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8992
October 23rd, 2009 07:00
Computer Turns Off-- Is it the Battery? Or something else?
2-3 days after my one year warranty expired, my computer suddenly shut down during use. I restarted but it shut down again.
The pattern is that the computer runs for 15-30 minutes, then suddenly shuts down, the system restarts, runs for 2-3 minutes, shuts down, restarts, runs for under a minute, shuts down, restarts, shuts down after a matter of seconds, etc., and at that point I give up till the next day when I repeat the same cycle all over again. I have Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit and its a Dell Inspiron 518 model. There are no error messages. I ran the Windows "fix" program which did a restore to no avail. The problem even happens in Safe Mode.
Does anyone have an educated guess as to what the diagnosis is? Thanks.
shesagordie
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October 23rd, 2009 15:00
avidonscot
Are there any error messages, or 'Beeps'?
Have you cleaned the inside of the case recently and checked that the fans, heatsink cooling fins and air intakes behind the front bezel are clean of any dust, or debris buildup?
You can find Dell's Troubleshooter for the Inspiron 518 on the Quick Reference Guide, that should located on the hard drive, or it can be downloaded from HERE in PDF form
Bev.
avidonscot
11 Posts
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October 26th, 2009 08:00
I get one beep when turning on. I learned a new word today- bezel. I'll look for dust but I think something is broken. Thanks.
-Scott
shesagordie
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October 26th, 2009 09:00
avidonscot
Please read out the 518 troubleshooter in the link I posted and report back.
What is the colour of the power button light and is it 'Blinking', or 'Steady'?
Bev.
mr570
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October 26th, 2009 10:00
This sounds similar to something that happened to me. It was my power supply fan. It was only working intermittantly.
In order to lengthen the amount of time between the restart, I would take the side panel off the computer. This is a pretty good way to determine if the issue is heat related.
In any case, a trip to Fry's and a $40 powersupply fixed this issue for me.
If your computer is over 1 year old, it very well could be the power supply that has gone bad, especially if it is in a dusty area.
Good luck
avidonscot
11 Posts
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October 27th, 2009 10:00
I looked at the Troubleshooter. The computer shuts down before I can finish the Dell Diagnostics. The power light is steady blue.
-Scott