HP Pavilion DV2160BR Troubleshooting

I cannot get my computer to recognize my key presses.

To test your keyboard connection, open Windows Device Manager (located under "System" in the Control Panel). Right click the item for your computer's keyboard and select "Scan for Hardware Changes." The Device Manager will test your keyboard and indicate whether there is problem. If so, an error icon will be displayed next to the keyboard item. For specific information about the error, right click the icon and select "Properties."

If the re-connection does not work, you might need a replacement keyboard, in the meantime a USB keyboard will work. To replace it yourself, see our keyboard replacement guide: Install Keyboard

My battery does not seem to be charging or functioning properly.

To look at battery health on an HP notebook PC, there is an HP utility provided in the HP Battery Health Center. Download it here: HP Drivers & Downloads.

Now test the battery by following these steps:

1. Connect your computer to its AC power adaptor and plug it into an outlet.
2. Open the battery check program you downloaded: HP Battery Check.
3. The test results will be displayed, with one of the following results:
   • Good - the battery is healthy and in working order.
   • Replace - one or more of the battery cells can't accept a charge or has "Low" storage capacity. The battery should be replaced. See our guide for how to replace yourself: Install Battery
   • Invalid - the AC adaptor is not connected, more than one battery is installed, or the battery is incorrectly installed.

The AC adapter must be connected to the computer and working properly for it to charge the battery. Try the following this test to determine the status of your adapter:

1. Disconnect the AC power adapter cord, remove the battery (see our guide for assistance: Install Battery), and hold the Power button for 30 seconds. This will discharge the computers system capacitors.
2. Plug in the AC adapter to a working power outlet or surge protector and connect it to the computer.
3. Press the Power button to turn on the notebook.
   • If the PC does not start, the AC adapter is not working properly. Replace the adapter.
   • If the PC does start and operates normally, reconnect the battery and perform additional methods to resolve the symptoms.

There are some programs which deplete battery power more than others. To properly test your battery, determine how long your battery lasts while in Safe Mode and compare this time to the duration when operating a program. Start with your AC power adaptor plugged in and follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer and upon start, press F8, and select Safe Mode from the Startup Menu using the arrow keys.
2. When Safe Mode appears, disconnect your AC adaptor.
3. Measure the duration of battery life.
4. When the battery is depleted, recharge, restart your computer and test again with a program running.

This can be caused by file fragmentation.

If your programs are running slowly or your computer takes a long time to boot up, you may have file fragmentation issues.

On windows this is called Disk Defragmenter, a pre-installed Microsoft utility. Defragmenting will rearrange fragmented data to allow your hard disk to work more efficiently. While Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule automatically, you can manually defragment your hard disk by following the steps below:

1. Open Disk Defragmenter by clicking the Start button , then All Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and finally Disk Defragmenter.
2. Click Defragment Now.

This process could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to finish, depending on the size and level of fragmentation of your hard disk.

''Imminent drive failure" messages or restarts can occur because of hard drive or SSD (Solid State Drive) failures. There could also be a problem with your computer's motherboard.

If some of your hard drives are missing under "My Computer" or you get error messages when booting up your laptop such as "Please insert boot media", you may have a bad hard drive.

Note: If possible, backup important data before attempting fix.

To test your hard drive, run a diagnostic test.

Hold F2 while the computer is booting up to run the test. It will first run the basic diagnostic test.

1. Drive does not show up
   • If the drive does not show up for the diagnostics make sure that the hard drive or SSD is connected properly and try again. If that does not work then the hard drive or SSD may need to be replaced.
2. Drive fails either the basic or the full diagnostic test
   • The drive may need to be replaced. Record any Failure IDs for customer service. To replace the drive yourself, see our hard drive replacement guide: Install Hard Drive

If you have tried multiple hard drives and none of them are showing up, it's possible that there is an issue with your motherboard.

This can be caused by file corruption.

If your computer crashes and you see a blue screen, or your programs are freezing, you may have file corruption issues. Please note that you should never turn off power while booting up or powering off.

If this happens it can result in a "write splice", an incomplete write to the hard drive which causes file corruption. The operating system will mark this corrupted data sector as a bad sector. If write splices occur more and more frequently, bad sectors will accumulate, triggering errors such as the blue screen or application halting.

To check for file corruption, follow these steps:

1. Open "Computer" from the start menu.
2. Right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check, and select Properties.
3. Click the Tools tab, and then, under Error-checking, click "Check Now."
   • To automatically repair problems with files that are detected, select Automatically fix file system errors. Otherwise, the problems will be reported, but not fixed by the system.
   • To perform a thorough disk check, select Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. This scan attempts to find and repair physical errors on the hard disk itself, and it can take much longer to complete.
   • To check for both file errors and physical errors, select both Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors.
4. Select "Start."

Depending upon the size of your hard disk, this process can take several minutes. For best results, don't use your computer while it's checking for errors.

Depending on the level of corruption on your hard drive, the best solution might be to replace it. To replace it yourself, see our hard drive replacement guide: Install Hard Drive