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49836
January 4th, 2009 04:00
Inspiron 5100 does not start up
Hello!
I have a used Inspiron 5100 that was working for the past year with no problems. Then one day it would not start up. One of the three lights, a green one, the most left one, lights up for a few seconds then goes off. At first, I thought the battery had died so I bought a new one. I charged up the new one for a couple of hours, tried to turn on the laptop and the problem remains. Can someone give me advice on what steps to take to troubleshoot?
Thanks!
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husky0894
1.6K Posts
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January 4th, 2009 06:00
Reseat the memory module(s) (remove and reinstall). Verify that the LED on the AC adapter is ON before you plug in the notebook end. If it is not, replace the adapter with a new one.
Nothing? Try wihout the battery. If it'll power up, either the battery or the mainboard is bad.
If still nothing, the mainboard is faulty; given the cost of a board ($300+, worse, if you have to pay the $100 or so in labor to have it installed) and age of the system, it's time for a replacement system - the 5150 is now too old to bother repairing when a major component like the system board fails.
makule
4 Posts
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January 4th, 2009 13:00
Okay, I have one more thing to try. Thanks for the help!
makule
4 Posts
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January 4th, 2009 13:00
Husky0894,
I did not mention what steps I already tried. I did try reseating the memory modules; I did check that the light was on for the power adapter before plugging into the laptop; I also tried to power up without the battery and with the new battery only with the same results. Is there any other way to definitely prove that the mainboard is fried? What if the hard drive is dead? What are the chances of that? How do I check the hard drive? Will the laptop still boot up without the hard drive?
Thanks for your suggestions!
husky0894
1.6K Posts
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January 4th, 2009 13:00
Remove the drive. If the system will then power up, replace the drive.
If the system won't power up without a hard drive, and the adapter is OK, the odds are overwhelming that the mainboard is faulty.
makule
4 Posts
0
January 4th, 2009 13:00
Pulled out the hard drive and tried to start up. Same results, light comes on for a second and then turns off. Is there anyone with a good used mainboard I could try before buying?
Thanks again for the tips!
husky0894
1.6K Posts
0
January 4th, 2009 14:00
Put the money you'd otherwise spend on a mainboard toward a newer system - it's just not worth sinking several hundred dollars in a system this old.
gregb123
1 Message
0
February 3rd, 2009 16:00
Hi, what is the best we to pull the info off of the hard drive if one would get a new computer (given it can not be powered up)? I have the same computer the 5100 with the same issue. My issue started today after I stuck a usb drive in the computer, then it shut down??? What would have caused this? Thanks, GB