HP Pavilion DV4000 Troubleshooting

My computer gets really hot when I use it

Sometimes the fan in your laptop will get clogged with dirt and dust. Try cleaning out the fan located on the bottom corner of your laptop. If you do not want to remove the fan to clean it, using a computer duster (aerosol can) may help. If this does not fix the problem, consider replacing the fan.

The heat sink is designed to extract heat from the computer. Between the heat sink and the motherboard, there is thermal paste. Sometimes the thermal paste, or even the entire heat sink fail and cause your computer to overheat. Remove the cover on the bottom of the computer and locate the 4 screws that hold the heat sink in place. Remove the 4 screws and carefully lift the heat sink out. If the heat sink looks dirty or broken, consider purchasing a new one. Otherwise, clean the thermal paste off both the heat sink and the motherboard. Apply an adequate amount of thermal paste and reinstall the heat sink. You can replace your heat sink using this repair guide.

My keyboard is not functioning properly

Over time, dust will build up underneath your keyboard. This dust could potentially stop your keyboard from working properly. Use a computer duster (aerosol can) to blow the dust out from underneath the keyboard. If this does not work, try using a toothpick (or something similar) to remove the dust.

If there are missing keys or the keyboard is just not functioning, you may need to replace the keyboard. Purchase a new keyboard and replace it using this repair guide.

When I try to open the CD tray nothing happens

The CD drive might get stuck in the laptop even when pressing the button. if so, locate release hole to the right of the button. Stick a paperclip inside to eject the tray.

If discs are unable to be read, you may consider replacing the CD drive. Purchase a new drive of the same model and replace it using this repair guide.

My computer has been running slowly recently or crashes when I use it

Your computer's hard drive may be nearing its capacity, possibly having many unnecessary files. Having too many files clogging up your computer can easily cause it to run slowly or even crash. Try running the "Disk cleanup" tool from the start menu to remove unnecessary files (temporary files, items in the recycle bin).

Your hard drive may have become corrupted. If there are corrupted sectors in the hard drive, and the computer tries to store information there, your computer may run slowly or even crash. Follow this guide to replace the hard drive.

The memory in your computer may have become corrupted. If the computer tries to use memory during normal tasks, it will almost certainly cause your computer to crash. Check out the replacement guide to replace the memory.

The HP Pavilion dv4000 comes with 512MB of RAM. Many modern programs require more than 512MB of RAM to run, so you may not have enough memory to perform normal tasks with your laptop. If you use more RAM than your computer has, it can run slowly or even crash. You may want to consider upgrading the memory in this computer to a larger amount of RAM, but be aware this computer can only use 2 GB of RAM (333MHz). You can follow this replacement guide to add more memory.

I cannot get my computer to turn on

A possible cause of a laptop unable to turn on is a faulty hard drive. This is often a sign of hard drive corruption. If there are corrupted sectors in the hard drive, and the computer tries to store information there, your computer may run slowly or even crash. Follow this guide to replace the hard drive.

If the laptop will not turn on when the power button is pressed, try plugging it in to see if it has a charge. Check its charge by plugging it in. If that does not work, the battery, charger and/or charging port might be broken. Replace your battery using this guide.

The laptop is plugged in, but the laptop will not turn on. If there is still no charge after waiting a few minutes of being plugged in, attempt using a different charger to determine whether the current charger is the only issue. If another charger works, then your original charger may be defective. If the second charger also does not work, the charging port on your laptop may need to be repaired or replaced.