I think my M17x just died

Ok so I was just copying few gbs of data into my m17x and all the sudden it shut off. No warning or anything just a black screen like it had now power left. Eventhough it was plugged in and battery was 100% full. Now I try to turn it on and nothing happens. absolutely nothing. In other words the machine just doesn't even start. When i plug it it without battery the red light comes on under the logo and start button. I press it and no more light.

I don't know if my laptop just died, does anyone have any idea ?

 

do a power drain
(remove battery, unplug & hold the power button for 20 seconds)
and see if that changes anything. but it sounds like a short on the MB

 

is your m17x R1 or R2?

 

As was wisely suggested - power drain.
If it doesn't help - call Dell.

 

I did a power drain before and tried again but nothing changed, and mine is R1.

I called Dell for help and they said since its out of warranty they won't do anything. Now I have to figure out myself what is actually faulty. If it is the MB where can I get a new one ? I assume I have to get it from Dell but will they sell me a new MB ?

 

You may find cheaper parts on Ebay.

 

yeah if you need a new MB your better off finding one on ebay. dell will burn you. i think i saw one for around $200. ill see if i can find another one, i had a one a few weeks ago but i used it. i would try some other stuff before i went that far though, you might want to try & determine why it just shorted , like retrace your steps.
edit: here is one super cheap
http://cgi.ebay.com/TESTED-Dell-Ali...=ViewItem&pt=Motherboards&hash=item4cefa5ddb5

 

Wow, that is cheap. That would be worth buying just to have as a spare considering the astronimical price dell charges.

 

Ouch, always maintaing a good warranty. Sounds expensive. Try pulling the CMOS battery for a few min. Than plug it back in and try starting it up.

 

In unplugged the CMOS cable and put it back it but nothing changed. Then I found a loosen cable underneath the touch screen panel which was connected to the power button. Put it back in place and turned on the laptop, got to desktop screen then it did the freaking same thing and shut off for no reason...

 

Instead of going to the desktop screen try running the diagnostics and see what happens, I think something, either hardware or even a fubar driver is choking your system and perhaps diagnostics will reveal the error.

 

I wish I could get to that desktop screen again. The laptop just doesn't start.

 

I would take it apart and re-seat everything (CPU, RAM, HDD and all the cables).

 

Hi puffa6,
Is there any chance that you get a combination of lights on your caps, scroll, and num lock LEDs.

Thanks,
Gabe

 

Yes, open the system, re-seat all the cables and components and try again. As soon as you can turn it on - run diagnostics.