My Inspiron 3650 began freezing in Oct. 2019. I tried all kinds of diagnostics, and all kinds of research on this problem without any luck. Friday the 13th of Dec.2019 it froze and crashed completely! Next day I took it to be repaired but it could not be fixed. So I bought a new Inspiron 3670. Two day passed and it also started freezing!!! At least this one is under warranty, but I have half a mind to exchange it for a different brand.
I hope you never experience freezing because it looks like the ubiquitous small glitches we all experience, everything just pauses for a few seconds with no rhyme or reason. Until one day I was editing picture files and the freeze started, lasted more than a couple of minutes, went to blue screen with stop codes Clock Watchdog Timeout Machine check exception. Automatic repair kept trying to reboot but eventually it also froze. From then on it would only go to Dell logo with frozen auto repair. It had the windows 10 home 1909v. Installed software was Webroot, VLC, DVD Flick, and Imgburn. I am fanatic about keeping my computer up to date! I am not sure on the BIOS but it was the recent fall update. There was (and now is, sadly) no record of any errors or warning in either the event viewer or reliability monitor. I took it to a repair tech and ended up buy a new Inspiron 3670. This is the 4th day and I have had 4 freezes with this new one. After what happed to the 3650 this scare me enough to give up and return it. I am working with Dell to find a fix but they are also baffled by this freeze problem. Any suggestions?
Do you have Dell SupportAssist, Dell SupportAssist Remediation Service, and/or Dell Update on this PC?
If you have them, disable them on the Startup tab in Task Manager so they can't load at boot .
Then click right-click Start>Run, and type in: services.msc and press Enter.
When services.msc opens, look for services related to the 3 items I listed above and set them to Disabled. Do NOT change settings for any other service in services.msc.
Exit services.msc and reboot and monitor for freezes...hopefully gone...
FWIW, I suspect a clean install of Win 10 could have solved the problem with the Inspiron 3650...
An interesting idea although I would like to know how Dell Support Assist, Dell Support Assist Remediation Service, and Dell Update could cause a freezing problem and does this solution work? As for a clean install of Windows 10, it is never a bad idea just a headache. My solution was to exchange the new Inspiron 3670 for a different brand of computer. I have been pondering ways to get my 3650 to boot up and, if I am ever successful, I will try these fixes. Thankyou for your reply.
As for your issues, impossible to tell since we have no idea what apps you may have installed that contributed to the freezes. Since you had it on two different PC models, I'd suspect some hardware you use or software you installed.
As for the Inspiron 3650, if it was caused by a BIOS update, did you ever check the motherboard to see if the MECLR1 jumper is on the right posts? If it's on posts 1-2, move it to 2-3. And then reboot....
I am working on the assumption that the cause of this freezing was the same for both the 2.5yr old 3650 and the 2 day old 3670. Of course that could be a false assumption, but for now it is the best one. So there was no added software on the new computer. The added hardware was a WD 2TB My Passport and an 8TB My Book. Because Dell insisted I pay for software support on the 2 day old 3670, I exchanged it for a Lenovo 720 which has not had any hardware or software issues and runs great. The 3650 has the cover off while I ponder how to fix it, obviously I am no longer in a hurry, so it was easy to take another look at the MECLR1 jumper. It may be my eyesight or more likely my understanding, but for the 2nd time I have been unable to verify the post it is on and how to move it. Last month I printed out the info in your MECLR1 jumper link. So I am sure I've located it. After multiple times looking at this I still cannot see or comprehend the concept of "move it." The best way to learn is admit sheer stupidity. Now tell me how do I "move" that black thing in the red circle?
A jumper is basically a tiny bridge between 2 pins on the motherboard that connects different circuits. In this image, the jumper is white and it's on pins (R26)1 and 2, while 3 is empty. (Don't know what color the MECLR1 jumper is.)
You lift the jumper straight up, off pins 1 and 2 and move it to the right and gently reseat in on pins 2 and 3, being careful not to bend any of the pins. Tweezers can be helpful to lift and move the jumper since it's so small, as long as you don't squeeze too hard and crush the jumper or bend any pins.
If MECLR1 is on pins 1 and 2, that's probably why the 3650 won't boot after the BIOS update. You'd need to move the jumper over to pins 2 and 3 and then it probably will boot up...
Don't know why you'd have the exact same freezes on 2 different PCs, unless it's related to your external drives, or possibly if your Windows Power plan settings were turning devices (eg, USB) off when you didn't want them to go off, but that's easy to change in Win 10...
And Dell is supposed to provide free software support for the first 30 days after purchase (from invoice date) for all factory-installed software, eg Windows and whatever else Dell installed. So I don't know why they wanted to charge you, if it was within that first 30-day period.
Thank you, thank you for the explanation, very helpful! Mine looks just like the picture from 6/25/19 Eddie 1981 post "Inspiron 3650, BIOS 3.9.0, 5/2/19 issue fixed" where 1,2,3 top to bottom the jumper is on 1,2 and need to be moved down to 2,3. I will try this and post the result. My freezing problem started after the fall BIOS security update related to that Spectra & Meltdown business.
The timeline does not support the external hard dives as the cause. And power plan was set to High Performance. As for Dell, they started trying to help but, I think, the 'needle in a hay stack' problem got them too frustrated. From my point of view, it made more sense to invest in an upgrade rather than throw money down the rabbit hole.
Once again thank you for the detailed jumper info, much appreciated!
...where 1,2,3 top to bottom the jumper is on 1,2 and need to be moved down to 2,3.
How are you looking at the motherboard? The photo in that other thread shows the 3 pins go left to right, not top to bottom. Look at your board in the orientation where you can read MECLR1 without standing on your head.
If the jumper is on the left-hand and middle pins, move it to middle and right-hand pins.
Be sure to power off, unplug and press/hold power button for ~15 sec before doing anything inside the case. And if you use metal tweezers be careful what/where you touch...
The 6/25/19 post by Eddie 1981 is a bit cryptic. The motherboard picture is rotated 90 degrees left of reality. So the right side of the picture show the bottom of the computer case, namely left=top=up and right=bottom=down. In other words, the photo looks like the 3 pins go from left to right BUT in reality the 3 pins go from top to bottom. And the picture shows the jumper before it has been moved. I do not completely understand the screenshot below the motherboard picture. But now you see why your detailed jumper info has been such a great help. I can't thankyou enough.
My 3650 has had no power connection, cover off and hard drive removed since the Office Depot tech tried to boot it on 12/14/19. I will have to remove the front L shaped part of the case to gain full access to the jumper. I suggest anyone who is not mechanically inclined and needs this done should pay a tech to move the jumper.
I am in no hurry so it will be a couple days, but I will post the result.
Well Ron it did not even try to boot up. Following your instructions precisely, I had no problem moving the MECLR1 jumper and made sure all connection were secure. The power light, the keyboard light and the fan all came on but after 30 minutes there was no sign of it trying to boot up. I tried two more times with no luck. Is it worth moving the jumper back or maybe replace the CR 2032 lithium button battery?
Since it has been sitting unplugged for a while. It certainly would be a good idea to replace the motherboard battery. But if you put MECLR1 back on pins 1-2, it's NOT going to boot even with a new battery.
Power off and unplug
Press/hold power button for ~15 sec
Open case and remove old battery
Double-check all connections, and that cards and RAM are properly seated
Install the battery
Close up and boot
If it still won't boot, reboot and immediatelypress F12. Assuming you get to that menu, run the diagnostics and copy error messages, if any...
fireberd
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January 31st, 2019 10:00
???
More that it doesn't work is needed for someone to try and assist you.
"Checks out good". Did you run the Dell hardware diagnostics? Have you changed or added any parts? What OS?
tomtinker
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December 17th, 2019 17:00
My Inspiron 3650 began freezing in Oct. 2019. I tried all kinds of diagnostics, and all kinds of research on this problem without any luck. Friday the 13th of Dec.2019 it froze and crashed completely! Next day I took it to be repaired but it could not be fixed. So I bought a new Inspiron 3670. Two day passed and it also started freezing!!! At least this one is under warranty, but I have half a mind to exchange it for a different brand.
RoHe
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December 18th, 2019 12:00
@tomtinker- "started freezing" doesn't tell us anything useful.
krybilg
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December 18th, 2019 21:00
my insprion never frozen
tomtinker
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December 19th, 2019 05:00
I hope you never experience freezing because it looks like the ubiquitous small glitches we all experience, everything just pauses for a few seconds with no rhyme or reason. Until one day I was editing picture files and the freeze started, lasted more than a couple of minutes, went to blue screen with stop codes Clock Watchdog Timeout Machine check exception. Automatic repair kept trying to reboot but eventually it also froze. From then on it would only go to Dell logo with frozen auto repair. It had the windows 10 home 1909v. Installed software was Webroot, VLC, DVD Flick, and Imgburn. I am fanatic about keeping my computer up to date! I am not sure on the BIOS but it was the recent fall update. There was (and now is, sadly) no record of any errors or warning in either the event viewer or reliability monitor. I took it to a repair tech and ended up buy a new Inspiron 3670. This is the 4th day and I have had 4 freezes with this new one. After what happed to the 3650 this scare me enough to give up and return it. I am working with Dell to find a fix but they are also baffled by this freeze problem. Any suggestions?
RoHe
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December 19th, 2019 12:00
Do you have Dell SupportAssist, Dell SupportAssist Remediation Service, and/or Dell Update on this PC?
If you have them, disable them on the Startup tab in Task Manager so they can't load at boot .
Then click right-click Start>Run, and type in: services.msc and press Enter.
When services.msc opens, look for services related to the 3 items I listed above and set them to Disabled. Do NOT change settings for any other service in services.msc.
Exit services.msc and reboot and monitor for freezes...hopefully gone...
FWIW, I suspect a clean install of Win 10 could have solved the problem with the Inspiron 3650...
tomtinker
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January 30th, 2020 06:00
An interesting idea although I would like to know how Dell Support Assist, Dell Support Assist Remediation Service, and Dell Update could cause a freezing problem and does this solution work? As for a clean install of Windows 10, it is never a bad idea just a headache. My solution was to exchange the new Inspiron 3670 for a different brand of computer. I have been pondering ways to get my 3650 to boot up and, if I am ever successful, I will try these fixes. Thankyou for your reply.
RoHe
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January 30th, 2020 13:00
@tomtinker
As for your issues, impossible to tell since we have no idea what apps you may have installed that contributed to the freezes. Since you had it on two different PC models, I'd suspect some hardware you use or software you installed.
As for the Inspiron 3650, if it was caused by a BIOS update, did you ever check the motherboard to see if the MECLR1 jumper is on the right posts? If it's on posts 1-2, move it to 2-3. And then reboot....
tomtinker
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January 30th, 2020 14:00
I am working on the assumption that the cause of this freezing was the same for both the 2.5yr old 3650 and the 2 day old 3670. Of course that could be a false assumption, but for now it is the best one. So there was no added software on the new computer. The added hardware was a WD 2TB My Passport and an 8TB My Book. Because Dell insisted I pay for software support on the 2 day old 3670, I exchanged it for a Lenovo 720 which has not had any hardware or software issues and runs great. The 3650 has the cover off while I ponder how to fix it, obviously I am no longer in a hurry, so it was easy to take another look at the MECLR1 jumper. It may be my eyesight or more likely my understanding, but for the 2nd time I have been unable to verify the post it is on and how to move it. Last month I printed out the info in your MECLR1 jumper link. So I am sure I've located it. After multiple times looking at this I still cannot see or comprehend the concept of "move it." The best way to learn is admit sheer stupidity. Now tell me how do I "move" that black thing in the red circle?
RoHe
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January 30th, 2020 16:00
A jumper is basically a tiny bridge between 2 pins on the motherboard that connects different circuits. In this image, the jumper is white and it's on pins (R26)1 and 2, while 3 is empty. (Don't know what color the MECLR1 jumper is.)
You lift the jumper straight up, off pins 1 and 2 and move it to the right and gently reseat in on pins 2 and 3, being careful not to bend any of the pins. Tweezers can be helpful to lift and move the jumper since it's so small, as long as you don't squeeze too hard and crush the jumper or bend any pins.
If MECLR1 is on pins 1 and 2, that's probably why the 3650 won't boot after the BIOS update. You'd need to move the jumper over to pins 2 and 3 and then it probably will boot up...
Don't know why you'd have the exact same freezes on 2 different PCs, unless it's related to your external drives, or possibly if your Windows Power plan settings were turning devices (eg, USB) off when you didn't want them to go off, but that's easy to change in Win 10...
And Dell is supposed to provide free software support for the first 30 days after purchase (from invoice date) for all factory-installed software, eg Windows and whatever else Dell installed. So I don't know why they wanted to charge you, if it was within that first 30-day period.
tomtinker
18 Posts
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January 31st, 2020 16:00
Thank you, thank you for the explanation, very helpful! Mine looks just like the picture from 6/25/19 Eddie 1981 post "Inspiron 3650, BIOS 3.9.0, 5/2/19 issue fixed" where 1,2,3 top to bottom the jumper is on 1,2 and need to be moved down to 2,3. I will try this and post the result. My freezing problem started after the fall BIOS security update related to that Spectra & Meltdown business.
The timeline does not support the external hard dives as the cause. And power plan was set to High Performance. As for Dell, they started trying to help but, I think, the 'needle in a hay stack' problem got them too frustrated. From my point of view, it made more sense to invest in an upgrade rather than throw money down the rabbit hole.
Once again thank you for the detailed jumper info, much appreciated!
RoHe
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January 31st, 2020 18:00
How are you looking at the motherboard? The photo in that other thread shows the 3 pins go left to right, not top to bottom. Look at your board in the orientation where you can read MECLR1 without standing on your head.
If the jumper is on the left-hand and middle pins, move it to middle and right-hand pins.
Be sure to power off, unplug and press/hold power button for ~15 sec before doing anything inside the case. And if you use metal tweezers be careful what/where you touch...
tomtinker
18 Posts
0
February 1st, 2020 05:00
The 6/25/19 post by Eddie 1981 is a bit cryptic. The motherboard picture is rotated 90 degrees left of reality. So the right side of the picture show the bottom of the computer case, namely left=top=up and right=bottom=down. In other words, the photo looks like the 3 pins go from left to right BUT in reality the 3 pins go from top to bottom. And the picture shows the jumper before it has been moved. I do not completely understand the screenshot below the motherboard picture. But now you see why your detailed jumper info has been such a great help. I can't thankyou enough.
My 3650 has had no power connection, cover off and hard drive removed since the Office Depot tech tried to boot it on 12/14/19. I will have to remove the front L shaped part of the case to gain full access to the jumper. I suggest anyone who is not mechanically inclined and needs this done should pay a tech to move the jumper.
I am in no hurry so it will be a couple days, but I will post the result.
tomtinker
18 Posts
0
February 3rd, 2020 05:00
Well Ron it did not even try to boot up. Following your instructions precisely, I had no problem moving the MECLR1 jumper and made sure all connection were secure. The power light, the keyboard light and the fan all came on but after 30 minutes there was no sign of it trying to boot up. I tried two more times with no luck. Is it worth moving the jumper back or maybe replace the CR 2032 lithium button battery?
RoHe
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February 3rd, 2020 10:00
Since it has been sitting unplugged for a while. It certainly would be a good idea to replace the motherboard battery. But if you put MECLR1 back on pins 1-2, it's NOT going to boot even with a new battery.
If it still won't boot, reboot and immediately press F12. Assuming you get to that menu, run the diagnostics and copy error messages, if any...