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July 22nd, 2005 22:00
Cooling fan doesn't spin
My son has a Inspiron 500M that has just quit working. Dell told him it was the power adapter that was faulty since it wouldn't recharge the battery. He ordered another one and of course it didn't fix the problem.
Back on the phone to Dell who now says that it's the motherboard that's the problem because the pc will not run off the AC adapter. There is nothing obviously wrong with the ac receptacle in the computer, i.e. it doesn't feel loose or squishy. It is hard for me to believe that a simple mechanical connection to the power adapter can suddenly fail...which brings me to my question about fans.
I noticed that the fan does not come on when you press the power button on the top of the pc. The Dell splash screen appears and it looks like it is going to complete the POST but about halfway through the progress bar everthing shuts off. The LED's on the front are green at first then the hdd, bat and some other light flash amber 3 times and the screen goes blank and everything shuts off. You can hear the HDD spin
Finally, question? Can a defective fan cause the computer not to boot up?
A $40.00 fan is sure cheaper than a $400 dollar motherboard and tech time.
Thanks
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PolarUpgrade
59 Posts
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July 24th, 2005 20:00
First, I would try powering up with the power adapter connected but without the battery installed, if the computer can run that way. If it boots without the battery but not when the battery is in the laptop, then the battery is likely at fault.
I would try booting a diagnostic diskette if the system gets that far, or booting to the diagnostic partition if the system has one.
That being said, I doubt the battery is the problem. Your next step is to get hold of the Dell disassembly instructions for the laptop (these are available for my Inspiron 1150, and I assume they available for your model). Disassemble such that you disconnect and then reconnect all of the internal connectors. Look for any damage to the socket where the power adapter plugs. Check that the CPU is properly mounted but DO NOT remove it from its socket or remove the fan assembly attached to it if there is one. This is because you may disturb the thermal cooling material or paste for the CPU. If disturbed, it has to be reapplied using replacement thermal grease designed for the CPU. Look for cracks in the motherboard as well, but don't strip the unit down father than you need to remove and reseat all internal connectors.
Clean the fan free of dust and rotate it a bit by had to see if it is stuck.
Reassemble and test.
If it does not boot, especially if the fan is then running, then one might then suspect the motherboard.
Message Edited by PolarUpgrade on 07-24-2005 04:37 PM
snapohead
1.2K Posts
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July 28th, 2005 02:00