HP Pavilion dv6000 Troubleshooting

"This problem is common in this vintage of HP laptop. The root problem, according to exhaustive Google searches, is apparently the graphics processor chip tends to overheat and work itself loose from the motherboard. There are several fixes out there that can work, all of them risk permanent damage to your computer so be careful."

There is no repair for this. Reflowing the GPU is a patch fix, and truly NOS GPUs are no longer available. Recover the data from the laptop, and migrate it to a new computer or external storage device if you opt against pulling the hard drive out and putting it in an enclosure.

Also, this page has a lot of good data on fixing video problems in this model.

You are using the computer and your hard disk starts to emit a whining noise.

This is normal in certain notebook PCs. Reduce the sound by trying a different power scheme: go to Start -> Control Panel -> Power Options.

You have a CD or DVD in the drive but your computer won't recognize it.

First remove any disks from the CD/DVD drive. Check for the optical disk driver in the Device Manager. Go to Start and type 'device' in the search. Open Device Manager. In the window, expand CD/DVD Drives. If there is not a listing for your driver, you may need to reinstall the driver. To do this, highlight each driver, right click, and select delete. Then click Scan for hardware changes near the top. Windows will scan your computer for drivers that are needed.

On a critical error the notebook could shut down or restart without notice.

One way to prevent the PC from an unexpected shutdown or restart is to disable the option by restarting the computer. Once you have done this press F8 to open the Advanced Boot Options menu. Select the Disable automatic restart on system failure option. Restart the computer to accept the change. Now the computer will display an error message on critical failure which you can use to help diagnose with HP's help.

The modem on this notebook may stop working after waking up from sleep mode.

To fix this issue go to Start -> Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> Power Options. Select "Never" for both the System Standby and Turn Off Hard Disks options.

If your battery gets scalding hot, this can help.

HP started a voluntary recall program in May of 2009. Some batteries would overheat or have problems holding a charge. If you have any of these problems, check this website with your product and serial number to see if you are eligible for a replacement.

"Hearing a high pitching sound from fan"

Whining noises may be fan-related. Perhaps your laptop changes the speed of the fan slightly while on battery and that speed change could cause a problem with the natural harmonic resonance of the fan mechanism. This is the same reason why a shopping cart with a squeaky wheel will stop squeaking if you push it faster or slower. I would change your power settings, change it to where whether it's on battery or power that it performs the same.

The electrical components in a PC generate heat, and fans inside the PC help move the air to keep the components from getting too hot. Excess heat will cause the fans to run constantly, damage components, and limit the speed of the CPU. All of these problems with high power and high heat will cause applications to work slower than normal. One of the main functions of the BIOS is to monitor the temperature and adjust the operating conditions. While the sound of the fan running all the time can be annoying, it may the first clue that your PC is running as efficiently as possible.

To help your PC run as cool and efficiently as possible, try the following corrective action.

After PCs have been released, HP may distribute an updated BIOS to manage the fan, CPU power loads, and other components. To see if there is a newer BIOS, you should check what version of the BIOS is currently on your PC, and then look on the HP Drivers and Downloads page for updated drivers.

To locate the BIOS information on your PC, start the HP Help & Support Center, and look for system information. The utility will list the type of processor (Intel, AMD), and the BIOS version. To find a possible updated BIOS, go to the Downloads and Drivers page, enter the model and OS of your PC, and look at the version number and date of the BIOS drivers.

More info can be found at the HP Troubleshooting Official Website