Problem with AC Adaptor- please help!

Question

I've owned a Smartstep 250N for about a year now and not until recently have I developed a strange problem. Now, knock on wood, I've not yet experienced the laptop shutting down from the chronic overheating I've been reading about; this is different

Earlier today: I was playing Age of Empires for a couple of hours and after I finished, I quit the program. Right away, the computer flashes a blue screen really quick and automatically restarts. So, first inclination was to do a Scandisk; of course, the computer needs to be reset (I have Windows XP Home of course). All of a sudden, Windows isn't able to finish loading; it will freeze, the blue screen flashes again and then the computer resets, checking my RAM (all good there) and asking me how I want to load Windows. None of the options worked successfully (regular, last-used working configuration and even safe mode)...Windows still resets.

However, I tried starting my computer WITHOUT the AC adaptor and presto, it works; scandisk did its thing and Windows started normally. Plugging in my AC adaptor with the laptop already running seems to work, but if I try to start it up with the AC adaptor, it will continue to freeze and reset.

I'm wondering if it's the fact my AC adaptor is getting cruddy and should be replaced (no exposed wires or anything, but it's been through a lot of packing and whatnot over a year; no abuse...just vigorous use), but then again, I don't know. Does anyone know? Should I buy a new AC adaptor or is this something else?

P.S. Yes, I looked through Dell's information database before posting here. Found no records of the problem I'm having.

Peter Sutherlan · Answer

As a start.  On battery, sign in and go to System Restore and go back to a date when the computer was operating ok.  That's all I can suggest.  P.

MrMN · Answer

Unfortunately, system restore has been turned off long ago, so I can't restore the computer. I'm thinking I should replace the AC adaptor, because that seems to be the problem.

James2004 · Answer

Hi, the problem is not the AC adapter, the problem is a terrible design. Your machine problem is overheating (as everyone else). The reason why your machine is working fine on the battery mode is that another problem of the SmartPC 250N is than on battery mode the processor operates at half-speed (Dissapointing!!!). You can check this fact out at http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20021101/, so, the computer working at half-speed do not loads the CPU at 100%, so it does not heat enough to restart your machine. So you can´t take advantage of your computer full capabilities... for example the 512Kb of L2 cache.(Real shame!!!)

I bought from a friend who just came back from Germany a Smart Step 250N (purchase there by the way). So i have to buy a new adapter because the original adapter of my computer is for an european outlet, i has the same shut down problem with the new adapter, i noticed that with the battery the problem was gone, so i fixed the original adapter to be used on an outlet i can use...... same problem..........., so you can tell is not the AC adapter.

My Smart Step shutdowns whenever i use Warcraft 3, AutoCad, Flash MX, OrCAD, Matlab....... in others words is a very expensive typing machine. I´ve upgrade the FlashBios, cleaned the fan, replace the fan and the cooper dissipator..... still doesn´t work. Its a design failure.

I haven´t try yet the solution of nfn 15037, because i live in Costa Rica (excuse me if my English is not very good) and is very difficult to find good thermal compounds, well its difficult to find any thermal compound and my computer begin shutting down 3 days ago.

I hope this review is helpful and i hope you have better luck with your "Smart" step than mine.

James

MrMN · Answer

Thanks for your post.

Actually, I don't think it is overheating; it may be Windows itself. Why? Because, about a week ago, the situation reversed itself...now, the laptop starts up fine with the AC adaptor and it will continuously reset when running on battery power instead (boggles my mind too). I will have to reformat and see if that makes a difference.

I did happen to buy a new AC adaptor and yeah, the laptop reset with that as well. However, like I said, it's now reversed; it starts up fine with either adaptor.

Knock on wood, I haven't experienced the shutting down problem like most users, even after several hours of playing CPU games and working in high-memory applications like Photoshop; this whole mess started when the computer automatically reset itself (it was doing that about once a month) and when I chose to restart the computer to run the scandisk, that's when the endless resets began. A friend of mine ran Knoppix (name?), a UNIX based program to diagnose the computer, and apparently, none of the hardware was malfunctioning, so I've been led to believe it's software related.

Thanks again for your response.

James2004 · Answer

Hi. First i wanted to thank you, your last post kept me thinking and i found a software-related problem that was partially the cause of my SmartPC shuting down....... updating the driver of the video adapter. I use the thermal compound and a lot of applications worked well, with the exception of Warcraft 3, once i updated the driver, my problems are over.(At least for now)

My only advice for now is that you update the Bios, update the drivers. If that fails, make a back up of your hard drive and re -install windows....... but for the description that you give it seems that your computer restarts randomly, usually on software-related problems thats no the case but maybe in your case it is a windows configuration problem.

If after doing all that, your problem persists, you should consider making some modifications on the cooling system (just in case)

I hope that you find the problem and inform us to document it!!

Good luck!!!

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Problem with AC Adaptor- please help!

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