Compaq 2720US power

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:14 pm

my brother is in town and his 2720US Compaq Presario is doing something very weird.

when its running on AC it DECREASES the P3 core to 789 MHz instead of running at its maximum of 1.2GHz. now get this, when its on battery it INCREASES the core to 1.2GHz.

BIOS is stripped down with no ACPI options or CPU Clock control. is there anything i can do to make the CPU run at its rated speed on AC instead of Battery? also he says when the battery is low and the lappy goes into screen saver, when you try to resume from saver, it will BSOD, but he doesnt know the exact error and i cant seem to replicate it. any idea's?

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:16 pm

Verify the windows power settings are correct.

captain_twinkie · Post by **captain_twinkie** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:22 pm

Check the mini dump file with the windows debugger tool.

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/ ... llx86.Mspx

Have the drivers been reinstalled?

Does it have those symptoms when your in the BIOS?

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 7:23 pm

i checked the power settings, i posted the topic start from that laptop, i shoulda posted a screenie, thing is, i cant control the CPU in BIOS like most other laptops. Compaq(hp) has stripped all that out of it.are there any other programs out there that i can control the CPU with?

Insurrectionist · Post by **Insurrectionist** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:31 pm

What system is it running?

SuperSheep · Post by **SuperSheep** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 9:40 pm

Could be a heat related issue. The P3 processors will throttle down when overheated. Get a can of compressed air and spray that thing out good.

Spidey · Post by **Spidey** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 9:52 pm

Is it the original AC adapter?

Check it to make sure it’s putting out the proper voltage & current.

It also may be normal, as the adapter probably cannot deliver the current the batteries can.

Zantor · Post by **Zantor** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:07 pm

See if there is an update for the BIOS, and if there is, update it. It could be a problem with the thermal sensor or the CPU throttle control.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:49 pm

latest BIOS is still stripped down to just a few functions. i updated and it still does it. its very interesting, why its doing this, how would i go about checking the PSU brick? already popped the 20A fuse in my DMM trying to check the amperage but voltage matches the bricks specs. if its normal why would it do this? no other laptop i have ever come across does this, infact its always the opposite.... AC = Maximum throttle and batt = throttled

its not heat because the fan kicks in normally when it gets warm to the touch, i did blast it out and very little dust came out of the vent. i know P3's will throttle themselves, but when it does this it becomes very slow and he is getting aggravated at it.

Spidey · Post by **Spidey** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:42 pm

Maybe they just got a little cheap with the PS. Check the power requirements of the laptop, add some for charging the batteries, and compare it to the power output of the brick. (they should both be marked in either Watts or VAs)

So if the power requiremants of the comp is say…240W (20 amps @ 12 volts), and the brick can only deliver 15 amps @ 12 volts (180W) that would explain it.

If this is the case, you do not want to trick the comp into running @ full speed, unless you get a bigger PS.

BTW most modern switching supplies rarely fail to properly regulate, and have built in protection when they fail. So voltage will generally be @ spec, and the current output would have to be checked using a meter and load resisters. (if you don’t know how to do it, I wouldn’t try)

TechPro · Post by **TechPro** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:26 pm

I know you said you checked your power settings ... but what you're describing as happening is exactly what should happen if you have your system set to conserve power while plugged in. Normally you'd have that set only for when on battery, but the settings are right next to each other and you can easily get them set in reverse.

I think (and I'm pretty sure Krom would agree) that is most likely what is happening.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:13 pm

ill check again... he went back to florida so ill call him and walk him through it

BUBBALOU · Post by **BUBBALOU** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 10:16 am

Sounds like a conflict between Compaq power utility and Windows power utility.. wow that's an old laptop ehh 2001 when sidestep was oh so new