Here is a (relatively) short description of the problem: When I try to start the computer one of two things happen. Either the power light comes on for a few seconds, flashes and then turns off - the light with an "A" in a padlock blinks a few times as well. There is no sound coming from the computer so I know it is not booting. I first thought it might be a short, so I disconnected the battery and connected the laptop directly to the wall, but encountered the same results. Or, if I leave the computer for an hour and then try again, the system boots and asks me to reset the clock. I do this and continue to boot. The Windows screen appears and then freezes. Any help would be appreciated. I should also note I have moved to China from the US a few months ago, but my battery should support the 210 volts (no idea if this makes a difference). Thanks!
Dear yossarrian22, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of my diagnosis but I suspect a problem with either the RAM, HDD or motherboard. Since I don't really know what other troubleshooting steps you have done but there are a few things you can try: RAM 1. Try reseating the RAM and try again. 2. Try swapping the RAM with a known good RAM and try again. HDD 1. Try getting a spare known good hdd and try swapping it into your system. See if the problem still persists. 2. You can also try using the hdd on another machine that you know is working fine to rule out the hdd issue. Motherboard If both don't work there might be an issue with the motherboard. You could try calling up Dell if your system is still under warranty and see how they can assist you from there. Goodluck!
Posted on Sep 16, 2007
I think your system BIOS needs to be upgraded. You can go to the Dell website and doanload the BIOS upgrade and the flash the BIOS with it.
Posted on Sep 10, 2007
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Thanks for the suggestion but I have the updated BIOS on the machine already. Sorry I forgot to mention.
I was playing with the machine and I noticed that if I physically lifted the machine and tilted it back (got the idea from reading around on the net) the machine works fine. Problem is when I lay it flat again the system either freezes or shuts down. I am assuming something is loose, but I do not know enough about hardware to really pinpoint the problem. Thanks again for the help.
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