Laptop Woes - Fixable or binable?

PaulBoy

PaulBoy

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Hope you can help - My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 6000 bought in Summer 2005 - It has been very reliable (until now) and has only been touched to upgrade the hard drive & RAM - It has always been used at home plugged into the mains & use on the battery has been almost non existant - Recently the low battery warning started to pop up even though the laptop was running off the mains - Then one day the warning appeared for a few seconds & the laptop shut down without warning - I took the battery out & plugged the mains lead in but the laptop would not power up - I checked the power lead & found the laptop plug end was frayed - I decided to order a new mains lead & a new battery - Both are Dell though not bought from them (stupid prices for lottery winners I presume?) - All seemed well with the laptop now working with or without the battery in situ (as it should work I understand) - However despite the new battery showing fully charged (all the green lights are lit on the battery & the readout in Windows shows over 80% charge) the laptop will not run without the mains lead in place - If you take it out when the laptop is running it just stops & if you try to turn it on without the mains lead in situ it will not power up?

Hope you made it this far! - My question is whether the issue (presumably the power input inside the laptop?) is fixable? - How much could I expect for 'someone to look at it' and or repair it - Having spend about £50 already on the battery & mains lead I am loathe to spend much more than the same again & still have to replace the laptop
Would it be better to cut my losses & sell off what I can (battery / lead / hard drive / RAM) and put the proceeds towards a new laptop?

Hope someone can assist?

Regards
Paul :thumbs:
 
Being an IT Manager, I would cut my losses probably. Maybe get a screwdriver to it yourself once you have made your mind up to get a new one, and see if you can see anything obvious, it could just be the contacts for the battery are stuffed and need resoldering to the main board perhaps, but I wouldn't hold out much hope.

Ebay is your friend here. Probably get a few bob towards the new one at least.
 
Exactly this happened with my 6 year old Mac (a PowerBook G4). Have you tried out a new battery? Good luck!
 
I would tend to agree with the previous post about selling what you can and renewing.If you have the laptop plugged in constantly the battery will be ruined pretty quick.There is quite a lot of info online about conditioning new batteries and how to preserve the life on them. Is there a specific reason why you didn't buy a desktop machine? Seems the logical step given what you say about only ever using it at home and plugged in, you can also upgrade/replace parts of it easier.
 
boabbruce said:
I would tend to agree with the previous post about selling what you can and renewing.If you have the laptop plugged in constantly the battery will be ruined pretty quick.There is quite a lot of info online about conditioning new batteries and how to preserve the life on them. Is there a specific reason why you didn't buy a desktop machine? Seems the logical step given what you say about only ever using it at home and plugged in, you can also upgrade/replace parts of it easier.
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Hi - I have 2x desktops in the house but 2x sons also & I like the convenience of the laptop - I will know better next time about using it more on the battery & suppose nearly 4 years is decent life for the Dell - Not sure SWMBO will see it like that though!
Thanks for the help & keep the advice coming ... Paul
 
If the battery started to be drained while the PSU was plugged in it's either a fault with the motherboard or the PSU. So you've replaced the battery (not strictly necessary) and the PSU and all seemed to be well. However it now sounds like the new battery is knackered (I presume you have tried the old one?) but the PSU and the connection on the motherboard are fine.

The good news is that's probably the best result you could have expected, bar everything working. Once the PSU connection on the motherboard goes it's time to bin the laptop as it requires a total replacement of the motherboard to fix. And they're not exactly cheap.

What's the score with the old battery? Does it have any charge left?
 
glitch said:
If the battery started to be drained while the PSU was plugged in it's either a fault with the motherboard or the PSU. So you've replaced the battery (not strictly necessary) and the PSU and all seemed to be well. However it now sounds like the new battery is knackered (I presume you have tried the old one?) but the PSU and the connection on the motherboard are fine.

The good news is that's probably the best result you could have expected, bar everything working. Once the PSU connection on the motherboard goes it's time to bin the laptop as it requires a total replacement of the motherboard to fix. And they're not exactly cheap.

What's the score with the old battery? Does it have any charge left?
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Well the new battery seems fubar now :bonk: but the laptop is running with the battery out so I am trying to get backed up before it dies :thumbsdown: - new laptop methinks with a few spares to be traded on the bay or elsewhere ... Paul
 
sounds like a snapped power pin - will either need a new MOBO - likely, or just a power socket - if you are very lucky

Typically it is on and off for a bit - because the battery charges - and then discharges when the connection fails the issue is often masked for a bit

Call DELL and ask them if the power socket is attached to the mainboard

There are 3 repairs for this
1. mainboard - expensive
2. power socket and flylead (about a tenner)
3. repair to socket - depends on the electrician
 
PaulBoy said:
Well the new battery seems fubar now
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But you have two batteries, yes?

With both of them, what's the situation with regards to their current charge level? If they have charge, what happens when you plug one into the laptop and try switching it on without the PSU connected?

If they don't have charge, what happens when you try to charge them? Are they recognised by the laptop? If you're not sure, head into the BIOS and find the page that relates to the batteries and see if the display shows a battery present and what information it gives you.

Ultimately it sounds like you've got a problem, but one you can live with. As long as the laptop recognises the PSU being connected and runs off the mains, it's not as bad as it might be.
 
PaulBoy

A mate of mine has a company who are pretty hot when it comes to laptop repairs. They have been an insurance approved repair company for many years and if his lads cant fix it then it isnt fixable.
They usually charge in the region of £75+ VAT for AC socket repairs and the postage is £15 as they use specially designed swapit boxes to collect and return the laptop.
If they cant fix it they dont charge so its worth a shot, because if they cant fix it then all you have spent is another £15 to get it there and back.

If you want their details let me know and I will PM them to you. Dont want to post them here in case others think I am putting in a cheap advertising plug.

Cheers
 
Paulmack said:
PaulBoy

A mate of mine has a company who are pretty hot when it comes to laptop repairs. They have been an insurance approved repair company for many years and if his lads cant fix it then it isnt fixable.
They usually charge in the region of £75+ VAT for AC socket repairs and the postage is £15 as they use specially designed swapit boxes to collect and return the laptop.
If they cant fix it they dont charge so its worth a shot, because if they cant fix it then all you have spent is another £15 to get it there and back.

If you want their details let me know and I will PM them to you. Dont want to post them here in case others think I am putting in a cheap advertising plug.

Cheers
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Paul - Thanks - Yes can you PM me the details

But you have two batteries, yes?

With both of them, what's the situation with regards to their current charge level? If they have charge, what happens when you plug one into the laptop and try switching it on without the PSU connected?

If they don't have charge, what happens when you try to charge them? Are they recognised by the laptop? If you're not sure, head into the BIOS and find the page that relates to the batteries and see if the display shows a battery present and what information it gives you.

Ultimately it sounds like you've got a problem, but one you can live with. As long as the laptop recognises the PSU being connected and runs off the mains, it's not as bad as it might be.
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Glitch - The laptop will not power up on battery power - If I put the new battery in now all the green lights are out & the lights on the laptop flash orange & the taskbar icon just shows 'ON AC POWER' - As above I might consider a repair for the sake of £15

Thanks again guys :thumbs:
Paul
 
boabbruce said:
If you have the laptop plugged in constantly the battery will be ruined pretty quick.
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So are you saying if you use your laptop at home a lot, it is best to remove the battery, or just run it on the battery now and again to discharge it, why will leaving it plugged in ruin the battery ? i thought that the mains just overrides the battery when it's plugged in, if you see what i mean.
 
no using the laptop with the battery and the ac adaptor permanently connected will shorten the life of the battery.
For these batteries to operate at their capacity they should be regularly charged and discharged but when permanently connected it will reduce its life cycle a fair bit.

So yes in answer to your question it is better to remove the charger quite often and run the laptop on battery until it reaches say 20% (just before the critical stage and it cuts out) then charge it fully again.
 
Bit of a long shot but I fixed a dell laptop with a similar problem once. The contact points on the battery were recessed into moulded plastic slots and there were bits of moulding flash (wafer thin plastic shards) partially covering the metal contacts. After a bit of careful surgery with a craft knife to allow the laptop contacts to actually touch the battery contacts the battery was working normally.
 
PaulBoy said:
Glitch - The laptop will not power up on battery power - If I put the new battery in now all the green lights are out & the lights on the laptop flash orange & the taskbar icon just shows 'ON AC POWER' - As above I might consider a repair for the sake of £15
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In that case I wouldn't worry about it. It will be a motherboard replacement and that's not exactly cheap.

Inspirons were always 'known' for their issues with the battery connector. It's not exactly the most sturdy design that Dell ever came up with.

TG. said:
i thought that the mains just overrides the battery when it's plugged in, if you see what i mean.
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It does. Power is routed to the battery only when it needs it.

Paulmack said:
no using the laptop with the battery and the ac adaptor permanently connected will shorten the life of the battery.
For these batteries to operate at their capacity they should be regularly charged and discharged but when permanently connected it will reduce its life cycle a fair bit.
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Urban legend ahoy!

Batteries used in modern laptops don't suffer from the memory effect and this whole 'de-charge/re-charge' practice is a pointless exercise.
 
you bought a battery from a source other than dell? are you sure it's new? Could be the 'new' battery is knackered before you go and replace the motherboard
 
Having worked with Dell Laptops in a support environment for a few years another possibility is a failed charging circuit, unfortunately this is built into the motherboard.

I have also come across Dell's requiring a BIOS upgrade to resolve battery charging issues.
 
walls said:
you bought a battery from a source other than dell? are you sure it's new? Could be the 'new' battery is knackered before you go and replace the motherboard
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He hasn't actually specifically stated this, but I'm assuming that both the old and the new batteries aren't being recognised by the BIOS and therefore the laptop.

It would be slightly churlish to rule them out entirely, but I doubt it's the batteries at fault here.

Andybert said:
I have also come across Dell's requiring a BIOS upgrade to resolve battery charging issues.
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If memory serves me correctly that was only the larger 9-cell batteries not being recognised, wasn't it?
 
I spoke with Paulmack's contact this morning & for anyone in the same position I would suggest he is well worth contacting if you have any repair issues as he was most helpful to me over the phone - In my situation he suggested a repair was feasible but I don't think I will as all in I will have to spend a minimum £69 for the repair & £25 for the courier collection & return - I feel that whilst I have had no other issues with my Dell I could spend this money only for something else to fail next week - I think it is time to cut my losses & spend £300 - £400 on a new machine which hopefully will last me as long as my Dell did? - Recommendations for something in that budget would be much appreciated - I can get 25% Employee discount on HP so unless someone says they are rubbish I might see what they have on offer?
Thanks for all the help & advice ... Paul :thumbs:
 
I can't believe you're considering buying a new laptop. You're a computer salesman's wet dream.
 
glitch said:
I can't believe you're considering buying a new laptop. You're a computer salesman's wet dream.
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Thank you for those kind words ;) - If you want to make me an offer for the Dell & pay to have it repaired I'm open to offers :wave:
Paul
 
Paul

Have sent you a PM regarding a possible laptop. Glad you got some good help and advice from the boys!

Cheers
 
PaulBoy said:
Thank you for those kind words ;) - If you want to make me an offer for the Dell & pay to have it repaired I'm open to offers :wave:Paul
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Why are you even bothering to have it repaired?

Your laptop has a problem with the battery not charging. A problem that, unless I'm missing something, doesn't even concern you. You state in your OP that 'it has always been used at home plugged into the mains & use on the battery has been almost non existant' and none of your other comments in this thread say otherwise.

So you have a laptop which works perfectly when plugged into the mains, something you 'always' do, yet you feel the need to spend money to repair a fault that doesn't affect you or, even worse, spend money on a new laptop to fix a problem that doesn't exist.

Let me put it another way. You have a car. It works perfectly. There is nothing mechanically wrong with it, other than the fact that the heated rear seats don't work and they'd cost a fortune to repair. So you go into a car dealership and you tell the salesman that you want to buy a new car, because the heated rear seats don't work. So he shows you a new car that is in every respect the same as your old one, except the heated seats function correctly.

Only you don't have a family and would normally never carry passengers in the rear seats, so they'd never be used. And on the very, very rare occasions you would carry a passenger in the rear, heated seats wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to them.

And you're considering buying a new car?
 
glitch said:
Why are you even bothering to have it repaired?

Your laptop has a problem with the battery not charging. A problem that, unless I'm missing something, doesn't even concern you. You state in your OP that 'it has always been used at home plugged into the mains & use on the battery has been almost non existant' and none of your other comments in this thread say otherwise.

So you have a laptop which works perfectly when plugged into the mains, something you 'always' do, yet you feel the need to spend money to repair a fault that doesn't affect you or, even worse, spend money on a new laptop to fix a problem that doesn't exist.

Let me put it another way. You have a car. It works perfectly. There is nothing mechanically wrong with it, other than the fact that the heated rear seats don't work and they'd cost a fortune to repair. So you go into a car dealership and you tell the salesman that you want to buy a new car, because the heated rear seats don't work. So he shows you a new car that is in every respect the same as your old one, except the heated seats function correctly.

Only you don't have a family and would normally never carry passengers in the rear seats, so they'd never be used. And on the very, very rare occasions you would carry a passenger in the rear, heated seats wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to them.

And you're considering buying a new car?
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I neglected to mention (probably in all the excitement) with the battery out and the new mains lead connected the laptop powers off occasionally without warning so there are clearly issues with what I now believe to be the AC socket - So sorry you have wasted your time though I enjoyed reading your excellent 'new car & heated seats' theory ... Paul :thumbs:
 
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