Member Avatar for A-Trizzle

Please help! I have a Dell Inspiron 8600 that had been experiencing screen difficulties. I have been busy and my attempt to have it fixed was denied. I found that pressing on the plastic by the power button resolved the problem; this lead to the utilization of a screwdriver stuck under the plastic. (I know, I know). Until today it worked fine, then...there was a spark and the darn thing won't turn on. It seems to have shorted the power supply because the light on the adapter went out but that is reseolved when I unplug and plug it in again. Now when I press the power button the three lights flash quickly in unison with the speakers making a coughing sound (Hopefully, not a death rattle) and then it stops. I know I was an idiot, but is there anyway to salvage the computer or is she done for? Thanks in advance...feel free to mock me as necessary, as long as you offer a suggestion.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by frank41

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’s symptom set — a spark near the power-button area, the adapter LED cutting out until unplugged/replugged, and three rapid front-panel flashes with a faint speaker “cough” — most often signals a hardware short on the DC-in / power-switch rail that is tripping the adapter’s protection. The presence of a screwdriver under the power-button plastic makes a localized short or damaged daughterboard/traces a prime suspect rather than a software issue. ’s warning that the board can be damaged is sensible, but a few inexpensive checks can confirm where the fault lies.

Immediate, safe diagnostic steps to isolate the fault:

  • Remove AC and the battery, then hold the power button ~30 seconds to discharge residual capacitors.
  • Measure the adapter’s open-circuit DC voltage with a multimeter and confirm it matches the label.
  • With the battery removed, plug the adapter into the laptop and watch the adapter LED and the measured voltage; a collapse of voltage/LED when the laptop is attached indicates a short on the laptop side.
  • With all power removed, check continuity (ohms) between the barrel inner pin and chassis ground — a near-zero reading is indicative of a short (note: large caps can show low resistance, so use this as a clue, not absolute proof).
  • Open the chassis and inspect the DC jack, power-button board and nearby PCB for burnt traces, melted plastic or solder bridges; disconnect the DC jack/power-button cable and retest to see if the short clears. Removing peripherals (HDD, RAM, wireless, LCD cable) can further narrow the failing subassembly.

If unplugging the DC-in or power-button board removes the short, those parts are usually inexpensive to replace. If the short remains on the mainboard, bench diagnosis by a shop with a current-limited power supply and short-finding tools is the practical next step — at that point a logic-board replacement becomes likely and costlier. Data preservation: remove the hard drive now and use a SATA-to-USB adapter or enclosure to recover files before further repairs. Do not continue repeated power attempts if the adapter overheats, smokes, or the LED keeps shutting off; that risks additional damage.

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Member Avatar for lasher511

I do not think that mocking is really necessary however it probably not the safest way of going about turning your computer on.

I does sound to me like you have fried your laptop and i do not think there is much you can do to repair it. If your feeling really technical you could try seeing if you could find a logic board for it off ebay or something and replacing that. The other thing you might like to try although it is a long shot is buying a new power adaptor/PSU for it and seeing if that makes any difference although it is a long shot.

Member Avatar for A-Trizzle

Thanks. I do have another adaptor and I tried that. The flashing lights go until it shorts (or something) the adaptor and the led on the adaptor goes out. This is resolved when I unplug the adaptor, but the same thing happens when I try to turn it on again. I think I am going to try to take it to a shop. Any ideas in the meantime would be appreciated.

Member Avatar for frank41

I have purchased a Dell Vostro 1400 lap top. The seller demonstrated that it wokrs. After I came home I also used it successfully,but I have done something and now I have a tiny blue light and number 9 in a lock. When I turn the power off and try to reboot Windows XP comes on, but it immediately dissapear from the screen and there is a message that states , that windows has been shut down to prevent damage. Also it say unmountable_boot_volume . I followed the instruction no avail. At the bottom it says Technical information STOP:
0x000000ED (0x8A6C52BO,0xC000014F,0x00000000,0x00000000)

I hope sombody can help me.

Thanks

Frank41

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