Laptop nightmare

[unfaithfulsfan]

Does anyone know where the hibernate switch/lid switch is located on a Sony Vaio PCG-GRT170 notebook? It looks like it's built into the hole on the palmrest where the latch fits. I haven't been able to find any documentation on this model.

This turning into the notebook from hell. Customer brought it in with the original complaint that there was a "rattling" noise whenever she used the computer. I listened to it and to me it sounded like one of the fans. So I popped off the bezel and keyboard along with the cover plate off the fan and found wads of cat hair matted around the fan. So I cleaned that up along with more hair scattered hither and yon inside the case.

I reassembled everything and fired it up. Quiet as a mouse but no video!

The CPU is getting warm enough to activate both fans but it doesn't seem to be POSTing. Tried connecting a monitor but no video there either. It seems like it's just stuck in hibernation. I removed the battery and power overnight but this morning, same thing. So I'm assuming the switch is stuck, wherever it may be.

Peeking inside the case, it looks like there's a switch on the left latch hole but it doesn't appear to be impaired in any way. I'm really stumped.

[DMB2000uk]

Tried stripping the case back down so there is nothing on that switch at all? (and if it's possible, temporarily disconnecting the switch).

Running the laptop caseless and with an external monitor should give you the best flexibility.

Dan

[unfaithfulsfan]

It's officially the laptop from hell. Since my original post, the unit has degraded to a non-bootable status.

Late yesterday I was scouring Google looking for any possible solutions. The laptop was powered off next to me on the bench. Suddenly, I heard it power on. I turned to check it out and it powered back off by itself! About 15 minutes later it did it again and again caught me off guard: it spontaneously powered on, ran for about 20 seconds then shut back down.

A few minutes later it did it again. I tried pressing the power button and nothing happened, it continued to run. Then it just shut off. I tried to fire it up and nothing happened.

I have it down to the bare essentials now (not even the hard drive) and all I get is a clicking noise from somewhere in the vicinity of the CPU when I press the power button. It has a 2.8 GHz Prescott CPU and I have a 3.0 in another PC so I cleared CMOS and tried that CPU. Same thing. Just clicks.

Oh, forgot to mention, just to be sure, when I first put it on the bench, I ran PC DIAG on it. everything passed except USB controller. I'm wondering now if mobo decided to coincidentally die in the middle of all this.

Jack