Laptop powers down during startup
UPDATE: I cracked the 2 second problem!
There may be several factors contributing to this... Some recommended solutions are:
Clean your laptop. Few people seem to realize this but dust can actually cause really major problems. Also, try it with a cooling pad beneath it and see any results... Open the case up and use a blower or a compressed air can and blow it all away. [Rahul's Awesome Tech Tip: If you don't have a specialized Blower/Air Pump/Compressed Air, try a Hair-dryer on normal mode! (the one without heat)]
Take the battery out and disconnect the charger. Then press the power button about 7-10 times. This will drain all extra power out of the motherboard. You'd be surprised at how often this works.
Power-Supply Problems/Short-Circuits - Not much you can do about it
Try Falcon4BootCD or Hiren's Boot CD, it can be useful.
Strongly Recommended: Before trying anything, try to boot into a lightweight OS like DamnSmallLinux, or MiniWindowsXP (preferred) from Falcon4BootCD and take a backup of all your data.
The two second problem: I just realized that with most BIOS, At first, when you start a computer, everything is powered for about two seconds-- So, even it I disable the keyboard backlight on my Lenovo y50-70 using the Fn+Spacebar shortcut, the next time I start my computer the backlight lights up for two seconds before the BIOS loads fully and realizes/remembers that it was disabled... The only thing is, since fans are always on, so you never realized this before!
This is NOT a glitch and is normal behavior. This is also why on many computers you'll hear the DVD drive click when they are first switched on.
Do you still have your Windows OS on the drive? If so, have you tried to revert back to a known, good day say: 2-3 weeks ago? What about Safe Mode? I know Safe Mode in Windows 8 is a little funky to get into. Even though you say that Ubuntu does the same thing may suggest you still have a virii on the drive.
What about going to the OEM: Dell/HP/etc. and looking at:
- Some laptops/desktops have built-in diagnostics within the BIOS for memory/drives/etc. Results?
- Have you tried to flash/re-flash the BIOS with an updated one?
- Any updated drivers from the OEM?
- What about drivers, e.g. video?
How old is the laptop? If it is within a year, can you go back on a warranty service/replacement?
Had that problem and it was related to processor temp rising too high, so it shuts down itself to avoid physical damage. Take it to technical service to get it clean inside. Might have dirt between processor and fan, keeping it from cooling properly.
I tried runnung Ubuntu, liveCD and installed (yeah, wiped Win) and it happened to be less intensive, allowing a full boot, discarding physical damage.