Dell Inspiron Laptop Won't Turn On

Hi all,

Hoping someone can help with this as I'm in Australia (usually UK) and my work laptop has decided to stop working!

It is a Dell Inspiron 17R SE 7720, about 3 years old.

When I press the power on button only the HDD button lights up and nothing happens. The light stays on and the only way it goes off is if I take the battery out.

The same thing happens regardless of whether I am trying to power on using just the Battery, AC charger or both together.

I've searched online and found various articles giving instructions on removing the battery and AC charger then holding the power button to drain any residual power, I've tried this many times but it hasn't worked.

I can't find anything explaining why only the HDD light is coming on. Clearly there is power going in so it must be another issue.

Hoping someone can shed some light on this as I'm screwed if I can't get it working!

 

What Windows Operating System is it???

 

Hi max, 8.1 I believe.

 

OS is irrelevant if it doesn't start...

 

The sticky in this forum: http://forums.majorgeeks.com/index....rt-please-tell-us-about-your-computer.279929/
Perhaps you would now be kind enough to give any advice you can to the OP. Thanks!

 

As you noted, the fact the HD LED is lit means some power is being distributed. But the fact the notebook will not start with or without the battery suggest there is a problem with the notebook itself, and probably needs to have a professional look at it.

But it could be the charger failing too. So if me, I would try another charger/power supply first (with and without the battery). You need to make sure it is an EXACT replacement to ensure the voltage and connector polarity are correct and it has a large enough current capability.

But buying a replacement from the notebook maker can be expensive, especially if it does not resolve the problem. So an alternative that I use and recommend is a Universal 90W Notebook Power Adapter. I use mine on service calls and when troubleshooting notebooks. You select the proper tip and voltage (some automatically adjusts output voltage) for the battery and notebook. Thus far, I have had no problems using mine on my own Toshiba, as well as several clients’ Dells, HP/Compaq, eMachine, Sony, Lenovo, Acer, and even Apple notebooks.

In your case, if you find it does not resolve your problem, you can still have a spare supply for your new notebook.

I searched Amazon Australia and didn't see any, so you will have to ask around there locally.

 

Did you notice anything unusual during your last working session, or was there a chance it might have been physically damaged (dropped?) since?

 

The CMOS battery could also have died and needs to be replaced.

 

Hi all, thanks for the responses. In answer to the questions asked:

• The OS is Windows 8.1.
• It hasn't been dropped or damaged, it was left in the same place as it was the night before when I was working on it with no issues.

Only thing I can think of is that it was left charging overnight, I've done this hundreds of times with no issues. I do know that Australia is on 230v instead of 240v in the U.K. Maybe that has something to do with it, but maybe not as I'm using an adaptor.

I've now taken it into a local repair shop as from the comments above it sounds like it is a hardware failure somewhere. Hopefully they can diagnose and fix, I'll post the outcome later!

 

So the computer repair shop have said it is a complete brick. They can't even get into the Hard Drive to get my data out!

They say it must have been dropped or had a power surge. It definitely hasn't been dropped. I wonder if it was the adaptor i was using to get my UK plug into an Australian socket.

Luckily I did a backup about a month ago so can retrieve most of my stuff but it seems a new laptop is in order.

Thanks for everyone's efforts on this.

 

If you have any files that are not backed up, your laptop has a mSATA drive that can be removed. The repair shop should have the means to then retrieve any files you need.