Laptop Problem

[gottimd]

My home laptop will randomly shut down at times even when plugged in. Not the kind of shut down a user would do normally, but the computer just goes blank and the sound turns off, like the battery died. The problem is, is that it is plugged in when it does this.

This is a Dell Inspiron 300M and I have had it for about 4+ years now. Also, at times, if it doesn't shut down randomly, if I unplug it and to take it to another room, it shuts off immediately as well sometimes. It is also hard to boot up, because even when it is plugged in, none of the lights come on.

I wanted to verify with the Computer guys here before I go and buy a battery off of Ebay that this is the case and it isn't a hard drive issue. Has anyone heard of this issue before, and is it just the battery? Everything else works fine when it is operating and on. My hard drive crashed on this one almost a year ago, and I had it replaced and bought backup drives now, so I know what it acts like when the hard drive is failing, and it doesn't seem to be doing that.

[gottimd]

can I get a what what?

[Toddiec]

I had some difficulty with my laptop powering down unexpectedly and it was due to the CPU overheating. The fans would be going crazy and then it would just shut off. I blew some compressed air into the fan bays (check the support site of your PC to find the correct way to do this..apparently you want to do it from one direction only or it will tear your fan up) and a big puff of dust came out. I guess a lot of dirt had built up on the heat sink and just needed to be hit with some air. The computer has run great since then and no more shut downs.

Anyway, if the fans are really working all the time and especially before it shuts down you may try this. This is my un-expert opinion by the way.

[MJ4H]

Im a little worried by the line:

"even when it is plugged in, none of the lights come on."

It may just be a battery problem. I hope that is all it is. But you should consider that it could be the connection from the power cord to the motherboard that is broken. I've just recently had this problem with my laptop, and if not for help from Flasch and a bit of luck, my laptop may have been done.

I would just try different things to see if it is the battery or the connection. If you discover it is the connection, look for alternate ways to power your laptop (this was my solution--Flasch was able to hook me up with an adaptor that plugs into a port on my laptop to power that I still don't even know what it's really there for) or some repair places locally or online and see what they'll charge to do it.

EDIT: Yes, I was going to mention over-heating as a possible culprit and forgot. Good thing to check, too. Seconded.

[gottimd]

Thanks guys.

Flasch was able to hook me up with an adaptor that plugs into a port on my laptop to power that I still don't even know what it's really there for
huh?:D

As for the overheating, I have noticed through the years that it gets hot, but it never did this before. I guess I'll go ahead an order a battery.

[MizzouRah]

I would take the battery out and see if it shuts down while plugged in. If so, I would suspect the system board as you just don't see overheating much at all on pc's - it's rare. I've found out that the biggest failures of Dell laptops (and most others) are HD's, System boards, and batteries - in that order.

If it works fine without the battery but plugged into AC, then I would say battery. On some Dell's you can click a button on the battery and it will show you the charge, can you do this on yours? You can also usually go into the BIOS and go to a screen that shows your battery and the charge level. If it's blinking, it's a bad battery for sure.

[gottimd]

The battery is at full, but it rapidly loses power. It will say 100% and immediately after I unplug it from the A/C adaptor, I know I have about 30 seconds before the battery loses all power and dies.

[MJ4H]

Thanks guys.


huh?:D




There is a port on the side of my laptop and I have no idea what it is for. When my power connection to the motherboard failed, I got an adaptor from Flasch that supplies power through this port instead of the normal place. That's what I was trying to say. If it turns out that your connection is bad, you might want to try to find out if this is an option, because it is the easiest route by far.

[gottimd]

I would take the battery out and see if it shuts down while plugged in. If so, I would suspect the system board as you just don't see overheating much at all on pc's - it's rare. I've found out that the biggest failures of Dell laptops (and most others) are HD's, System boards, and batteries - in that order.

If it works fine without the battery but plugged into AC, then I would say battery. On some Dell's you can click a button on the battery and it will show you the charge, can you do this on yours? You can also usually go into the BIOS and go to a screen that shows your battery and the charge level. If it's blinking, it's a bad battery for sure.

Dammit, took the battery out and plugged in and still shut down!:mad:

I guess I am going to have to get a new computer.....anyone have any suggestions on where to buy a laptop with a reasonable payment plan? Are my choices just Dell or Gateway?