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kklunder

21 Posts

5309

May 29th, 2006 13:00

Inspiron 9100 shuts down for no reason

Last night this problem started.  My screen on my lap top suddenly darkened and then shut down.  When i restarted it the screen lit up for 3 seconds and then shut down again.  The orange battery light started blinking.  the battery in the computer and the AC battery were both charged and plugged into the computer.  Upon examination of the AC cord, i found that when i tilted it slightly upward it caused the computer to shut down.  The plug is not loose in the port so i don't know why its doing this.  what should i do?

ejn63

9 Legend

 • 

87.5K Posts

May 29th, 2006 15:00

Replace the adapter first; if that doesn't fix the problem, hopefully you have a warranty left - as it's most likely a faulty system board, which is a several-hundred-dollar part to replace.

kklunder

21 Posts

May 29th, 2006 15:00

the adapter works in another dell computer..    great... its the motherboard....

SoonerDave

20 Posts

June 2nd, 2006 19:00

Don't be too quick to conclude its the motherboard. A power supply can lose the ability to generate its rated power capacity, yet still have more than enough to power a laptop that isn't as power hungry. This happened to me.
 
I had a power situation with my 9100 that many were trying to convince me was the motherboard. I had taken it to a local shop, they plugged it into a current Dell laptop, and it worked just fine. Well, when I took it home, it worked fine, too - until it got warm from being plugged in for an extended period.
 
It turns out the power supply was, in fact, the problem. Although it was still producing power, it was below the 150W rated output capacity, and that hungry little Inspiron wants every precious watt it can grab. Conversely, whatever it was putting out was more than enough for the thin little laptop the guy at the shop used for a test.
 
I bought an identical replacement power supply from a power/battery/laptop parts vendor for $60 and it worked perfectly. Problem solved. Won't promise that's your situation, but don't give up just yet. A $60 or so investment in a brand new supply might solve your problem; considering the expense of a motherboard repair/replacement, it's not too bad a gamble.
 
-SoonerDave
 
 
 

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