need help

[jakki currie]

i have a dell latitude d 600 and it won't boot up when switched on just the a flashes then all power goes off, when it does go to the dell start up screen it says press f2 or f 10, when i press either of these nothing happens! help as you will proberly be aware i havent a clue about computers or even if im in the right place to ask! sorry can someone put me on the right track, thanks jakki

[Rik_]

Does it make any beeps?
What are the circumstances behind this? Has it been dropped or something?

[jakki currie]

Does it make any beeps?
What are the circumstances behind this? Has it been dropped or something?

it does beep the lights flash the it just dies! it hasnt been dropped that i know of, thanks rik

[Rik_]

Have a look HERE and see what is closest to the beep(s).

[kaninelupus]

Have a look HERE and see what is closest to the beep(s).

Don't mean to contradict otherwise sound advice, but looked up the Dell beep codes, and they actually differ from the ones you posted, so might be best to look here instead

[jakki currie]

Don't mean to contradict otherwise sound advice, but looked up the Dell beep codes, and they actually differ from the ones you posted, so might be best to look here instead

cant get it to beep now just power on the a light flashes for a while then it cuts out, dead!

[kaninelupus]

Are you sure your power supply is working?? There are other possible issues, but the simplest:

Battery is flat and power pack (AC) is not supplying power to your unit, due to several possible causes. Before looking at more complex issues, this is the first point to look at.

[jakki currie]

Are you sure your power supply is working?? There are other possible issues, but the simplest:

Battery is flat and power pack (AC) is not supplying power to your unit, due to several possible causes. Before looking at more complex issues, this is the first point to look at.

hi, the power is working and it makes a small beep as the light came on there! the a flashes then it shutsdown, thanks for trying to help i just havent a clue,

[kaninelupus]

OK - still think we are dealing with a power issue at some point along the path. Please don't assume that just because the power-pack has a little light showing, that the power is getting from a -> b -> c (etc) as it should.

Looking at the possible age of your device (that model began rolling out 2003, although you may have a later model) one possibility is it is a dead CMOS battery, which is usually quite inexpensive to replace. Given though you haven't mentioned any preceding issues to sudden boot/power probs, am not quite so sure.

Then of course we could be looking at failing connections from power-supply to motherboard, or even failing mobo...

[jakki currie]

OK - still think we are dealing with a power issue at some point along the path. Please don't assume that just because the power-pack has a little light showing, that the power is getting from a -> b -> c (etc) as it should.

Looking at the possible age of your device (that model began rolling out 2003, although you may have a later model) one possibility is it is a dead CMOS battery, which is usually quite inexpensive to replace. Given though you haven't mentioned any preceding issues to sudden boot/power probs, am not quite so sure.

Then of course we could be looking at failing connections from power-supply to motherboard, or even failing mobo...

how would i know which is which, would i be better getting someone to look at it for me? would it cost a lot to get it fixed if say its the power supply to the motherboard!!

[kaninelupus]

Given that we are talking about a laptop (and an older one at that), and not a PC, any home repairs become more complex, especially if we are talking about mobo issues. If you are not all that technically experienced, I would actually advise taking in for repairs. They'll have the equipment to trace any power issues back to the actual source, and advise if parts need to be repaired/replaced, of whether it would be cheaper to replace.

My guess is that your laptop is out of warranty, so do a little bit of homework on your local repair outlets. Compare prices and find out which actually have a good reputation (so you don't shafted in the process).

[goldeagle2005]

I've come across this issue a few times on Dell systems and each time I've reported this to tech support, they've replaced the motherboard (systems were in warranty) without any troubleshooting whatsoever (which Dell loves to do over the phone). I'm guessing the motherboard is shot.