Laptop USB Shorting problem!

[biscuitboy]

Hi guys,

Have finally returned from my travels and tried to plug a wireless N Dongle into my mothers laptop.

The laptop instantly shut down and when I looked at the USB slot, it seems I had inserted the Dongle upside down, as the protective plastic "bar" that normally prevents you from doing this in the laptop was missing and there were just exposed pins.

Basically, what are the possibilities for damage to the laptop as it will no longer boot...

Psu?

Motherboard Fried?

Fuse somewhere blown?

Thanks in advance guys!

Regards

Biscuitboy

 

[JN]

I hate to say it but its more likely to be something on the motherboard that's fried. If the power pack still seems to be working then there's not really any other fuses that can be checked.

It may be something as simple as a popped capacitor/resistor though, so if the laptop is 'worth anything' I'd take it to a repair shop (unless you're handy with a soldering iron) and see if they can replace the blown component.

 

[biscuitboy]

Cheers Jim, altho not sure the power pack is working, dont want to go to the expense of replacing it if it isn't the culprit and no idea how to test a laptop psu?

 

[biscuitboy]

Catastrophe averted I think!

I Google'd the problem, there are very few examples of it online surprisingly! lol...

It was recommended to disconnect the battery and power for 15 minutes and then reconnect and try again and this worked, the laptop booted up. Maybe a fail-safe mechanism built in somewhere that prevents it from re-booting immediately in case the short is still present? Clever.