New Asus U47A won't turn on, BIOS updated.

noumen arete · 02 Oct 2012

I just bought this laptop last saturday. About 30 minutes after I first turned it on, it suddenly turned itself off. In the last days it happened three times, so I searched for symptoms like that in other forums.

A lot of people said it was a common problem with Asus computers, some updated the bios and problem gone, others just didn't care that much.

Today I decided to update bios in hopes that it would solve the problem. I had the version 302 and updated to 407 as it was listed as the latest bios available for my laptop. I successfully updated it via the Bios utility EZFlash. Then I wanted to remove all installed software from factory, so I formatted hdd and clean installed windows 7.

Computer was working fine, but I couldn't get my keyboard backlight to turn on so I updated all drivers. It didn't work, so next thing I did was to restore Bios defaults, then saved changes and restarted.

Problem started there, the laptop just won't turn on. When I press the Power button, keyboard backlight turns on, also an LED with a lightbulb symbol and the one for the hard drive. 3 seconds later the hard drive LED and the keyboard backlight go off, the other LED with the lightbulb stays on. The FAN turns and stays on all the time. No beeps and nothing on the screen.

I just bought this computer in the US because I was on a trip so computer has no warranty.

What do you think the problem might be?

TVeblen · 03 Oct 2012

Wow. Reading this post is like watching cliff gliders.

Folks: please do not attempt to flash a BIOS if you are having power problems. The number one cause of flash failure is an interruption in power.

You sir, are very lucky. Your flash went well and you avoided 'bricking' your laptop, but I believe your power problem caused your current condition. Fortunately simply resetting defaults will not destroy anything in a power failure, so it should be recoverable.

I think you will be able to reset the PC and then be able to boot. To do this, shut down, remove the power supply and the battery, then press and hold the power button for about 30 seconds to discharge all power from the board. Then reconnect everything and try to boot.

Your problem is compounded by the power problem. I suspect either the battery or the power supply are defective. You can try running on just the power supply (remove the battery) and see if that changes things.

Let us know what you discover.

EDIT: sudden shutdown can also be caused by overheating. If this is a brand new computer that is less likely. But the CPU heat sink could be not attached correctly. If it is a used computer it could be just full of dust.

noumen arete · 03 Oct 2012

Thanks for the post, I already tried it but the problem is still there. I even tried using my sister's laptop charger and battery, it is the same model, but that didn't work either.

I'm thinking about opening it and disconnecting the internal battery to reset the BIOS. Do you think that would work? If not what else can I do?

TVeblen · 03 Oct 2012

First, if you are going to open it up anyway, be sure to check the CPU heatsink installation. See if it is loose or misaligned. Do not take it off unless you have some thermal grease.

Keep in mind that you may be voiding the warranty if you work inside the machine.
If this is a new laptop then it is covered for one year by Asus. You just need an invoice or proof of purchase. Most online retailers give a 30 day replacement warranty. Unless this is a used laptop older than 1 year or stolen then your best course of action is to return it by RMA. It doesn't work.