Member Avatar for damoo

Hello I'm trying to fix my sister's inspiron 5100 but have no clue what I'm doing.
when I plug in the adapter all 3 lights in the front blink, with or without the battery.
what's wrong with it?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by kaushik87

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Short, practical diagnostic plan for the Inspiron 5100 blink/ no-boot problem (for and others). First, identify exactly which three lights are blinking and the pattern: are they the keyboard LEDs (Caps/Num/Scroll) or the front power/battery LEDs, and count flashes and colors. Dell publishes diagnostic LED tables — matching the pattern to those codes gives the best first clue. (dell.com)

Safe, repeatable first steps (do these before opening the case). Remove AC and battery, press-and-hold the power button for 15–30 seconds to drain residual power, then try booting on AC only. If you see a short blink pattern then power off, that often points at memory/POST issues — reseat RAM, try one module at a time and swap slots (test with a known-good SODIMM if possible). These hard-reset and memory checks are standard Dell troubleshooting. (dell.com)

If the LED code suggests a power-rail, adapter, or charging error (or if the battery/charger light behaves oddly), check the AC adapter next: verify its DC output with a multimeter (typical Dell adapters for these models are ~19–19.5V), try a known-good Dell adapter, and check BIOS F2 for adapter recognition. Older Dell chargers use a center-pin ID chip; a broken ID or a loose/broken DC jack solder joint will give the symptoms described by and others. Inspect the jack for wobble and consider professional reflow/replacement if the jack or ID circuit is bad. (new-power-adapter.com)

If the unit makes it to the Dell logo but freezes (as reported), run the onboard diagnostics (F12 → Diagnostics / PSA/ePSA) and try booting with the hard drive disconnected to distinguish BIOS/POST issues from OS/drive corruption. If data recovery is the goal, remove the drive and connect it to another PC. If diagnostics point to SBIOS/BIOS recovery or power-rail faults, the likely fixes are motherboard-level (service shop or replacement); the Dell owner/service manuals are available for reference. (dell.com)

If more details are available (exact blink pattern, whether fans/HDD spin, whether BIOS is reachable), the next steps can be narrowed further.

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All 14 Replies

Member Avatar for TT4Titans

Does everything work?

Member Avatar for damoo

no it does not, sorry i didn't specify. The laptop won't start at all.

Member Avatar for TT4Titans

On the very front i take it ones the power and one is the battery if there flashing somthing is going on.does the hardrive spin can you hear it? or is it just right out dead except for the lights.sorry for the questions it helps me help you.

Member Avatar for Ckirkwoodc

I am also having a problem with my Dell Inspiron 5100 and was wondering if you could help when i turn it on, the first screen (the black screen with the big DELL logo on it) the bar loads up to nearly full, but then freezes. I've tried giving it a full charge and tried again and i've tried to turn it on with the charger in but nothing is working. When i turn it on, everything seems to be working fine, i can hear the hardware etc. start up. Do you have any idea whats wrong? thankyou

Member Avatar for kittycatty58

my friends laptop has done the same thing have found out about a lawsuit on it

Member Avatar for starfireone

You might try doing this:
Remove the battery and press the power button on the laptop, hold it down for a few moments. Than pop the battery back in. Sometimes a laptop will get stuck in standby mode.
Note:
Of course remove the AC adapter from the laptop too when performing this procedure.

Member Avatar for coolraj003

I am also having a problem with my Dell Inspiron 5100 and was wondering if you could help when i turn it on, the first screen (the black screen with the big DELL logo on it) the bar loads up to nearly full, but then freezes. I've tried giving it a full charge and tried again and i've tried to turn it on with the charger in but nothing is working. When i turn it on, everything seems to be working fine, i can hear the hardware etc. start up. Do you have any idea whats wrong? thankyou

Your case does not sound like a hardware issue. I think it has more to do with some virus or something like that.

When you turn you computer on press F8 and start the system in safe mode. See if that works for you. If it does start up then i think it could be a virus or something like that. You would need to scan the system to sort this issue out. Let us know how you get on.

Raj

Member Avatar for sittas87

sorry i didn't specify. The laptop won't start at all.

If thats the case than it might just be hardware.can you try to backtrack to what was done before the prob accured?
also in reply tell me do you hear the hard drive spinning any signal from within your notebook?
??

Member Avatar for EMCCleveland

Hello, I actuallly have seen this problem before on several Dell Inspirons of this associated series before. This often has to do with one of two different things depending on what kind of flash codes you are getting, but the most common failure reason is improper voltages detected, this means of of three things has happened. First the power adapter could be failing and sending improper voltages this can be tested by going to most smaller computer stores where they are likely to have a comparable adapter to substitue in place of yours and test it. Second it is possible one of the legs on the DC jack could have a broken solder joint or similar problem and you will end up needing a new DC jack (estimated cost of repair $100-200 US). Finally it could be part of the intigrated power distribution system, ie the parts on the motherboard that regulate and convert voltages from one level to another and send it to the various parts, this is a motherboard replacement item and you might as well consider getting a new laptop. The hard drive in the laptop should still be good though and the data can still be retrieved from it.

Member Avatar for sittas87

Hello, I actuallly have seen this problem before on several Dell Inspirons of this associated series before. This often has to do with one of two different things depending on what kind of flash codes you are getting, but the most common failure reason is improper voltages detected, this means of of three things has happened. First the power adapter could be failing and sending improper voltages this can be tested by going to most smaller computer stores where they are likely to have a comparable adapter to substitue in place of yours and test it. Second it is possible one of the legs on the DC jack could have a broken solder joint or similar problem and you will end up needing a new DC jack (estimated cost of repair $100-200 US). Finally it could be part of the intigrated power distribution system, ie the parts on the motherboard that regulate and convert voltages from one level to another and send it to the various parts, this is a motherboard replacement item and you might as well consider getting a new laptop. The hard drive in the laptop should still be good though and the data can still be retrieved from it.

sounds reasonable,more info from damoo will probably clarify your statement.would like some more info from him/her

Member Avatar for neerajr

hello..
my dell laptop inspiron 5100 is not starting.
i was doing the formatting and in between the laptop shutdown due to power failure and when i restarted it turns of for around 15 secs and shuts down. there is not nothing shown on the screen. the sound of the hardrive spin can be heared. but it suddenly shuts down before the screen appears. please suggest what to do???

Member Avatar for ddoit

my prob is that my computer wont charge at all. sometimes i leave it charging for 2 or 3 days straight and then when i press the power button, the battery light just blinks orange. PLZ HELP!!!!!

Member Avatar for Rik_

That means you need a new battery!

Member Avatar for kaushik87

My name is sourav I have same issue i have Dell 5010 model. Today i was working on my laptop suddenly my screen balck our and laptop shut down till that time it not start. when i press my power button it only blink and one left LED light also blink i also tried without battery but nothing works can you tell me the Reason and solution, Is that any serious problem over there.

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