MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

[VujeDe]

Hi all. I've got what once was an MSI GE40 sitting here that has had a hard life. I bought it for the screen (14" 1080p IPS panel, that I haven't been able to test yet...) with a dead Mobo.

I was curious how "dead" so I plugged it in and the charging LED lit up. Pushing the power button gave a brief flash of the power LED, then nothing.

• So I removed ram, swapped for known-good, switched slots, tried none. No change.
  
• Removed and reseated CPU. No change.
  
• Removed battery. No change. Measured PSU with voltmeter = 19.35v
  
• Removed all power. Held down power button for 30 seconds. Reconnected power. Power LED lights & fan on full, sits there indefinitely doing that and that only. Power down, and next power up power LED lights for 15 seconds but that is it (no fan), then powers off. And then next power-on, back to the brief flash of the power LED, then shuts off.
  
• And then next power on nothing at all, just the charging LED lit. No brief flicker of power LEDs, nothing. So I went back through everything but still no signs of life apart from the charging LED remaining lit.
  
• Disassemble. Unplug everything apart from power in and power switch. Charging LED still lit, but no other signs of life.
  
• 19.35v getting to 3 left most pins on POWERCONN1 (top left, first photo), 3 pins on right are ground.

And that's my current abilities exhausted.

I don't know the history of this laptop but I can see no evidence of spill damage on the mobo, however the power button board looks like it's seen some action before (see image). If it helps I believe these systems can run very hot.

Please could any one advise on what the next step might be (and maybe how to go about it)? A schematic may help, although I have little experience reading and interpreting them.

Thank you very much!

[ala_borbe]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

try to turn it on with extrenal display but unplug internal lcd

[tibd]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

Before any other trouble shooting I would reflash bios.

[VujeDe]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

try to turn it on with extrenal display but unplug internal lcd

Thanks for the suggestion but there is no change when trying this.

Before any other trouble shooting I would reflash bios.

My initial thought was a corrupt BIOS but unfortunately I don't have the equipment to remove and reflash the chip.

Right now, I think I need to get it to respond to the power button, or bypass that and see if the board will go back to powering on and off again. As right now, it does nothing.

[VujeDe]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

In reply to my previous post: I've swapped the power board ribbon cable for one from elsewhere in the laptop, and I'm now back to getting the brief flash from the power LED when I push the power button!

I sort of know what a socketed BIOS chip looks like, but I see nothing that looks like that on this board, so would assume it's surface mount

Is it likely to be that? What would be the next step?

Thanks again

[String2016]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

I have attached the image you posted and marked on the bios chip try to flash your bios or read your bios and post it here someone will fix it for you

[VujeDe]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

I have attached the image you posted and marked on the bios chip try to flash your bios or read your bios and post it here someone will fix it for you

Thank you very much! I'll be back...

[Joseph cauchi]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

I had a problem similar which I bought a new bios programmed ready and replaced more easy and cost me Euro 15.
I send them the motherboard model so they can program the bios.

[VujeDe]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

I had a problem similar which I bought a new bios programmed ready and replaced more easy and cost me Euro 15.
I send them the motherboard model so they can program the bios.

Thanks Joseph. I've found one on eBay, so maybe this will be an option! Just need to practice my de-soldering technique for SMD components on an old board first.

[VujeDe]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

Here's the latest. Read about blind flashing to recover a dodgy AMIBios. So I created a FAT formatted USB with AMIBOOT.ROM file in root, and plugged in a USB keyboard ready. Switched it on and spammed ctrl+home and BIOS recovery didn't work.

Instead it booted straight in to the stock BIOS!

So. What the hell happened there then? Is there a "rescue" BIOS that's triggered to load by ctrl+home?

I can tell you for a fact it didn't use the BIOS on the USB stick as the actual BIOS on the board is branded PC Specialist, and the BIOS on the USB was MSI.

I guess next I'll start plugging things back in and see if it keeps working

[zdanek]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

Hello.

I have also dead MS-14921 ver 2.0 board. It seems that it burned some caps and maybe other devices.
Any one have any idea where to get a schematics for it? I've been searching for about two weeks with no luck. Even paid web pages do not have this schematics.

Any ideas please?

Bartek

[balobi]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

Somebody have schematics & board view of MSI GE40 boardcode: MS-14921 VER 2.0 thank you!

[boss juben]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

need bios for this model of msi

[ktmmotocross]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

when on power button flash of life means there is a short in power switched rails.

[alvin_e]

Re: MS-14921 (MSI GE40) from dead, to deader. Advice please?

Hi there , if anyone will help me find MSI MS-14921 schematics i will appreciate...just share here...and thanks in advance.