Member Avatar for hackerpx

My 13 year-old son is taking computers in school and decided to experiment on my Inspiron 8100 (they will have to take apart and put back together a computer as part of the final exam). Unfortunately, something didn't work out and when I press the start button, the green lights light up for about 30 seconds and then the thing just dies. Nothing happens on the screen. The unit is 4 years old and was working reaonably well up to now.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do?

Paul

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The symptom reported by —power LEDs come on for ~30 seconds then the machine dies with no video—almost always points to a hardware fault that fails before OS load. 's suggestion to re-open and check connectors is a good start; the detail from that several replacement motherboards failed suggests an external or installation issue is damaging the boards or causing repeated shorts.

Practical troubleshooting (work in a static‑safe area; power removed and battery out before opening):

  • Power-cycle and discharge: remove battery and AC, hold the power button 30 seconds, then try AC only and battery only.
  • Isolate peripherals: remove HDD, optical drive, PCMCIA/PC cards and any removable modules; try to reach BIOS with minimal devices installed.
  • Reseat memory: swap or test one RAM module at a time in each slot. A bad stick or slot often stops POST.
  • Check the DC jack and adapter: wiggle the plug while powered to see if LEDs die; verify adapter output or try a known-good Dell adapter.
  • External display: connect an external monitor to rule out internal LCD/inverter/backlight failure.
  • Inspect visually for damage: bulging capacitors, scorched traces, loose screws/standoffs, and any ribbon cables (power-button/display) not fully seated.

For cases like where multiple boards have failed, common culprits are a short from a misplaced screw or standoff, a failing DC jack that arcs and damages the board, or an adapter with incorrect voltage/current. Verify replacement boards match the exact model/revision and that insulating grommets/spacers are present under mounting screws.

If these steps don’t produce a result, board‑level diagnosis (multimeter continuity checks, measuring DC rails) is the next step. If unfamiliar with electronics troubleshooting, professional board‑level repair is recommended to avoid further damage.

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Member Avatar for UberAAZ

Tips: don't let your son dissasemble your laptop ;).

On a more serious note, try opening it back up again and looking for any loose wires or dust that might have got into the contacts.

How far through loading does the laptop get, by the way (as in, does it POST and load the OS or does it just hang - you should be able to tell by the kind of noises it's making)?

Member Avatar for hackerpx

The little devil came home and fixed it himself. Case closed.

Member Avatar for bayrrej

The little devil came home and fixed it himself. Case closed.

WHAT did the little devil do? I'm having the identical behavior on an 8000, but no solution so far...

Apprecaiate any help you can offer. I've already gone through 3 motherboards-- all with the identical behavior!

Thanks,
jb

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