HP Compaq nc8430 Manual

Maintenance and Service
Guide
HP Compaq nw8440 Notebook PC
HP Compaq nc8430 Notebook PC
HP Compaq nx8420 Notebook PC
Document Part Number: 417790-001
June 2006
This guide is a troubleshooting reference used for maintaining
and servicing the computer. It provides comprehensive
information on identifying computer features, components, and
spare parts; troubleshooting computer problems; and performing
computer disassembly procedures.

© Copyright 2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation. Intel and Core are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other
countries. Bluetooth is a trademark owned by its proprietor and used by
Hewlett-Packard Company under license. SD Logo is a trademark of its
proprietor. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc.
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The
only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express
warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing
herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall
not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
Maintenance and Service Guide
HP Compaq nw8440 Notebook PC
HP Compaq nc8430 Notebook PC
HP Compaq nx8420 Notebook PC
First Edition: June 2006
Document Part Number: 417790-001

Maintenance and Service Guide iii
Contents
1 Product Description
1.1 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–2
1.2 Resetting the Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–4
1.3 Power Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–5
1.4 External Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–6
1.5 Design Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1–20
2 Troubleshooting
2.1 Computer Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–1
Using Computer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–1
Selecting from the File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–2
Selecting from the Security Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–3
Selecting from the Advanced Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–4
Selecting from the Tools Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–4
2.2 Troubleshooting Flowcharts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–5

iv Maintenance and Service Guide
Contents
3 Illustrated Parts Catalog
3.1 Serial Number Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–1
3.2 Computer Major Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–2
3.3 Plastics Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–16
3.4 Mass Storage Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–18
3.5 Miscellaneous (Not Illustrated). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–20
3.6 Sequential Part Number Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–22
4 Removal and Replacement Preliminaries
4.1 Tools Required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–1
4.2 Service Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–2
Plastic Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–2
Cables and Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–2
4.3 Preventing Damage to Removable Drives . . . . . . . . 4–3
4.4 Preventing Electrostatic Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–4
4.5 Packaging and Transporting Precautions . . . . . . . . . 4–5
4.6 Workstation Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–6
4.7 Grounding Equipment and Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–7

Contents
Maintenance and Service Guide v
5 Removal and Replacement Procedures
5.1 Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–2
5.2 Disassembly Sequence Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–3
5.3 Preparing the Computer for Disassembly . . . . . . . . . 5–5
5.4 Hard Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–6
5.5 Computer Feet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–10
5.6 Optical Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–11
5.7 External Memory Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–13
5.8 Bluetooth Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–16
5.9 Keyboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–18
5.10 Fan Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–23
5.11 Heat Sink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–28
5.12 Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–31
5.13 Internal Memory Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–33
5.14 RTC Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–35
5.15 TouchPad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–36
5.16 Mini Card Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–39
5.17 Switch Cover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–42
5.18 Display Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–45
5.19 Top Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–49
5.20 Modem Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–53
5.21 System Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–55
5.22 System Board Frame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–62
5.23 Serial Connector Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–65
5.24 USB/Audio Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5–67

vi Maintenance and Service Guide
Contents
6 Specifications
A Screw Listing
B Software Backup and Recovery
C Display Component Recycling
D Connector Pin Assignments
E Power Cord Set Requirements
Index

Maintenance and Service Guide 1–1
1
Product Description
The HP Compaq nw8440 Notebook PC, HP Compaq nc8430
Notebook PC, and HP Compaq nx8420 Notebook PC offer
advanced modularity, Intel® Core™ Duo processors, and
extensive multimedia support.
HP Compaq nw8440 Notebook PC, HP Compaq nc8430
Notebook PC, and HP Compaq nx8420 Notebook PC

1–2 Maintenance and Service Guide
Product Description
1.1 Features
■The following processors, varying by computer model:
❏Intel Core Duo T2600 (2.17-GHz)
❏Intel Core Duo T2500 (2.00-GHz)
❏Intel Core Duo T2400 (1.83-GHz)
❏Intel Core Duo T2300 (1.66-GHz)
■The following displays are available, varying by
computer model:
❏15.4-inch, WUXGA, TFT (1920 × 1200) with over
16.8 million colors with AntiGlare
❏15.4-inch, WSXGA, TFT (1680 × 1050) with over
16.8 million colors with AntiGlare
❏15.4-inch, WXGA+, TFT (1440 × 900) with over
16.8 million colors with AntiGlare
■120-, 100-, 80-, and 60-GB high-capacity hard drive, varying
by computer model
■256-MB DDR2 synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) at 533 MHz
and 667 MHz, expandable to 4.0 GB
■Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
■Full-size Windows keyboard with numeric keypad
■TouchPad and pointing stick pointing devices, including a
dedicated vertical scroll region (select models only)
■Integrated 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX Ethernet local area
network (LAN) network interface card (NIC) with RJ-45 jack
■Integrated high-speed 56K modem with RJ-11 jack

Product Description
Maintenance and Service Guide 1–3
■Integrated wireless support for Mini Card IEEE 802.11a/b/g
or 802.11b/g Wireless LAN (WLAN) device
■Support for one Type I or Type II PC Card slot, with support
for both 32-bit (CardBus) and 16-bit PC Cards, varying by
computer model
■External 90-watt AC adapter with 3-wire power cord
■8-cell Li-Ion battery
■Stereo speakers
■Volume up, volume mute, and volume down buttons
■Support for the following optical drives:
❏DVD±RW and CD-RW Double-Layer Combo Drive
❏DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
❏DVD-ROM drive
■Connectors:
❏Accessory battery
❏Audio-in (microphone)
❏Audio-out (headphone)
❏Digital media slot
❏Docking connector
❏External monitor
❏IEEE 1394
❏RJ-11 (modem)
❏RJ-45 (network)
❏S-Video-out
❏Smart Adapter power
❏Three Universal Serial Bus (USB) v. 2.0

1–4 Maintenance and Service Guide
Product Description
1.2 Resetting the Computer
If the computer you are servicing has an unknown password,
follow the steps below to reset the password. These steps also
clear CMOS.
✎The following steps will not clear an unknown password if the
stringent security option has been enabled in the BIOS. If
stringent security is enabled, the system board must be replaced
to reset an unknown password. Refer to Section 5.23, “Serial
Connector Module,” for more information on replacing the
system board.
Before replacing the system board, perform the steps below to
make sure stringent security has been properly enabled.
Enabling stringent security provides enhanced protection for the
power-on password and administrator password and other forms
of power-on authorization. Stringent security is enabled/disabled
by accessing the Password Options menu in the Computer Setup
utility. Refer to Section 2.1, “Computer Setup,” for more
information.
1. Prepare the computer for disassembly (refer to Section 5.3,
“Preparing the Computer for Disassembly,” for more
information). Remove the real-time clock (RTC) battery
(refer to Section 5.14, “RTC Battery,” for more information
on removing and replacing the RTC battery).
2. Wait approximately 5 minutes.
3. Replace the RTC battery and reassemble the computer.
4. Connect AC power to the computer. Do not reinsert any
batteries at this time.
5. Turn on the computer.
All passwords and all CMOS settings have been cleared.

Product Description
Maintenance and Service Guide 1–5
1.3 Power Management
The computer comes with power management features that
extend battery operating time and conserve power. The
computer supports the following power management features:
■Standby
■Hibernation
■Setting customization by the user
■Hotkeys for setting the level of performance
■Battery calibration
■Lid switch standby/resume
■Power button
■Advanced Configuration and Power Management (ACPM)
compliance

1–6 Maintenance and Service Guide
Product Description
1.4 External Components
The external components on the front of the computer are shown
below and described in Table 1-1.
Front Components
Table 1-1
Front Components
Item Component Function
1 Wireless light On: An integrated wireless device, such as
a wireless local area network (LAN) device
and/or a Bluetooth® device, is turned on.
2Powerlight ■On: The computer is on.
■Blinking: The computer is in standby.
■Blinking rapidly: An HP Smart AC
Adapter with a higher power rating
should be connected.
■Off: The computer is off or in hibernation.

Product Description
Maintenance and Service Guide 1–7
3 Battery light ■Amber: A battery is charging.
■Green: A battery is close to full charge
capacity.
■Blinking amber: A battery that is the only
available power source has reached a
low-battery condition. When the battery
reaches a critical low-battery condition,
the battery light begins blinking more
quickly.
■Off: If the computer is connected to an
external power source, the light is turned
off when all batteries in the computer are
fully charged. If the computer is not
connected to an external power source,
the light is turned off until the battery
reaches a low-battery condition.
4Drivelight ■Blinking green: The hard drive or optical
drive is being accessed.
■Amber: HP Mobile Data Protection has
temporarily parked the hard drive.
5 Display release latch Opens the computer.
Table 1-1
Front Components
(Continued)
Item Component Function

1–8 Maintenance and Service Guide
Product Description
The external components on the right side of the computer are
shown below and described in Table 1-2.
Right-Side Components
Table 1-2
Right-Side Components
Item Component Function
1Audio-out
(headphone) jack
Produces computer sound when connected
to optional power stereo speakers,
headphones, ear buds, a headset, or
television audio.
2 Internal microphone Records sound
3Audio-in
(microphone) jack
Connects an optional computer headset
microphone, stereo array microphone, or
monaural microphone.
4 USB ports (2) Connect USB 1.1- and 2.0-compliant
devices to the computer using a standard
USB cable, or connect an optional External
MultiBay II to the computer. The MultiBay II
must also be connected to an external
power source.
5 Optical drive Supports an optical disc. The type of optical
drive varies by model.
6 Serial port Connects an optional serial device.

Product Description
Maintenance and Service Guide 1–9
The external components on the rear panel of the computer are
shown below and described in Table 1-3.
Rear Panel Components
Table 1-3
Rear Panel Components
Item Component Function
1 Battery bay Holds a battery.
2 Smart adapter power
connector
Connects an AC adapter or an optional
power adapter.
3 External monitor port Connects an optional VGA external
monitor or projector.

1–10 Maintenance and Service Guide
Product Description
The external components on the left side of the computer are
shown below and described in Table 1-4.
Left-Side Components
Table 1-4
Left-Side Components
Item Component Function
1 Security cable slot Attaches an optional security cable to the
computer.
ÄSecurity solutions are designed to
act as deterrents. These deterrents
may not prevent a product from being
mishandled or stolen.
2 RJ-45 (network) jack Connects an optional network cable.
3 RJ-11 (modem) jack Connects the modem cable.
4 S-Video-out jack Connects an optional S-Video device, such
as a television, VCR, camcorder, projector,
or video capture card.

Product Description
Maintenance and Service Guide 1–11
5 Exhaust vent Provides airflow to cool internal
components.
ÄTo prevent overheating, do not
obstruct vents. Use the computer
only a hard, flat surface. Do not allow
a hard surface, such as an adjoining
printer, or a soft surface, such as
pillows or thick rugs or clothing, to
block airflow.
6 1394 port Connects an optional 1394a device such as
a scanner, digital camera, or digital
camcorder.
7 USB port Connects USB 1.1- and 2.0-compliant
devices to the computer using a standard
USB cable, or connects an optional
External MultiBay II to the computer. The
MultiBay II must also be connected to an
external power source.
8 Smart card slot Supports optional smart cards and Java™
Cards.
9 PC Card slot Supports optional Type I or Type II 32-bit
(CardBus) or 16-bit PC Cards.
10 Digital Media Slot Supports Secure Digital (SD) Memory
Cards and MultiMediaCards.
Table 1-4
Left-Side Components
(Continued)
Item Component Function

1–12 Maintenance and Service Guide
Product Description
The standard keyboard components of the computer are shown
below and described in Table 1-5.
Standard Keyboard Components

Product Description
Maintenance and Service Guide 1–13
Table 1-5
Standard Keyboard Components
Item Component Function
1f1 to f12 keys (12) Perform system and application tasks.
When combined with the fn key, several
keys and buttons perform additional tasks
as hotkeys.
2caps lock key Enables caps lock and turns on the caps
lock light.
3fn key Executes frequently used system
functions when pressed in combination
with a function key or the esc key.
4 Windows logo key In Windows, displays the Windows
Start menu.
5Windows
applications key
In Windows, displays a shortcut menu
for items beneath the pointer.
6 Arrow keys Moves the cursor around the screen.
7 Keypad keys In Windows, can be used like the keys
on an external numeric keypad.
8num lock key Enables numeric lock, turns on the
embedded numeric keypad, and turns
on the num lock light.

1–14 Maintenance and Service Guide
Product Description
The computer top components are shown below and described in
Table 1-6.
Top Components, Part 1