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January 30th, 2025 19:49
E6540 POST Issue
Hello everyone: I acquired a Latitude E6540 recently. I upgraded the CPU to the i7-4910MQ, and maxed out the RAM at 16GB. Has a 1TB SSD. I was able to get Windows on it, however, when I went to install drivers, it froze when trying to install what appears to be a discrete video card (AMD Radeon something) I gave it a few minutes, but then I had to hard power it off. I went to power it on again, and now it won't POST. I even tried removing the CMOS BIOS battery to reset the BIOS, and I was able to regain control, but as soon as I back out... no POST. I'm really stumped... I hope I didn't fry the system board. Anyone have any ideas?
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ejn63
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January 30th, 2025 20:02
Sounds like the AMD GPU is dead (or close to it). Remove the driver for it next time you can boot the system -- which will run fine on the integrated GPU.
CBIVTI22
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January 30th, 2025 20:26
@ejn63 I would, I just need to get it to POST and boot properly. Once I can boot, I'm going to do a fresh Windows install just not install the GPU driver.
CBIVTI22
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January 31st, 2025 07:16
Update: now it won't power on at all. Battery's fully charged, am using a 135W PSU. I haven't touched it all day... yeah, i think the system board is fried. Time to search on eBay for a replacement. What is the DPN for the system board with AMD graphics?
CBIVTI22
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February 11th, 2025 23:35
Update: I got a new system board (DPN VPH0Y) and swapped out the old one, but now I noticed a few things.... There's no connector for the webcam, and the keyboard, for some bizarre reason, won't fit in to the connector. I tried hooking up an external keyboard for the time being. Plugged everything back in, and powered it on. It is showing signs of life, but no display at all. Storage LED is constantly on, even after powered off. Am I missing something?
CBIVTI22
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February 22nd, 2025 18:52
Another update: So apparently I got the wrong board. I purchased the proper board, installed it, and still no video from the LCD. I was able to hook up an external monitor and finally got in to the BIOS, so it appears that the motherboard is working and POSTing, but I'm not sure where to go from here... I know the LCD was working on the old board, and I was very careful not to disturb the cables too much when swapping the motherboard. I'm really not sure what to do here, other than replace the LCD. This is starting to become a money pit. Any ideas?
ejn63
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February 22nd, 2025 19:10
It depends on what you plan to do with the system and how much you want to spend. Complete, working systems are well under $100 on EBay. That's one option. So too would be replacing the internal video cable harness.
CBIVTI22
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February 22nd, 2025 19:46
@ejn63 Considering the specs of this laptop, and that it has a 2GB AMD discrete card in it, I am planning on using it as my main "everything" laptop, including some very light gaming, like Minecraft. This was a free laptop, and I've already spent a lot on upgrades (CPU, Memory, 1 TB SSD, new battery)
What is the DPN for the harness?
ejn63
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February 22nd, 2025 20:26
There are a number of them, depending on the mainboard, LCD and options the system has -- both LVDS and eDP cables are available, and the harnesses will differ depending on the camera and other peripherals. You can try searching by the mainboard and screen part numbers at parts-people.com
CBIVTI22
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February 23rd, 2025 00:02
@ejn63 So apparently I have an LVDS screen, which I find kinda strange, considering my LCD is FHD (1920x1080). The motherboard that I mistakenly put in was an eDP one. I hope that didn't damage any circuitry in the screen I have, then I would have to get another screen and cable. Well, let's see what happens!