Computer Dieing + Wont Power On

Question

I have a Inspirion 9100.

The past week a problem has reared its ugly face. My computer will just up and die, the screen flashses off, and it seems everything has shut down except for teh power light and the fans. I hold the power button to turn it off. And when i go to turn it back on, the keyboard lights flash, and so does the power light, and then they just turn off, the computer wont turn on more, often than not, its running right now, the problem is complelty random. I've had one person tell me its my motherboard, another tell me its my CMOS chip is messed up. At first i thought it was maybe shutting down cuz of overheating, but i cleaned out all the fans, and even today when i got home from classes, the laptop was nice and cold, and it took 20+ tries of the power button for it to even boot up. I tried the Dell chat with a hardware rep, but this is what i ended up with:

"7:41:10 PMSystemWelcome Tyler Simas ...
7:41:10 PMSystemConnecting to server. Please wait...
7:41:10 PMSystemThank you for using Dell Chat, a representative will be with you soon.
7:41:10 PMSystemInitial Question/Comment: computer "dieing" + not turning on
7:45:04 PMSystemYou are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
7:45:04 PMSystemConnected with Surojit_01112739
7:46:17 PMYouHello
7:46:19 PMSurojit_01112739Thank you for contacting Dell Consumer Hardware Warranty Support for portables. My name is Surojit. Please give me couple of minutes so that I can just go ahead and check the system details
7:46:23 PMSurojit_01112739Before troubleshooting I would like to inform you that I will assist you in troubleshooting but in case you need any replacement I would not be able to make that for you as the system has run out of contracts.
7:46:25 PMSurojit_01112739The number for the Out Of Warranty department is 800-288-4410 they are available Monday - Friday from 8 AM - 6 PM.
7:46:28 PMSurojit_01112739Thank you for contacting Dell Hardware Chat Support for Portables. My name is Surojit. It was a pleasure to assist you. Have a great day.
7:46:30 PMSystemSurojit_01112739 has left this session!
7:46:30 PMSystemThe session has ended!   "

Message Edited by TylerS on 02-06-2006 10:19 PM

mugnas · Answer

I have the same problem with my Inspiron 8500. It shuts down after 3 minutes, and won't start up again. I removed hardware one at a time (RAM, CD-bay, modem etc) and attempted startup in order to find what hardware caused the machine to stop. By removing both memory modules before trying to start up, all three LEDs lit up, while there should have been only 2 lights. This, according to Dell Support, is a sign that the motherboard must be replaced. I hope it works..

TylerS · Answer

Yeah, thats what i was expecting somone to say, i came here because as you can see, dell support is pretty useless, and teh community is usually much more helpful.  I'm not looking to replace a motherboard on my just under 2 year old laptop, my warranty is up, and i heard somone else say on a different thread sending it to dell is gonna cost around $500-ish and lose my computer for a month.  I'm just gonna start working on getting a new custom desktop from newegg or something, upgradable, better for games.

TylerS · Answer

BUMP   Hoping for any other ideas, something more easily fixed. And cheaper. Cheaper is always good.

TylerS · Answer

bump.

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Computer Dieing + Wont Power On

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