Laptops Dell Inspiron 1564 will not power up! Some Help Please!

kidrow

kidrow

Adept
Hi all,


I have a Dell Inspiron 1564 laptop which is about 2-3 years old. The problem I'm facing right now is that the laptop just won't power up/ boot up.


Current Status - Right now, if I turn on the power adapter, the battery led on the laptop comes on briefly for less than a second & then goes off. The green led on the adapter itself remains on/green. When I press the power button on the laptop with or without the power adapter connected, the power led on the laptop comes on. There are no beeps, clicks or any other sounds. The power led on the laptop will stay on until I press the power button again. Also, the laptop starts heating up on the side where the exhaust vents are while the power led is on.

Recent History - For a few days prior to this, the laptop started running excessively hot. Also, the time would get changed incorrectly quite frequently. I also had the right click button stop working many months back. I don't know whether all of these issues are related but I thought it best to mention them.


Yesterday - Now yesterday, my laptop was on for an hour or so during which time my battery drained completely & the system went into sleep/hibernate. On re-starting the laptop off of the mains, the Dell diagnostics program ran {I cancelled it at the point where it said that further testing might take up to 30 mins} & it indicated that everything is OK. Shortly after, I got a BSOD & before I could read what the error was the laptop went dead.

I called up Dell support & the Rep said that it's a motherboard issue which would take Rs. 11000/- to replace.

Queries -
1. Is the Dell Rep correct in saying that the fault is with the mobo?
2. Is there a possibility of repairing a motherboard in such a scenario rather than replacing it altogether?
3. Would any 3rd party repair service be able to fix it reliably for less? Can someone please recommend such a service in Mumbai?
4. Would this laptop in the current non-working state fetch any money? If yes, approximately how much? I'm trying to gauge whether it's worth spending on repairing this or whether I'm simply better off getting something for it & buying a new one at ~20kish.

Many thanks for your time. Much appreciated.
 
Answers -
1. Dell Rep is correct
2. can try, but again repaired components have lower reliability from my experience
3. Refer point 2
4. Current condition will fetch peanuts , Replacing the motherboard is something id suggest as the motherboard carries 90 days spares warranty which is for the motherboard only, so that way you are rest assured you wont have this issue repeating
 
@ryanrulez4ever Thanks for your response. So should I replace the motherboard only from Dell or will a 3rd party repairer be able to also do the same for cheaper? I mean I don't know whether Dell spares can be sourced by them or not. Hung up on this as Rs. 11k for repairs is quite steep!
 
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3rd party repair guy will only tweak and give it to ya , its surely worth a try, get it done locally, doesnt work then get a dell motherboard, cos again if you buy the new motherboard the old motherboard would be waste anyway, let em try repairing the board first
 
ryanrulez4ever said:
3rd party repair guy will only tweak and give it to ya , its surely worth a try, get it done locally, doesnt work then get a dell motherboard, cos again if you buy the new motherboard the old motherboard would be waste anyway, let em try repairing the board first
Click to expand...

Alright, thanks. Last question (hopefully!). Any ideas how much such repairs could cost? A general idea would help so I don't get fleeced.
 
Get it repaired locally otherwise sell the thing as it is. It wont fetch you much. I own the same laptop and I think its high time to upgrade this.
 
Switch said:
Get it repaired locally otherwise sell the thing as it is. It wont fetch you much. I own the same laptop and I think its high time to upgrade this.
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes, I think I'll 1st get a quote for both the repairs & for the laptop as is, then decide. Trouble is I don't know of any local repair guy who would be reliable. A search online leads to fancy sites such as -
Etechies- Computer/Laptop/PC Repairs & Support Services in India,
LaptopsMumbai : Laptop Repair Center Mumbai | Laptop Repairs ,Laptop keyboards,adaptors ,Lcd, Apple repair et all,
http://www.notebookrepairs.in etc.
Not sure how trustworthy any of them are.

Anyone have any prior experience with any of them? Any other local repair services in Mumbai which was to your satisfaction? Much obliged.
 
nish_pinto said:
11000 for motherboard replacement is too much. If you are from mumbai, I can help you out. Let me know.
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Hey thanks mate. Yes, I am from Mumbai. I've already given my laptop though & should be getting an estimate for repairing/replacing the mobo. Lets see how much that turns out to be.

Do you think a new mobo can be had for much less? Thanks!
 
If your motherboard is being replaced, the cost of it should not be more than 8000-8500/-. Also be careful, some shopkeepers give refurbished boards instead of new ones. I believe, the source of your problem is the ati chipset.
 
nish_pinto said:
If your motherboard is being replaced, the cost of it should not be more than 8000-8500/-. Also be careful, some shopkeepers give refurbished boards instead of new ones. I believe, the source of your problem is the ati chipset.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks for your response. I'll see what I'm quoted. Is there any way of knowing whether the board is refurbed or a new one? What kind of warranty can I expect on a new one? Maybe that'll help identify which one it is? Again, thanks a lot.
 
You can only know by taking a look at it. Be it old new or refurbished, you can only expect 30 days of warranty. And I guess if its done from the manufacturer's service center, you get 3 months max of warranty.
 
nish_pinto said:
You can only know by taking a look at it. Be it old new or refurbished, you can only expect 30 days of warranty. And I guess if its done from the manufacturer's service center, you get 3 months max of warranty.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks for that. Guess I'll just need to have faith.

Btw, they got back to me saying the RAM is faulty. But I told 'em that the laptop was also heating up a few days prior to dying. So they' ve said they'll have another look to check if there's anything else that's misbehaving.

Could faulty RAM alone cause overheating & boot up failure to the point that the machine won't even POST?
 
Ram can cause boot failure but not overheating. Either the CPU or the GPU is responsible for overheating. And yes, even mosfets can alone get overheated and eventually burn out leaving the motherboard in a dead state. In that case, no fan or led lights will turn on or even blink.
 
@nish_pinto @Switch @ryanrulez4ever Thanks for all your help. Seems like the RAM was the issue, cuz the technician got it workin' with a new stick. I haven't purchased one yet as his price was quite high. As for the heat build up, he said it was something minor (dirt, dust etc.) & he's fixed it.

Will use it for a week & see whether all issues have been fixed.

What still needs fixing is the dead 'C' key & the Right-Click button on the touch pad. The guy says I'll have to replace the whole keyboard & the whole touch pad assembly. So about 1.2k & 2.5k respectively.

I'm wondering if there can be a cheaper solution. For instance, would replacing the buttons alone be enough? & can't a single key be simply replaced?

Again, thanks for your time. Cheers!
 
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nish_pinto said:
The keyboard keys are stuck to a unibody membrane, so You'll have to change the whole keyboard.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks for that. So I guess I can't avoid the keyboard replacement unless I'm OK with the software workaround. The cheapest I've come across is 1.2k on ebay.

Any idea on whether that part I linked to would be enough for the malfunctioning touchpad/palm rest mouse button? Or do I need to change the entire palm rest assembly there as well? The button is dead i.e. elicits no response. It's not like it's depressed or broken.

Again, many thanks. Much appreciated.

Edit: Anyone know of any stores in Mumbai which sell laptop spares? I just took apart the laptop myself by following the online documentation & am confident enough of replacing the keyboard & palm rest myself. All I'd need is a source for the spares at a decent rate.
 
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