Precision 5550 boot issues and random crashes

Question

My laptop is two years old. About a month ago, I started to have problems booting. The fan and keyboard lights would come on and sometimes the Dell logo, but then it would shut down. When I tried hitting the power button, it would do the same thing. If I tried the RTC reset, that wouldn't work. Eventually, it the screen would sometimes flash white, then other solid colors red, blue, maybe green. After that it would usually boot just fine. I started to notice that I would have boot issues if the laptop went to sleep rather than shutting down.

At first, I thought it was maybe the RAM, so I ran the diagnostic tests on that and then a mem86 test. That all checked out. while trying this, sometimes the only way it would boot up is by removing the RAM while it was doing the boot cycling. I updated all the drivers and the BIOS firmware.

Every once in awhile, the computer would just crash and then would have trouble booting.

I started thinking maybe it was associated with the battery somehow. The BIOS diagnostic shows the battery is healthy (98%). But it seems like if the computer is plugged in when I try to start it, it will more consistently start than if I try starting it from the battery or the power supply from the external dell monitor. (The monitor is one of the things that was added about a month before I started having problems. It only offers 90W and my charger is 130W, so I got warnings until I disabled them.)

I upgraded to windows 11 and then formatted the C drive and did a clean install with Windows 11. Neither helped. I've run chkdsk and Dell support repairs and never find any errors. I've tweaked different bios settings like disabling the C-states or the lid switch. The clean install is using ACHI rather than RAID. None of that had any effect.

The problem is not consistent. Sometimes it will boot fine from the battery, monitor power, or ac. Sometimes it won't boot from all three.

Any help would be appreciated!

hilingo · Answer

I've done all except #6 - check the motherboard components. Is there a way to do that visually besides the BIOS diagnostics that I've already run?

A local repair shop didn't have any ideas other than a clean install.

Also, a couple of the times that it crashed, the screen would go black with smaller squares of pixel snow. Other times, it would just freeze.

Thanks!

ewongsmx · Answer

@hilingo

your Dell Precision 5550:

Check the battery connection: Make sure the battery is properly connected and not causing any boot issues.
Check the AC adapter: Make sure the AC adapter is in good condition and providing the adequate power to your device. If you are using an AC adapter from an external monitor, insufficient power could be causing the boot issues.
Check the operating system: Make sure the Windows 11 operating system is properly installed and there are no issues with updates or drivers.
Check the hard drive: Run an error check on the hard drive and repair any issues found.
Check the RAM: Make sure the RAM is in good condition and not causing boot issues.
Check the motherboard components: Check for any issues with the motherboard components such as the chipset or video controller.
Check the BIOS settings: Check the BIOS settings and adjust any options that may be causing issues.

If none of these solutions work, I recommend contacting Dell for additional technical support. You can also consider taking your device to a local repair shop, but keep in mind that this could void your warranty.

Richard063 · Answer

I’m having the exactly same issue as you on my 5550 which is very close to 2 years old too! Did you problem get resolved ?

hilingo · Answer

Interesting timing. After trying various stuff over the course of a month, the problem got worse and worse until it finally wouldn't start at all. (When it would boot, I tested all sorts of hardware with Dell and external testing software. I never got a fault in all my diagnostic testing. Whatever problem I had was intermittent and if the computer booted, it wouldn't show.)

I paid for the $70 express Dell service. After fedex confirmed arrival, it took them several days to process my laptop. They determined a faulty motherboard. I paid the $236 to have it repaired within 15 min of getting the email quote. It took another week and a half for them to fix it and send it back. I just got it back yesterday. Affordable repair but slow service. I'm not sure it's actually repaired, though.

I opened it up and it booted up. I went through the startup process, then put it to sleep for the night. It was frozen this morning and I had to do a hard reset to get it started again. Once rebooted, I got so far as opening up windows explorer and then it froze again and I had to perform a second hard reset. I did all the updates, but so far, it still crashes a lot. I'm pretty sure crashes on a fresh motherboard and new install is abnormal.

Good luck Richard063! Two years on a commercial-grade, babied laptop before major service is required does not meet my expectations. I wonder if there were quality control issues on this model. I hope your problem finds better resolution than mine.

Ross

NickdeGaal · Answer

I'm having very very similar issues. Mine is also a little over 2 years old. Shame on Dell! I have a coworker with the same model, has had same issues. IT dep replaced it 2 times for him, and now so far so good. But is this about crossing fingers?
This is a well known issue with this model and is also harming the business at companies who trusted Dell!

Nick

usutcu · Answer

My Precision 5550 is a bit over 3 years old and I'm having the same issues as described since three days... Is sending in the laptop the only way of fixing this problem so far?

javagerms222 · Answer

i have the precision 7550 and is having the same issue. I was able to run the diagnostics and came out fine.  I have swapped the memory and the issues remain. i also have several old M6800 and they never gave me any issues.

P S Anon · Answer

The motherboard cooling circuit and airflow path is inefficient by design. So internal component get hot and  due to thermal degradation, smaller components starts to misbehave.  If you are in warranty ask for replacement motherboard that will get you another 1 year. I have several 5550 laptops in our office and we have gone to different models as these don't  handle heavy loading more than a year.

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Precision 5550 boot issues and random crashes

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