OK first of all, i have a HP pavilion dv 2416us, runnin on Vista Home premium,
after 20 months of everything working normally, the other day it freezed. and I turned it of by holding a power button.
after i tried to start it, the lights started flashing normally, but the screen was off, I noticed that the hard drive light is not flashing and I put my ear on the bottom where the hard drive is, and I couldn't hear that it's on. I tried shutting it down and turning it back on a couple of times but nothing happened, i had the same problem... the only thing that happened is when I moved my laptop in different angles(my display was on my table and my keyboard was vertical in the air) then the hard drive started working, my display turned on it windows started to load. but after the load screen it freezed again. after few times now it wont even start like that.
so i Thought that my hard drive is eather dead or something is wrong with it, because i have 2 exactly the same laptops, i tried switching the hard drives, and both of them worked on my other laptop, but non of them on this one that i am having problems.
I tried to perform power drain, tried getting out the ram memory, putting one and all of the combination, still the same problem...i tried talking with the HP on live chat but the only thing they said is to try the power drain... so not much of a help....
i don't see what else could be the problem except the main board, i hoppe that i'm wrong....
so i hoppe someone here can help me... thank you....

Hello and welcome to the forum
I've marked your thread as Open to encourage a response from the clever ones amongst us..

Hi micicv11,

If the hard drives are both working fine in your other laptop but not in the problem one, then it most likely is the motherboard that is faulty.

As the notebook is out of warranty, it won't hurt to check that nothing inside is loose. You said earlier that turning it on it's side worked, so this is a possibility. The hard drive cables may not be connected properly to the motherboard, etc.

I also had the problem, but I least I know now how to start it.

After opening it and moving some parts, I couldn't find anything that could be the cause of the problem. My wife, who is the main user of the machine told me that it was too hot sometimes and that is very difficult to start, but after many attepmts it finally start.

HP has recognized that is a desingn failure HP Pavilion dv2000/dv6000/dv9000 and Compaq Presario v3000/v6000 Series Notebook PCs- HP Limited Warranty Service Enhancement

After reading that, I tried to just plug to AC during 10 min (problem cause is a defective welding that makes shorts, maybe you've noticed it starts alone just when plugging) so it can make it warmer and after that, power off and power on while pressuring over the nVidia card, which is located at the left side of the pad (let's say all over the features sticker), this is not a solution, it just helps a lot, but I know there will be a time where it won't start. I'm planning to use that extra-warranty stuff for a free repair, according to thet document, it's supposed that I wouldn't need to be into the warranty period. That should be the final solution, please note that firmware update is to prevent the damage, not a solution, but it could help to prevent more damage.

Hi
" ...the only thing that happened is when I moved my laptop in different angles.." This has all the symptoms of BGA (Ball Grid Array ) Failure.

This is -sadly- becoming more and more common nowdays, and it is difficult to prove.

Read the reason for the failure here

I suggest -if you contact warranty- that you explain VERY clearly to them that the system fails if
"I lift it from a corner while it is on".

I apologize in advance for not clarifying the suggestion any further.

A friend of mine the same model, exhibited the exact same problem.
Try this - remove the battery, remove the hard drive ( two screws to remove the cover on the bottom, then two screws holding the drive in ).
Wrap the unit in tight plastic bag to minimize moisture intrusion.
Place the unit in the freezer for a few hours ( I used 5 hrs ).

I took it out, placed the battery and the drive back. She started right up, worked for a whole week but then acted it up again. But at least, we were able to extract all the documents and data. It seems if you shut her completely every night, she stays running.

Good luck.