Inspiron 545 not powering up

Hi lellijay,

Green light at the back usually indicates that the power supply is working fine. However, it seems that the power is not getting distributed properly. I would suggest you to drain the residual power from the laptop:

• Disconnect any external peripherals (flash drives, printers, external hard drives) from the computer
• Press and hold the power button for 15-20 seconds

You may also try to reseat the 20 pin and the 4 pin connector on the motherboard. Please refer to the images below:

 Hope this helps. Please reply if you have any other questions.

Will give that a go, and let you know!  Thank you!  :)

Hi lellijay,

Thank you for the reply. Please keep me posted with the findings.

I would be glad to assist further.

Can i just say, that when we had it workng properly, it was on all the time, and when i did updates, and it needed to restart to finish installing them, it did so without problem!  The problem seems to have been when the computer is shut down totally.  the rest of the time, it has worked properly

Hi, hubby tried what you suggested, and nothing!  He pulled out the power button and checked the connections of that, and it appears ok!  When I had the problem a few months ago, the fans twitched a little but didn't start up, now, they don't even twitch at all!  There is no light on the power button when you depress it either, except when you power down and it (the power button) flashes amber. HUbby also checked all connections, and said that they all appeared to be connected up properly!

I don't knw what to do next - do you have any further suggestions?  

Hi lellijay,

It seems the issue is with the system’s hardware. You may have to replace the power supply of the system. However, if that doesn’t work you may consider replacing the motherboard. 

You can check the warranty details of your computer by visiting the link: http://dell.to/YBlak6 , enter the service tag of your computer and click on Warranty tab.

If the system is not covered under warranty and you are residing in the US, you can contact dell spares at 1-800-372-3355 or you can get it from a local store.

If you want to replace the parts on your own, you may refer to the Owner’s Manual at the link below:

http://bit.ly/12gbejO   

Hope this helps. Please reply with the findings. I would be glad to assist further.

Hi, I'm having the very same problem--the computer was on for a month or so, running fine, then I powered it off, and now I can't turn it on again. I've opened the bezyl, changed the CMOS battery, but still no power. The green light on the back and the amber light inside are on, which I THINK means the problem isn't the power supply. How do I replace the power switch itself? Is that what's needed??

Hi ruthstory,

The problem could be with the Power supply/ motherboard. To isolate the problem, please power on the system and try to eject the optical drive and check if that ejects.

Also check if the hard drive status light is lit after switching on the system, this light is present below the power button. If the optical drive does not eject, and if the hard drive status light is not lit then the power supply unit needs to be replaced, else the motherboard needs to be replaced.

To replace the power button, refer the topic ‘Removing the Front I/O Panel’ in this link: http://bit.ly/12gbejO

Please post the results for further help.