks.

I don't know if this is related... I'd not used it much for a few years, and
had loaned it to my son to use in a course (so it's seen a fair bit of more
recent use). When I got it back, it still worked/booted just fine, but there
was a "CMOS battery low" warning at POST.

I planned to replace the cell, but left if for a few weeks, and then not even
POST - laptop is effectively dead.

I have replaced the CR-2032 CMOS battery... Still no POST.

** History of this laptop **
I got this from a friend who ran a small IT/support company, once of his
clients had given it to him (I think it was dropped as the corner with the DVD
drive was smashed in and the drive itself bent and unrepairable - fortunately
it recognized a USB DVD just fine, and a little cosmetic repair to that
corner and you couldn't really see damage).

It had Win7 on it.. he was using it as his own personal laptop, and eventually
"upgraded" it to Win10 - turns out Win10 overwrote part of the BIOS and trashed
the machine - he saw now easy fix, so he gave it to me. I was able to find and
activate a recovery mode and restore a BIOS, put Win7 back on it and it's been
working well since then (till recently).

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 1 of 3, by EduBat

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First suspect is RAM. Remove it, clean the contacts and reinstall it. Try with different DIMMs, if possible.
Second suspect is fluid damage. Sometimes, even a single drop of water in the wrong place can do that. Inspect everything and clean any suspicious areas with alcohol.
Also, try to start the laptop connected to an external monitor. It it works and you suspect the "internal" screen, never disconnect/connect it without disconnecting the main battery first.
(I'm not a repair technician, these are just some tips I picked up from watching youtube videos.)

Reply 2 of 3, by DaveDDS

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EduBat wrote on 2025-07-26, 20:35:
First suspect is RAM. Remove it, clean the contacts and reinstall it. Try with different DIMMs, if possible. Second suspect is f […]
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First suspect is RAM. Remove it, clean the contacts and reinstall it. Try with different DIMMs, if possible.
Second suspect is fluid damage. Sometimes, even a single drop of water in the wrong place can do that. Inspect everything and clean any suspicious areas with alcohol.
Also, try to start the laptop connected to an external monitor. It it works and you suspect the "internal" screen, never disconnect/connect it without disconnecting the main battery first.
(I'm not a repair technician, these are just some tips I picked up from watching youtube videos.)

Thanks, I did try with one RAM removed (other is perma-soldered in), machine was stored insite in a dry but sometimes humid basement,
I've not had moisture probs with other hardware but I will go over it carefully.

Machine has a HDMI connector for external monitor (which I've used before) and I did try with a monitor
attached.

I recall years ago while figuring out how to recover/reload the BIOS that there were a few special purpose key combinations
to hold at power-on, and "special" flash drive formats that could invoke a few built in recovery features - but this was all so
long ago that I've forgotten and have not been able to find my notes... I'm hoping someone may know this information for
the NP700-Z5C (but of course any suggestions are welcome)

Dave ::: https://dunfield.themindfactory.com ::: "Daves Old Computers"->Personal

Reply 3 of 3, by EduBat

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Does the laptop have caps lock or num lock lights? Do they work after you power it on?
If the lights work then you have some kind of video problem. If not, your BIOS is probably corrupted and there may be no way to recover it besides reflashing it with a programmer.