Laptop Power Failure - Things to check

Question

I am looking at a laptop (Make and model escape me, but I don't think that will make much difference at the moment) that will not power on or receive charge according to any status lights.

I have tried powering the laptop just through the mains (removing the battery) which did not work and I have tested the power cable, it works.

I haven't cracked into the machine yet but from the outside the power-in looks solid and undamaged.

Is there anything in particular I should be looking for, or are there any other tests I could be running?

Answer 1

does the power jack move? Very common in HPs and Compaqs and a few other brands is that the power jack will have too much weight put on it by the plug or other forces that will literally lift the connections off the board. In this case you have to resolder the jack onto the board. If you get no indication of charging and no lights whatsoever, you definitely need to be looking at the power input. Even if the board is fried, you usually still get some indication of power, just no POST, same with anything else on the laptop. Check the jack to see if it is still attached and check the power supply for output levels with a multimeter to see if it is functioning properly.