Computer Manufacturer: Sony
Computer Model:PCG-FXA59
Operating System:XP Pro SP1
CPU:Mobile AMD Athlon™ XP processor 1500+ at 1.3 GHz
Hard drive size:30 Gig
Amount of memory installed:512 MB SDRAM
Sound card:Vaio onboard
Video adapter:ATI RAGE™ MOBILITY graphics chip with 8 MB SDRAM
When did the problem start: A few months ago
What you were doing when the problem first appeared:Trying to startup the laptop.
Any new software or hardware installed recently:N/A
Any other information you think might help: Here is what I have tried.
(1) Removed memory from 2nd slot (no help)
(2) Switched memory from slot 1 to slot 2 (no help)
(3) Attempted to boot into safemode (nada)
(4) Attempted to boot into BIOS settings (nada)
(5) Attempted to boot to Windows XP Pro CD (nada)
(6) Attempted to boot to a statup floppy (no joy)
(7) Disconnected the AC power removed the battery, turned the laptop over and held in the rest button for 60 seconds (per Sony support) reconnected the AC power and tried to start it up (nada)
(8) Did the same thing again except this time I put the battery back in and tried to start it up, once again (nada)
I'm open for suggestions folks, at this point I have a very expensive paper weight so if anyone has suggestions I'm all ears.

If you put a floppy in the drive, and you start it up, does the drive at least spin?

Does it have a NIC connection?

Do you get ANY kind of beeps indicating POST? Your internal speaker could be out, so I would recommend that you try it out in a quiet room.

The laptop is a VAIO, so that tells me that it is fairly new. Did it come pre-installed with SP2 or did you upgrade via the CD? Have you tried the recovery CDs, or you can't because the CD drive will not spin?

Although it may seem odd, something could have come loose. To check for this, close the screen, and gently turn it upside down and different directions and see if you hear parts moving around.

Have you plugged a monitor in the VGA port? Maybe the screen went out, and you just can not see anything on the laptop because of this.

In researching your exact model, it seems that VIAO laptops are not stable, or maybe it is because more people will express their opinion on something that is bad, as opposed to when it works properly. I know that 9 times out of 10, if I need to talk to a manager or supervisior, it would not be to praise their establishment or staff

If you put a floppy in the drive, and you start it up, does the drive at least spin?

Yes

Does it have a NIC connection? Yes
Do you get ANY kind of beeps indicating POST? Your internal speaker could be out, so I would recommend that you try it out in a quiet room.

No beeps but I can see or feel the hard drive spin up also I can hear the cd rom spin up when I start it up with the XP cd in.

The laptop is a VAIO, so that tells me that it is fairly new. Did it come pre-installed with SP2 or did you upgrade via the CD? Have you tried the recovery CDs, or you can't because the CD drive will not spin?

I installed SP 1 (Sorry I was thinking of this computer SP2) Yes I tried the recovery CDs & I can hear or feel the cd rom working but just get a blank screen.

Although it may seem odd, something could have come loose. To check for this, close the screen, and gently turn it upside down and different directions and see if you hear parts moving around.

Good suggestion, I don't hear any loose parts rattling around though.

Have you plugged a monitor in the VGA port? Maybe the screen went out, and you just can not see anything on the laptop because of this.

Yeah I tried that a couple of weeks ago and still got the blank screen.

In researching your exact model, it seems that VIAO laptops are not stable, or maybe it is because more people will express their opinion on something that is bad, as opposed to when it works properly. I know that 9 times out of 10, if I need to talk to a manager or supervisior, it would not be to praise their establishment or staff

Yeah I agree about the stability issue ( I learned the hard way) I won't be purchasing any more Sony laptops. I'm starting to think the motherboard went south and if that's the case I'll use the damn thing for a trot line weight.

Thanks for replying Jason I appreciate it

Something tells me that you have a video problem. Even though you do not get a picture with another monitor plugged it, turn the laptop on as is. Wait for about 20 minutes or so, and gently tap the back of the screen (yes, the plastic portion) in different locations. If even for a moment, you get a flash of anything, then you know that it is video related. One may think that even though you plugged another monitor in, and it still does not work, why it could still be a video problem. Truth behind it is the on-board video in laptops links the "built-in" screen and the VGA port. In the case that both are out, it is possible that the part that does not work properly would be before the link.

Since you are running XP SP1, then I would plug a network cable in from your desktop to the laptop. Run the network wizard on the desktop, and see if you can access the laptop's HD. If you have a router, I would plug the laptop into one of the empty ports, but the other way would work too.

For grins, you could save a generic video card driver on floppy and start it with it in. It is slim, but the driver could be corrupt, causing no display.

I would really hate to think that your BIOS has something to do with it, but with no POST (beeps turning on computer), it is possible that you have more problems then just the video card.

Sorry to be the Bearer of bad news.