I have a Dell Inspiron 9100. Mine kept on shutting down randomly and eventually got worse. I got a laptop technician out and at first he thought it was overheating but it turned out to be the AC plug going into the back. Every time it moved around the laptop turns off. This implied that it was something to do with the motherboard. I only use this as a spare laptop now, but want to have a hand at fixing it myself. What would you suggest? Is there any kind of botch job I could try before buying a whole new motherboard?
It’s possible that the power jack (the socket where you plug the adapter) is loose or damaged. When you move the AC plug inside the power jack it shorts the motherboard and because of that the laptop shuts down.
It’s necessary to disassemble the laptop, remove the motherboard and take a closer look at the power jack. If it’s broken or loose you may fix the problem without replacing the whole motherboard.
1. Disassemble the laptop. You’ll find instructions in the official service manual.
2. Remove the motherboard and take a closer look at the power jack.
3. If the power jack is loose or broken, you’ll have to resolder or replace the jack.
4. Find a new power jack here and replace it.
Before you take it apart, I would suggest testing the laptop with another working power adapter. Will it shut down with another adapter? If not, your problem could be related to the adapter. Apparently, there are damaged wires inside the power cable and you short them moving the cable. It’s possible the laptop shuts down because of that.
If you still have the same problem even with another adapter, you can inspect the power jack as suggested above.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Hi…I use to have the power issue on my Dell XPS m170. and i open it and apply welding to the power jack and the power issue get fix but.. now the problem is that it always freezes and make a noise and the fun runs very fast..then it shots down. i have to wait like 4 ten minutes to get it start.. then the same crash.. what can i do? i was thinking into replace the powe jack with a new one. please help.!
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:09 am
Hi Iv got a IBM x31 and after about 4 mins it would just turn off and when i turn it back on it would just show a black screen i would have to turn it off and On about 6 times before the screen comes back on then about 4 mins later the laptop would just turn off agen.
But when i put it on its docking station it would work perfetly fine. Its just when its not on the docking station it dont want to work proberly.
Please help
Thanks
Lance
August 4th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I have a Dell 9400 which is just over a year old. Until recently it functioned perfectly. However for a few weeks now it is impossible to start it from the battery alone, with the power cable required on each occasion. Once started, I can disconnect the power cable after a couple of seconds and can then work on battery for the usual life of a charged battery, ie around 2 hours in this case. This is very annoying and is limiting mobility! I would be very grateful if someone could help. Many thanks. Phil S.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:52 am
i recently purchased a laptop from a home catolouge company the manufactuer is hi grade it became faulty and wouldnt charge when it did start to charge it smelt of burning it is under warrenty but when sent back they blame me for mis use saying i have forced the adapter in which has pushed the pin in my argument is how can i do that when the hole is made to fit this laptop is only 3 1/2 months old i have not misused this item i and they want 141 pounds to fix oh but there very kind and wavering the 75 pound + vat as a goodwill gesture it they are saying its a ac dc fault and i think they said thats whats burning the mother board i really hope you can help
August 12th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Phil,
Could be bad battery or there is a problem with the motherboard. The only way to find out is testing the laptop with another known good battery. If you still have the same problem with another battery, it’s bad motherboard.
August 24th, 2008 at 9:37 am
HELLO,
I’VE RECENTLY PURCHASED A TOSHIBA SATELLITE A305 S6864 LAPTOP, IT IS GOOD BUT WITH A SINGLE PROBLEM TILL NOW, WHEN IT IS CONNECTED TO THE CHARGER( CHARGING) I FEEL A LITTLE ELECTRICITY IN THE BACK OF THE LCD DISPLAY AND IN THE SURFACE OF THE LAPTOP(THE FUSION FINISH)WHEN I MOVE MY HAND ON THE LAPTOP ONLY, AND THERE IS ALSO ELECTRICITY AT THE SCREWS AT THE BOTTOM( I CHECKED THE ELECTRICITY IN THE SCREWS AT THE BOTTOM WITH A TEST SCREW DRIVER) THE TEST SCREW DRIVER DIDN’T LIGHT WHEN I PUT IT ON THE SURFACE OF THE LAPTOP BUT I’M SURE THERE IS ELECTRICITY ON THE SURFACE (CASING OF THE LAPTOP) WHEN I MOVE MY HANDS ALONG IT, IS THAT LAPTOP DEFECTIVE OR WHAT (KNOWING THAT I FOUND ELECTRICITY IN THE BOTTOM SCREWS IN 2 LAPTOPS OF MY FRIENDS OF OTHER BRANDS)
THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORTS
September 4th, 2008 at 8:44 am
So I have heard similar problems but mine I think has a twist. I have a dell Inspirion and for about 6 months it was telling me the battery was charging but it was nearing the end of it it’s life cycle and I needed to buy a new one. So naturally I ignored it and it worked fine I just needed to keep it plugged in, about a month ago out of no where it just shut off and would not turn back on even when plugged in. I tried different out lets I tried it with and without the battery. Could this be because the battery has crapped out or is it a separate problem?