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15 Month old Dell Inspiron 5758 won't turn on
15 month old laptop worked fine yesterday, won't start today. The screen stays black, the laptop itself completely silent. No beeps, no fan, no sound a tall.
Green light IS on on the adapter, but no light on the front edge of the laptop. I have tried the recommended sequence of releasing static energy (remove battery, unplug from adapter, push on button for 60 seconds) and it doesn't work. I have brought it to the Microsoft Store at the mall, and they have tried multiple alternate power/adapter cords, with no success.
It sits on my desk - never travels (not to work, not to the coffee shop, not ever), never dropped, no spills. No sense of processor problems. Just won't turn on.
I called the out of warranty line at Dell and they said I could mail it to them and for $259 they will troubleshoot and replace the motherboard and see if that helps. Whatever repairs they do will have a 90 day warranty.
So here is the question for you: At the Microsoft Store they have an exact replacement for $600. Should I:
(A) Send off my computer for Dell repairs and hope that I get another 15 months out of it before something breaks again?
(B) Buy a new Inspiron and pay for the longest possible warranty this time?
(C) Migrate to Mac?
DELL-Rishi
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November 19th, 2016 17:00
Hi MDKRAUS,
When you plug in the adapter to the system, does the adapter stay firm or does it fall off easily? Does the adapter led stay on and stable or does it go off when connected to the system?
If the light on the adapter goes off when connected to the system, then you could try replacing the DC port first - this is the part you would need - http://bit.ly/2fsNKEJ
If that does not fix the issue, then the motherboard needs to be replaced.
If the system does not power on at all and the adapter led stays stable when connected to the system, again the motherboard might be faulty and needs to be replaced.
However, there are other components that could cause this behavior as well - like the memory / HDD. Download the service manual here - http://dell.to/2fQdagd- remove the memory and HDD and see if the system powers on. If it does not, then the motherboard is at fault.
To answer your 3 part query - Personally, I would suggest you to invest your money on a new machine than to repair this system. However, whether you would want to stick with Windows OS or Mac OS based machine is your discretion.
Let us know if you have any other queries.
mdkraus
4 Posts
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November 19th, 2016 19:00
Hi Rishi,
The cord adapter is properly seated and firm, and the light stays on.
It is a big disappointment, to have bought a laptop with a 15 month lifespan. Doesn't inspire any degree of confidence that an investment of another $260 will buy me another 15 months.
Dupe me once, shame on you. Dupe me twice, shame on me.
DELL-Rishi
2K Posts
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November 20th, 2016 13:00
Hi MDKRAUS,
While there are many systems that last for years, there are some that might fail on the first day itself. As it is an electronic product, it is subject to failure at some point. This is applicable to any system manufacturer.
Having said this, should you need any info / help, contact us anytime.
ejn63
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November 20th, 2016 14:00
Though failure rates aren't as high as they once were, they're still higher for notebooks than for many other consumer products - about 1 in 5 notebooks will have a major failure within three years -- and the rates increase markedly beyond that time frame.
There isn't much statistical difference between brands - hardly surprising because notebooks aren't actually made by the company whose name is on the outside (most aren't, anyway; ASUS and Lenovo do make some of their own). Everyone else uses the same small pool of manufacturers - and the two largest of these (Compal and Quanta) make over half of all notebooks regardless of brand - with just a couple of others (Pegatron, Foxconn, Wistron) accounting for most of the rest.
It is always a good idea to buy a 3-year warranty with any notebook - the odds of failure are not insignificant and the repair costs are high based on the fact that just about everything inside the system is integrated onto one, not easily repairable, board. And even with Apple, which does have a better reliability record than some others - the extended warranty is a good idea, since it charges well over $1,000 for a logic board (read: mainboard) replacement on many models.
mdkraus
4 Posts
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November 20th, 2016 14:00
Your point is well taken.
Transparency on the rate of catastrophic failure would improve the customer shopping experience. I would like help developing a clear picture of the risk of failure for a replacement Dell product.
Something like "60% of Dell Inspiron Laptops are failure free in the first three years after purchase, and 95% of Dell XPS desktops are failure free in the first three years after purchase". That would help me understand whether it is a form issue or a brand issue.
Johnnythegeek
247 Posts
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November 21st, 2016 14:00
Notebooks always notorious for failure, even Apple Mac's have motherboard failures. Although they call them logic boards. Go figure. Actually two things kill a motherboard, spilling liquid on keyboard, or lot's of flexing from picking up a notebook on its corner of chassis. Even a minor flex over time can break a solder connection. I've had notebooks last years, and some last only 6 months. Once out of warranty, the question is, replace or repair.
mdkraus
4 Posts
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November 21st, 2016 17:00
Here is the really funny thing. I used the laptop as my home computer. Never left the house, never got put in a back pack, never got put in luggage. Weighing in at 5 lbs because of the 17" screen, it is not the sort of laptop that you walk around with in one hand. Or travel with. The most movement it got was being carried (while closed and off) from the desk in the study to the dining room table.
It is unanimous, though. Everyone at work says throw it away. Everyone in my family says throw it away. Everyone at the club says throw it away. Don't try to fix it because computers that break once, break again. Invariably when they are a couple of months out of warranty. I am going to clutter up space with the massive bulk of a screen, tower, keyboard and mouse. Its going to feel just like the 1990s. When I want to use a computer I have to go to the computer room.