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Dead Computer

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pdplot

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Left Dell desktop on when called to dinner. I was on BCF. Came back to find it...dead. Disconnected power, all peripherals and turned back on - nothing. No light. I did notice that connecting the monitor to the adaptor caused the green light on the monitor to turn yellow but this may be an unrelated problem. I have two monitors (older Dells) and both do the same thing. No choice but to take it into the shop and hope for the best. I think this Inspiron is about 3 or 4 years old - can't recall. Luckily my wife's Dell laptop is still working...
 
Paul - when you power on the computer, do any of the indicator lights *on the computer* flash or come on?

Wondering if you've only got a video output problem, and not a dead computer.

Tom M.
 
Is this a 1545?

Try to release flea power and see if that helps.To release flea power disconnect the charger,remove the battery and press and hold down the power button for 30 seconds(with battery and charger disconnected).Now put back the battery and reconnect the charger and turn on the system.
 
More:

Its a no power situation and its same with different adapters.There is not much of trouble shooting that can be done as you've already tried the basic trouble shooting steps.It could be an issue with the charger board or the motherboard/system board.Charger board has the AC adapter connector port,so if its an issue with that port,you need to get the charger board replaced.If that does not solve the problem you may need to get the motherboard replaced.

"The charger has a blue light when plugged in at the mains but turns off when plugged into the laptop and does not charge."

If the charger LED turns off when the charger is connected to the system it indicates an issue with the motherboard.

If releasing flea power did not help you may try to remove and reseat the memory module,HDD and optical drive.
 
The monitor lights turning orange is normal. It just means they are not receiving a signal from the computer. If there is no sign of life, I'd look at the PSU ( power supply module) first.
 
GregW said:
The monitor lights turning orange is normal. It just means they are not receiving a signal from the computer. If there is no sign of life, I'd look at the PSU ( power supply module) first.
Click to expand...

That was my first thought too.
 
Ah. I saw the wife's laptop and transposed.

No battery, it's most likely the power supply. Had it happen before to me.
We had a computer recycling outfit locally then, was able to go down and pick out a loose power supply from the bin of such for ten bucks.
 
OK - if it's the power supply, you can replace it yourself. So just call Dell Support (or go to support.dell.com), punch in the Service Tag number (on the back of the case) and get a replacement.

Or pull the power supply, then search ebay for the same part number and Dell model.

Should take about 30 minutes to do the replacement job.

Tom M.
 
Yea, I had the same type issue a year or so ago. Took the power supply out and Best Buy tested it to confirm it was dead. Cost about $25 bucks to get a new one. replaced it myself, took about 15 minutes, including when I removed the old one. Just note which wires go where for reassembly.
 
and be source selective. You start looking at parts direct from dell, you'll get sticker shock. Just did that three weeks ago on an old dell laptop....HD and Motherboard each were more than the laptop cost.
So, other sources.
 
Yea the new one I got wasn't a Dell brand replacement, just whatever the store brand was. But looked exactly the same so I suspect it was the same supplier made.
 
My repair guy thought it was a power supply issue. His work is good, reasonable and guaranteed. He also confirmed that the yellow monitor light is normal. I tested the power cord and it was fine. One of these years I'll take a course in computer repair, but now...In the meantime, the laptop is behaving itself so I'm still "on the air". Thanks for the tips.
 
I had an old Phoenix tower computer that I bought new and it did a similar thing after it was about 5 years old. It wouldn't boot and the only thing that worked was the fan. Found out it was the battery for the motherboard. It didn't take a button battery, it took a AA in a separate case, like I said, old computer! :highly_amused:
 
Shop called back. Not the PS. Something on the motherboard. Estimated will cost $175. Told hime to go ahead. Cheaper than a new computer. Have to be in NYC tomorrow by 6:30 am for my operation. Supposed to be pouring rain. Fun...
 
pdplot said:
Shop called back. Not the PS. Something on the motherboard. Estimated will cost $175. Told hime to go ahead. Cheaper than a new computer. Have to be in NYC tomorrow by 6:30 am for my operation. Supposed to be pouring rain. Fun...
Click to expand...

praying for you! (and I suppose the computer too) :cheers:
 
Surgery done and arm still attached but wrapped like a mummy. I watched almost the whole operation on a computer screen with a local instead of anesthesia because I drank a tiny bit of orange juice in a glass of water to wash down my morning pills and they would have to have waited another hour before they could operate. It was fascinating watching her sew up a 2" wide incision. Like repairing a torn pair of pants. Driving in to NYC at 5 am was a nightmare but we got there about 2 minutes late after parking in their garage. Some of the nurses were real characters. Sloan Kettering is the place to go for cancer surgery. The wrap stays on for 48 hours but no golf, tennis or bocce for a while but tonight I'm going to try to play my ukulele at a meetup. They re-programmed my pacemaker before and after the surgery. I told Dr. Ariyan it was like doing sheet metal work on a car.
 
Glad to hear things went smoothly... here's to a speedy recovery.
 
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