# Laptop won't turn on. Sometimes...?



## Pierroil (Jun 20, 2011)

Hello!



So I'm looking for real tech savy people here since this problem does not seem to be a too common one.

Yesterday, when I tried turning on my Laptop (Vostro 1220 from Dell Canada) it wouldn't boot up at all. I pressed the power button, but no LED indicators, nothing. 
Opened up the computer, Reset the Bios (pulled out the battery and let it sit for 30 secs) and also reinserted my RAM. (Before doing all this I took out my 4 Cell Battery (that only lasts for 30 minutes lol (but it was charged so I don't think that's the problem).

Then, when I pressed the power button again, it worked for some reason...

Then, I turned off my computer through windows and turned it back on with the power button normally (might I mention that my baterry indicated a full charge) then turned it off and let it sit for 4 hours as I went on with my day.

I let my computer sit (uncharged) and then it wouldn't turn on again!
Again, I did the same prcedure with the Ram and Bios but this time it didn't work. After letting the computer sit for 10 minutes though I noticed all the LED indicator lights were on and it had turned on -.-....
That night, I shut down my computer(unplugged it from power supply but left the battery in) and woke up 2 hours later to try and turn it on and again it wouldn't turn on...
2 hours later, I woke up and found it on...
I have not turned off my computer since then (except with soft reboots from within windows or for more than 30 secs).

So final symptoms?
1. Computer doesn't turn on if let to sit without power for more than 3 hours.
2. Computer turns on randomly after hitting power button but this takes anywhere from 10minutes - 1 hour.
3. This is not a harddrive problem or a virus (I already nuked my computer for he 0.00001% chance that a virus was causing this problem and it didn't turn on last night as explained).

I am currently on my computer...

What do I do? 

Oh might I mention that I left my computer running on high performance for 8 hours without moving it in tropical weather (I'm in Singapore) so i'm thinking it may have overheated or ruined one of the capacitors on the motherboard???)

PS : I have no warranty, so any information as to how I can resauder, reset, or w.e to my BIOS, Motherboard, Ram, or w.e is helpful.. I kinda don't want to use a computer that needs to stay on sleep mode for the rest of it's life!

Thanks a bunch!

--
Specs
Vostro 1220
September 2009
2.4 GHZ P8600 Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB DDR2 Ram
250GB hardrive
Integrated graphics
Dell.ca

Let me know if there is anything else you need (information wise) I am open to running more "no boot trials" where I sacrifice the life of my computer (attempting to force a no boot) to try and diagnose this.Oh and I have already run diagnostics, pretty useless since the computer was on and everything was "working" at that point.
Oh and when I plug in my computer to AC power, the clarging Baterry LED lights up for like a quick second and then dies (since the battery is charged, so it's not my power supply)


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Will it boot properly using AC Power, with no battery installed, after sitting for the same amount of time?
Next time you leave it sitting for that time period, remove the battery after powering down and reinsert it when you are ready to use it.


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## Pierroil (Jun 20, 2011)

So wait a second?
You want me to leave it off (battery off), let it sit, then boot it back up with only battery.

I'll try it now actually. 

(But since it's night time in my present timezone I probably won't be able to get back to this for at least 1 - 4 hours until I wake up)

Crossing my fingers and hope this doens't destroy my computer!


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Remove the battery, let it sit for the time that it takes for the problem to occur and insert the battery before you power up.


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## Pierroil (Jun 20, 2011)

So I've just come back from letting it sit for 30 minutes approximatly after a whole day of not shutting it down (horray for sleep mode!)

took out the batterry and the power, and when i put the batterry in it worked.

mind you 30 minutes is not nearly close to the amount of time I had previously let it sit (basicly shut it off for the night or for the day when I was out).

I'll update tmr morning. (so 7:00pm-8:00pm Eastern time)


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## Pierroil (Jun 20, 2011)

thanks again!


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## Pierroil (Jun 20, 2011)

Update! New symptom : When my computer turns on after not being able to boot, the time is all wrong. (I did not remove the BIOS) and this same thing happened last night... so my computer is not keeping track of time for the time that it is 100% off... (my time was 1:10h off of normal time). So I sens that there is no power in the CPU at all... yet, my computer hasn't randomly shut off (when being on (or on sleep mode) for +12 hours...?). So? Ideas?

Extended Version : 

I woke up a lot during the night and just contantly went, hit the power button and it kept turning on! (without battery, with power only and with battery only without power!)

But then... I woke up this morning (after having let it sit without power and only batterry in for the rest of the morning (approx 3 hours) and it didn't run...
I hit the power button, nothing. Plugged the Power supply in, Nothing (except I see a LED indicated that my battery is charging but it dissapears very fast since my battery is full).
Hopeless, I just leave the room leave the power on and go shower. I come back, still nothing. As I am about the leave... it boots up on it's own !! WHAT THE F?! Power was unplugged at the time (only battery in)...
since then it's been on sleep mode...
Oh yeahand now my time is different on my dkestop (1:10h difference, this was also the case the night before but I didn't mention it since IT hought I just installed the OS time wrong when I reformated).


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## Pierroil (Jun 20, 2011)

Bump?

Just came back after leeting it sit for 4 hours. 
I hit the power button, didn't turn on, then 3 secs later it turned on???

So a faulty connection?? Somewhere??
(Both battery and power were plugged in)

My computer has not yet turned off while on suddenly.


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## chesterdinho (Jul 24, 2011)

Hi Pierroil, I think I have the same problem with you with my laptop. Sometimes when I turn on only with power adapter it wont power on, but sometimes it will work like normal. Besides, sometimes I only use battery to power up, and it also work like normal. I know that my battery was really bad before this happen, it only last like 10 minutes. I am really puzzled with this. Have you solved your problem yet?


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## Pierroil (Jun 20, 2011)

Hello!

eum no I haven't solved my problem (since i'm not home at the moment and doign an exchange in another country).

Since this problem hgas happened my computer has been off for at most 1 hour. It's just been sitting on sleep mode and I occisiaonlly shut it down for 2 minutse to clear the ram (once every 2 days).

Eum, next time this problem happens (shut off your computer over night) and then wait the full 10 minutes for it to turn on (not like you have a choice) the next morning and check the clock on your computer. Is the time wrong? If so, it's probably the CMOS battery.
I hgaven't gotten a new one since i'm not home yet but I will be fixing it in 2 weeks.

Let me know.


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## kaspersky333 (Aug 6, 2012)

My Asus Laptop Does the same that you have described...i am just curious to know what's the issue with the motherboard? it could be capacitor or any power circuitry? did you fix it???


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## 5hreek (Jul 16, 2014)

I have the same problem with my Dell Inspiron 1545 running on Windows 7 Home.Had some issues earlier with the internal HDD going bad one after the other. (bad sectors cropping up after a few days on even brand new HDDs). Finally, I stopped replacing damaged ones with new HDDs altogether and instead installed an old Hitachi 80 GB which seems to be running all right now. 
Then after about a year, the issue started. It would simply not switch on. Press the power button and no response whatsoever. As if it was completely dead. And then, it would turn on occasionally when I pressed the power button. But there was simply no pattern. I just had to try my luck three to four times every day. It would switch on when it felt like. 
When it did come to life, it performed brilliantly. I had no issues of it suddenly switching off or hanging or freezing. It was an awesome machine that seemed to have a mind of its own regarding switching on. One thing I noticed is that the time and date continued from the time I switched off instead of updating itself.
Tried all sorts of manoeuvres. Battery on/battery removed/plugged in. Everything. Nothing had any effect when it decides not to power on. It would stubbornly remain so.
I disassembled the unit completely and checked everything. Found absolutely nothing wrong with any components after testing most of them separately with different systems. (Including the power switch.) 
Put everything back and checked. No difference. It was still the same. May come to life once in every 2-3 days and perform like a supercomputer for a while and when I switched it off in the night, didn’t always turn on in the morning. 
Reluctantly, handed it over to Dell service and as if to mock me, the stupid thing showed no symptoms while it was with them. Obediently switched itself on and off. They simply claimed to have serviced it and made away with a hefty service charge from me. 
Took it back home and two days later, same pattern repeats. 
I understand that this looks more like a spiritual issue, but I have read other people having the same issue with Dell, so any help will be highly appreciated. I am running on a replacement Laptop now and I have to either trash the dell or keep playing the game. 
Thanks in advance.
The specs are these:
CPU: Intel T6600 C2D @ 2.20 GHz
RAM: 4GB DDR2 @ 398 MHz
Board: Dell 0G848F (With Intel GM45/47)


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## BIGBEARJEDI (Aug 8, 2012)

Peirroil: Sounds like you have a combination of hardware problems, and you simply haven't diagnosed it properly. Based on your various tests, my conclusion would have to be a damaged Motherboard and possibly an intermittent power on switch. I've seen laptops do this sort of thing before. Chances are you left a bad battery (which you mentioned you had) and didn't replace it. Many times a battery with a shorted cell inside or the sensor chip can permanently damage the charging circuit, which if it fails just right can cause overvoltage to various circuits on the Motherboard including CPU and the charging circuit components themselves. 

Did you ever use a Multimeter to test the DC voltage output of your AC charger? Did it match the spec on the bottom of the laptop? If it didn't you could have damaged multiple circuits on the Motherboard; causing all these weird symptoms. 

Did your RAM pass Memtest? If so, how many passes? Did you also test the laptop with the hard drive removed? You did not mention that you attempted this. In other words, if you physically removed the hard drive from your laptop, and just boot the laptop into BIOS, does the laptop randomly turn itself off and then on again WITHOUT you touching the power button? This needs to be done WITHOUT your damaged battery and running only on AC charger. 

If it fails above BIOS stay-on test; and either turns itself off or on WITHOUT your intervention, you have a faulty Motherboard, and it needs to be replaced. A properly working laptop will NOT do this. I test my laptops with this type of a problem, and after repair, they will run continously in BIOS mode without any kind of reboot or shutdown for 168 hrs.!! If your laptop CANNOT do this, it has one or more permanently damaged components and they all need to be replaced until it CAN do this!! 

If you cannot do this with your laptop, you need to take it into your local Computer Pro and pay to have it professionally diagnosed. All the stuff you have done is random, and you really haven't isolated the cause. This is a solvable problem; but if it is the Motherboard, you are looking at $175-$350 repair or more. It is solvable, but you need a professional to assist you at this point. I've fixed several "unfixable" laptops by other Techs in my community that do this sort of thing. 

For the rest of you guys posting you have the same problem; I suggest you start your own threads, and we can help each of you individually. Each laptop has it's own set of problems, and history; just like when you visit your Doctor--just because you have headache and your friend solved the problem with an aspirin or two doesn't mean you don't have something more serious. 

BIGBEARJEDI


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