hi all, i'm at my wits end here. My laptop will not power up, when it does actually stay on for more than 3 seconds the display is really dim and all you can see on the display is the hp logo whicj is barely visible. I brought it to a repair shop and they told me it needed a new mother board so i searched the web and found one, we replaced it and when we tried to power it up it did the exact same thing. now i doubt i bought a board that had the exact same problem so i'm guessing the board was good, well i tried replacing the ac adapter, thought maybe it was dying and couldn't send enough juice to power it up, wrong still the same thing, tried replacing the hard drive, the ram the sound card. arghhh..... what is causing this problem. i like this laptop and want to fix it not trash it, anyone know of any possible solutions for this problem i am in need od some serious help here and will take any advice i can get...other that trash the laptop

First off, NEVER go back to that place.
If the computer displays anything it is NOT the motherboard.
If it displaying dimly it is probably the monitor or screen itself. Try connecting it to an external monitor (should be possible without any drivers) and see what happens.

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i trust the guy that switched the board but he had a third party check it out cause he couldn't figure it out, he was just going by what he was told. he swapped the board while i watched, the guy is a friend of mine so i have no reason to think he did me wrong. I think it might either be the lcd inverter or the hard drive. i say the hard drive because when i do get it to actually stay on the hard drive light flashes blue then goes off. i tried a hard drive out of my mp3 player and it didn't work but it also has 20 gigs of music on it and no OS. i've been doing some research on line and a few sites have mentioned the 1180's having a problem with the lcd inverter going bad. my problem is i don't want to keep spending money blindly on items for my laptop, it cost me $1700 5 years ago now i spent $200 on a replacement board and another $100 on a new ac adapter. I need to find a way to test the inverter or hard drive with out buying a new one first, neither piece is cheap, not when your already broke. I need to know if the inverter would keep the laptop from turning on and staying on. if so then i will buy the part. i can replace it my self. i am usually pretty good, with tearing things apart and i've done my laptop a few times already. A few sites stated it could be bad ram but i have no way of testing it with out powering it up.

Problem solved...I think. I removed the LCD Inverter board from the display and then added an external monitor and it did light up. windows didn't boot but that could be because of the mother board swap. now all i need to do is order the replacement board and hope for the best.

Hello,I have the same problem with ZT1180 LTop very similar,my LCD is too dim and it won't boot maybe I have to wait for the outcome of your system then I will follow what ever solution you make.By the way where did you order your Mobo.

well i would definitely check the lcd inverter, bring it to a shop if your not comfortable with taking it apart yourself. have them remove it and try using an external monitor. my screen just suddenly stopped working then you could make out the image then the laptop would shut off after a few seconds. if this sounds famliar then i would check on the part. you can find them on line fairly cheap. between 50 - 200 dollars us. i haven't replaced mine, money is tight and i have 2 other pc's to work on, so no rush to fix, but letme know if it works for you.

Well thanks for the feedback,will search to find where is this LCD inverter located then I will go for that as you recommend.Get in touch..

Maybe you can give some hint where is this inverter located at on the motherboard ...Thanks again

the inverter is located on the lcd side of the lid you need to remove the 4 screws holding the frame together and remove the frame, the inverter is located at the bottom in the middle, its about 3 inches long wrapped in clear plastic.

Thanks,will open the LCD and let you know what's the results.I will try to disconnect and attached my external monitor and will see if the inverter is giving me the problem.I already try to hooked up my external monitor and both monitor work for shortime only then system hung up and won't boot up again.My other question where is the video card located...will check incase inverter is good...thanks again for help.