Help on Dead Dell XPS M1210

Hey:

I have been using my Dell XPS M1210 for 2.5 years now. It has been a great laptop, only big issue has been a dying battery which is something that has occurred to most close friends that own the same model. Recently, my laptop shut down on its own. After this occurred, it wouldn't start up again. When I hit the power button, no sound comes out of the computer. There is no noticeable hard drive spin, fan noise or anything. The screen does not flicker or show any sign of life. The power LED shines for 5 seconds and then goes down.

I tried FN+Power button to no success. Also, if I leave the power button pushed down, the power LED flashes after 5 seconds and continues to stay on until the next 5 seconds doing a cycle that only ends once I stop pushing the button. I tested my battery on another XPS M1210 and it worked well. Also, I tested another battery on my XPS and it did the same thing.

I am currently out of warranty. I don't know what to do to test the failing component. Since I don't know what the specific problem could be, I don't know how much a repair could end up being.

Any ideas on what could be wrong, what could be done?

 

Sounds like the motherboard is dead. You can contact Dell about purchasing a replacement or swap out the mobo from the other M1210 to troubleshoot.

 

The other XPS M1210 is not mine. So, I would have to contact Dell for motherboard replacement.

Do you know how much would that be? I am considering that as the main factor between repairing it or buying something new.

 

The last time I got a motherboard from Dell it was around $200. You could also look on eBay for parted out machines.

 

, considering I use my XPS lightly that makes me consider the option of an Acer 900HA for 320.

 

Any other ideas?

 

Help please.

 

What do you need help with yet?

 

Well, I still don't know a sure fire way to see what is the problem. Also, I don't know if it's worth it to repair a Mobo or just forget about it.

 

There is no easy way to diagnose a bad motherboard other than swap it out which isn't feasible. Yours displays a lot of the characteristics of a dead mobo. You can call Dell for the price or check on Ebay.

 

Mobos are on Ebay for 200+.

I will contact Dell for more info.

 

Many Dell XPS M1210s have failed due to faulty NVidia GPUs. This is a known issue, and Dell will under some circumstances replace motherboards for free - even if your warranty has expired. I know, because the GPU in my wife's XPS M1210 failed outside warranty, and after troubleshooting the problem Dell replaced it free of charge.

See my blog post NVidia GPU bug with Dell XPS M1210 for details including the email I sent to Dell regarding the issue. Feel free to use that email as a template.