Problem regarding a Dell Inspiron 15 3521 boot up

Question

Hello, I am new to Dell community. My Dell Inspiron 15 3521 is not working properly. While I was working on the laptop, it just completely shut down. And it refused to boot up. I gave it a a day cool down and it booted up the next day. But it shut down and refused to boot up again. I tried on a different power outlet, it tried to boot up, but it made 5 beeps. (The first one was louder and stronger than the rest.) I've heard that these beeps indicate that the CMOS battery (or chip) failed. But I have managed to recover this before by draining the static from it. I did the same and it booted. But it was shutting down and was repeating the same. I also have removed the main battery from it before because it wasn't booting with it. After that one time it managed to boot up today and worked well for a few minutes and it shut down. Some say it is the CPU or Hard disk or the RAM that is overheating or  failing and some say that it is the problem with the battery or charger. I thought it was the CMOS battery. So I decided to replace the battery. But before doing that, I wanted to know what the problem is. Please help with this!.

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

On an 8 year old system, it could be anything from a failing chip to failing solder traces on the system board; if the CMOS battery doesn't solve the problem, and the system won't run on AC only (no battery installed), the system board is likely at fault.

Whatever that is, you're likely better off replacing an 8 year old system than repairing it with a replacement system board.

VIP1234 · Accepted Answer

Hello, The laptop got fixed. We gave it to a repair center. They replaced the IC (Which I think is the Motherboard VRM) and it's now working fine (except for the battery). As suggested i got another laptop The laptop is working fine now and I am using it a spare\backup laptop. Again, thank you all so much.

VIP1234 · Answer

Thanks for the reply I will think on the same lines.

VIP1234 · Answer

Sorry for the late reply, Before the laptop at least booted up but now, it doesn't show any signs of life. I think it is way more serious than just the CMOS battery failing. My guess is just that either the Motherboard VRM failed or the Power Jack of the laptop failed. Is there any other way to fix it before i need to buy a new PC or replace the motherboard? How do i test the DC jack without a multimeter or how do i test if the motherboard VRM failed without a multimeter? (I already tried the laptop with a different charger). I would like to keep the laptop in working condition because it is one of my favorite laptops.

VIP1234 · Answer

Hi, Thanks for your suggestion. I tried the given steps. Turns out, the laptop is not showing even the lights. I've tried a bunch of times but it doesn't work. Is there anything else i could do? Thank you.

VIP1234 · Answer

Thank you again. I will try this approach.

U2CAMEB4ME · Answer

Welcome to the Dell Community

Hold down the "D" key, push the power button, release the power button, wait 2-3 seconds and release the "D" key

The laptop should go through an LCD test of solid White, Red, Green, Blue and Black 2 or 3 times.

After completion it should try to automatically boot 2 or 3 times.

Post any results.

Best regards,

U2

ejn63 · Answer

If you suspect the DC jack is the issue, the only real test is to replace it:

https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=13842

As for failed components on the system board, the only real solution for that is to replace the board. It's not repairable -- at least not at anything resembling an economically cost-effective price.

The boards are far less expensive than even the labor cost of attempting a repair, unless you're equipped with surface-mount rework equipment.

https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=141&subid=428&refine=motherboard

Inspiron

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