When you power it up, you can hear it hitting the disk, but there's no display. Not even the POST check. Even if you attach an external monitor.

Knackered or not properly seated memory, perhaps? Try checking the RAM.

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Tried reseating it, no help

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Second the comment about RAM, as this happened to my laptop about six months ago and taking out the extra RAM module and ordering a new one fixed it.

Also, standard procedure when a laptop won't boot is to remove absolutely everything that is removable (hard disk, CD drive, etc) and see if you at least get a BIOS message.

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Couldn't work out how to get the HD out; took the DVD out. No help.

Well, I'm a virus man, not a hardware/generalproblem man, so I'll just give it back and say "sorry, dunno"

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Could be the BIOS is set up to use only the flaptop display. So no pic on an external minotaur. The wires to power the LCD display are IME notorious for breaking but easy (FSVO) to fix.
Try removing BIOS battery to reset EVERYTHING. Then boot up with external minotaur.
If these don't work then it's probably sh*gg*d.

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Nah, that's all hardware stuff: I do software, and a rather restricted range of that. It's being passed on to somebody who knows about hardware and has the relevant equipment to test stuff.

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