Dell Laptop Won't Turn On

Wasn't sure what topic this goes under. Have a Dell Inspiron N7110 not turning on. Bought a new battery but that didn't do it. With AC cord plugged in, no lights at all. Tried the pressing start button for a minute fix, but that didn't do it. Any other tests I can do? Can I test motherboard, or is my next option, just to replace it? Can you replace power supplies on laptaps, like on PC's? Let me know what you think I should do next?

 

Yes. In fact, your power supply/charger should have been tested before buying a new battery.

The trick to getting a replacement charger is to ensure the output voltage is exactly the same as the original charger. Also the connector must be the same and wired to the same polarity (positive and negative connections). The current (sometimes shown as wattage) rating can be more than the original but should not be less. Laptop power supplies are sized to charge the battery while running the laptop at the same time. If your current charger is rated at 90W, for example, and you were to get a 65W charger replacement, it probably will not be able to run the laptop while charging the battery. And being under-powered, it could overheat. So again, make sure the wattage rating is at least the same as the original. Bigger does not matter.

A quick search shows there are plenty of options.

However, you don't want to throw good money after bad. Since this problem could be something else, it might be best to take it to a shop. They can easily test your current power supply. If good, this could be something as simple as a blown fusible link inside the laptop. This is easy to fix, but should be left to a qualified tech. But if not a fusible link (and not all laptops have them), it could be something worse. If they say it needs a new motherboard, you may just want to start shopping around for a new laptop. "Tis the season" for some good deals.

Do you have a backup of all your data? If not and a new laptop is the verdict, you should pull the drive from this one. It can be attached to an adapter and then your important files copied to your new computer. If you have a backup, the current drive should be "wiped" clean.