Help, Dell 1545 Problems

I have a Dell 1545 and i have been experiencing all kinds of problems with it.

When i was using the computer when it was working, it started getting very slow, especially when browsing the internet, and it got so slow, it would start loading something, and then completely shut off. And again it would not power back on, unless you took the battery out from the back and put it back in.

First, about a week ago i turned on my computer, and saw the following error " One of your disks needs to be checked for consistency"

Then after that happened, it was not able to check when the scan was run, the scan didnt work.....The computer completely shuts off when you use it. So i reformatted the hard drive, reinstalled windows, and then the same thing happens. I thought it was the hard drive so i replaced the hard drive, and it is still shutting down completely randomly.


I clean out the vent in the back, there is no hair, and it does not get hot.

When it shuts off, it wont turn back on, unless you remove the battery and put it back in. Now it wont even make it to the home screen, it will just shut off before it loads. I tried to run the F12 diagnostics, but it shuts off when its running. I dont understand what is wrong with this computer.

If anyone has any idea, again i have a brand new hard drive, and the computer is just turning off by itself. I dont think it is the battery because first, the battery has life in it, and 2nd, why would it turn on again when you take the battery out and put it back in the laptop?

NEED HELP!!!!! PLEASE

 

There is something going bad on your motherboard and there is probably nothing you can do about it.

The disk checking is probably caused by filesystem corruption due to the improper shutdowns.

I don't think replacing the mobo is worthwhile, and you should consider getting a new machine.

I'd say you're lucky you got the 4 or 5 years out of one of these cheaply built things.

 

I agree with Commander Wolf, that your best bet at this point is to buy a new laptop. Be happy that your 1545 lasted as long as it did. If you really do want to try to fix it, you can pick up used motherboards on eBay, but it's hard to say if you will be satisfied with the results, although replacing the motherboard sounds like a fun project to me. I believe there are videos on Youtube showing how to do it. You could buy a complete used 1545 laptop on eBay. They seem to be going for about $200. Again, that money could be spent toward the purchase of a new laptop. If you can wait until mid-2013, laptops with the new Intel Haswell CPU will be out, which promise to have much better battery life for approximately the same performance.

 

Yeah it is very strange, but it is not 4-5 years old. The computer is only 2 to 3 years old. I dont understand how all of a sudden it goes bad.

 

So your saying these 1545 only last 2 to 3 years? Its just so crazy...i found these computers used on ebay for around $200.

 

Even the computer place where i took this laptop to cant find what the problem is. They formatted the hard drive, reinstalled windows. Then they gave it back to me and it didnt work, started shutting down on its own and freezing up. I gave it back to them, they replaced the hard drive, and still the same problems, was working fine for the first hour, after i finished installing all the windows updates, was online and it shut off, then turned it back on, and it shut off again. Tried running diagnostic, and it couldnt even finish because it shut off.

Am i entitled a refund from this computer place because they did not fix the problem? I mean they charged me to reinstall windows and reformat the computer but they didnt fix the problem?

 

Do you know what diagnostic steps they did? Did they check ram and overheating issues? Maybe they didn't try very hard and just jumped straight to the "reinstall Windows" conclusion.

If it's shutting off by itself that sounds like overheating to me. Other common problems could be failing ram or hard drive, but you've replaced the hard drive and ram glitches usually result in blue screens or reboots rather than shutdowns.

You didn't mention whether you're certain the fan is turning, so confirm that first. Next check if the heat sink is clogged. Note you can't easily tell this just by looking at the rear vent on the case. The vent has big gaps that don't usually clog up, but the heat sink has a series of closely spaced metal fins and clogs easily. And if the heat is getting trapped and isn't making it to where the fan can blow it out the back, it won't feel like it's overheating when you hold your hand over the rear vent.

The 1545 isn't generally the easiest machine to work on, but fortunately the heat sink is one of the parts easy to get at simply by removing a door on the bottom of the case. Nevertheless, I'd take it back to the shop and have them do this step because it's an opportunity to repaste the heat sink at the same time. Remove the door and you'll see the copper heat pipe, which siphons heat from the CPU around into the rectangular radiator block. The fan blows air through the radiator fins and out the back of the case. Like the lint trap in a clothes dryer, over time a blanket of lint will gradually build up on the fan side of the radiator, blocking air flow through the radiator. It's not unusual to see a layer so thick you can peel it off like a blanket.

While they're in there, you should also have them replace the thermal paste between the CPU and heat sink. I've repasted a few 1545's, and IMHO they seem to be manufactured with low quality paste that dries out and loses thermal conductivity. The shop should be able to remove the dried out paste and replace it with new paste that will improve heat transfer.




Here's a closeup from the manual.

 

Just like the poster said sounds like the fan is dying or not working properly and you will need to replace it and reapply the thermal paste as well. As you noted you didn't see dust in the back and you won't you have to take about the fan out of the laptop to see the dust on the cooling fins and once you take out the cooling fins you will see the dust buildup on the inside not the outside. And also if you don't hear or feel air blowing out the back that usually a good sign the fan it dead. If the fan is bad buying a fan from from ebay won't be that bad of a repair for you. And to the shop that did your repair they should refund you the money but you need to read their policy what it really says about repairs if what they did didn't work or fix the problem. But I found most times taking apart the laptop and cleaning out the dust and fan and reapply thermal paste fixes alot of heat issues but that is only if those key components haven't gone bad. It will be easier to fix the fan and applying thermal paste then motherboard swamp or replacement. But those are the homework you must do yourself to know what might be the cause of overheating and shutdowns. Another test is put a laptop cooling pad under and see if the system doesn't shut off and if it doesn't then means you have a cooling problem. And either the cooling fins are clogged up with dust or the fan is not working.

Oh and to those telling computer should only last 4-5 years I have a dell XPS m1710 and 1525 and other from 2006 that still work and still is going so it's also how you take care of it and maintain it that will also determine it's lifespan as well.