Try flipping the switch on the back of the machine. It'll be near the top, with the power supply. Flip it and see if you get any better luck. Most likely though you've got a dead power supply, or a mobo issue.
I can almost guarantee you its a power supply issue. I'm not sure if Dell uses standard PSUs or if they use their own ****ty proprietary PSU plugs (which they, probably do, knowing Dell). Now, in the unlikely event that they use normal PSUs that have the standards 24- or 20-pin heads, then you can just get one off of newegg.com. There are probably sales going on, (Yay recession!) so I hope you can get a good deal.
I just got a refurbished Toshiba Satellite 17" laptop (250GB HDD, 3GB RAM, LabelFlash, 5-in-1 Card Reader, Full size keyboard with keypad) for $345. I have always liked Toshiba laptops and have had a good experience with them, I prefer them to Dell or Compaq.
I'm with rockbox sounds like a faulty motherboard. Try this, though. Unplug the pc and hit the power button. Plug it back in and see if it starts up.
(I'm going to one up you now) I just got a brand new Acer laptop for $399. It has full keyboard, 15.6" screen, Pentium Dual Core, 2GB memory and 160 GB Hard Drive. It was on Slickdeals a few days back.
for most models, proprietary i think, though maybe third party vendors make some for some models. I know for my form factor dell only they make it, and you can't upgrade the thing due to size constraints. irritating. can't upgrade the gfx card much because of this as well. Yeah yeah, it wasn't designed to franken-upgrade... but cmon. also, I agree (now that I paid better attention) power supply seems very likely due to pre and post failure symptoms, is easy to install, and is a cheap fix in most cases.
Good deal, but I wanted a 17" screen with a keypad. And it is a Toshiba, and it has more RAM and hard drive capacity than yours. It was still about $50 cheaper than yours too Did yours have Vista? I am still debating if I should switch back to XP, it is more to my liking but Vista does offer more functionality and looks cooler.
You can actually get help from Dell here regarding the light signals: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/op170l/en/UG/solve.htm#1253719 I randomly chose a model just to show you an example.
I know this doesn't help, but next time don't buy a Dell. I made that mistake once and three years later I had to buy a new PC
Alright. I finally had my computer diagnosed. Turns out it was a power supply failure. My issue is this: I walked in to Micro center with the computer, and told them I thought it was the power supply. They found out it was. Why the hell do I have to pay $70 for a diagnostic check? I don't mind paying $45 for the new power. I don't mind paying $40 for the installation. I mind the hell out of paying $70 for them to state the obvious. Now if they had found it was something different, it would be much more justifiable. Should I b****? My computer will be ready this evening.
You can't ask them to perform a diagnostic check to determine what is wrong...and then say you don't want to pay for it because you thought you knew all along it was the power supply. Just because you guessed right...doesn't mean the work they did to diagnose it should be free. If you were so sure, then you should have just had them do the work to install a new power supply. Then, if that didn't fix it, then your diagnosis would have been incorrect and you would be out even more money.
Didn't most peeps here tell you that? Don't b**** about it. If you knew what it was, and didn't fix it yourself, they're helping you figure out if it doesn't need something else AFTER the power supply. How come you didn't just change it yourself if you knew that was the problem and then worked from there? Sounds like you're complaining about the cost of you taking it there when you didn't have to, is my opinion, is all. One of us GEEKS would have replaced it for free and then saved you a ton of money. Too late now. Next time, listen to us... but... the goal was to get it fixed... and it will be. BTW, what model is it?
If you told them it was the power supply, then they should not be charging a diagnostics charge, negotiate... DD
Well played, sir. I hadn't seen your thread until after the 10th of December and I would have been glad to help you out, just like I've helped others.
Alright. I am livid. I payed $200 to get them to "check" my computer and put new power in, and now the computer isn't running like it used to at all. Running much slower than before. The idiot that did the check reinstalled stuff that I discarded long ago. I'm about to go yell at them, but I have no idea how capable they are, nor can I "prove" how my computer was running beforehand. However, by running this "diagnostic" check, shouldn't they have made sure my system was running functionally? Arrrgh!
I'm guessing as part of their update, they archived and reinstalled Windows. That would mean you didn't lose data but might have a fresh Windows install. Again, just a total guess. FFB, if you want an Apple, come see me. Galleria.
