Member Avatar for cosmicmatt

I managed to spill some water on the table my laptop was n and some went underneath. I followed the manual instructions to dry it off, remove all drives and the battery and lay it out to dry. Now when I replace the battery nothing happens its completely dead, no disk noise or fans etc. Pressing the power button does nothing and all I get are two continuous green lights (the power light and the hard disk light). I can't find any info on what these two lights together means...Does anyone know what this means? Is there anything that I can do?
:eek:
Thanks
Matt

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Dani AI

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As described the machine's trouble and suggested contacting Dell, here are focused, practical checks and safe next steps that go beyond the basic "call support" advice and that can distinguish a recoverable fault from a board-level failure.

Start with a careful visual inspection (after removing power and battery). Look for white/green crusty residue, darkened or lifted solder joints, swollen electrolytic capacitors, and liquid traces around the DC jack, memory sockets and connector pins. Clean visible corrosion with high‑purity isopropyl alcohol (90%+), a soft brush, and plenty of drying time at room temperature. Do not use a heat gun or hair dryer — excessive heat can damage plastics and solder joints.

If the board looks reasonably clean, try minimal-configuration testing: AC power only, no HDD/optical/PC cards, one stick of RAM, and internal keyboard/CPU in place. Reseat connectors and memory first. If the system still refuses to start, basic multimeter checks can tell you whether the power circuitry is alive: confirm the DC jack sees the adapter voltage, then check key regulator output rails (typical rails are 5V and 3.3V on older laptops). A very low resistance from a supply rail to ground indicates a shorted regulator or capacitor and usually means board repair is required.

If cleaning and the minimal boot do not bring the machine to life, the likely outcomes are (a) replace a low-cost part (DC jack, memory, connector), (b) pay for board-level repair (desolder/reglue/replace components), or (c) replace the motherboard or system. For out-of-warranty repairs, get a written quote first and photos of the damage documented. If uncertain about disassembly, multimeter work, or solder‑level repair, take it to a reputable repair shop — attempting advanced fixes without experience can make the board unrecoverable.

Member Avatar for Member #134132

My friend had a similar problem. But when she has bought her Inspiron she also acquired an extended waranty so Dell repaired the laptop for free.

I think if you have recently bought it you still might be able to return it to DELL for refund or service. Otherwise I still advice to call DELL and ask for help, they might ask you to ship it to them for service.

Member Avatar for cosmicmatt

thanks,
we're out of warranty,
might ring them when we're feeling flush

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