Inspiron 1720 no POST

Hey guys,
My Inspiron 1720 froze today, and I had to hold down the power button to shut it down. Now it won't start - no post, no power to the LCD. I do get a power LED, and the HDD and WiFi LEDs come on for a second. Anyway, I just get blank screen and fans. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

 

Do you have the 8400m GS (or a similar nvidia GPU) or do you have the intel IGP?

 

moralhazard, the Inspiron 1720 has the option for the dedicated Nvidia GPU but it is unaffected by the Nvidia recall because it is a Dell proprietary module. This applies to Vostro 1500/1700 and Inspiron 1520/1720

What I would do in this order, keep going down the list.

Remove battery and AC adapter. Hold down power button for 30 seconds and try with just AC power. That resets battery memory.

Then reseat RAM/HDD.

Then try known good RAM.

Reimage OS/repair OS.

Reseat LCD cables.

Reseat GPU module (if you have discreet graphics).

Replace GPU module.

Replace motherboard.

 

moral hazard - the machine has an Nvidia 8600 GT card in it.
Last night before I saw these replies, I reseated the ram and HDD, and also the CMOS battery. No luck. However this morning when I got up the machine booted like normal.
Tsunade_Hime - I will try your suggestions if and when this happens again. I have a feeling it may. Thanks very much.

 

Really sounds like the GPU is going.

You can get a 8400m from ebay for $40 to test with.
NEW VOSTRO 1700 INSPIRON 1720 Nvidia Video Card FP363 - eBay (item 200556170073 end time Jan-16-11 20:47:34 PST)

You can also try baking the GPU:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...r-your-dead-graphics-card-your-alienware.html

 

Maybe it overheated? Go back to basics. Test AC adapter/battery first. Power problems unfortunately are the most overlooked problems. Then I'd say the motherboard then the GPU. The 1720 has a removable, Dell proprietary MXM Nvidia GPU, again unaffected by the Nvidia defects. However yours MAYBE crapping out. Update to the latest Nvidia Forceware drivers.

 

Ok why would it be unaffected by the Nvidia defects?

It's the same chip they use on their card as everyone else used. It's not like they made their own chips, all they made was the board to put the chip on.

Even the ASUS c90s had an 8600m GT that was an MXM card, but they still fail.

The part that fails is the solder BGA, it doesn't matter what it's soldered onto (motherboard or separate card), it's still going to fail.

Just because dell doesn't want to admit they have the same problem, it doesn't prove the card is a good one.

 

Well since it booted today it seems to be working OK, but I have a feeling it's going to happen again. I reinstalled the video drivers too.
EDIT: forgot to mention that I saw some video artifacts when it froze last night. It was like bits of static like you'd see on a TV. I've seen these artifacts before but they typically just clear up after a minute.

 

Artifacts do also point to a GPU problem.
Try changing the thermal paste if you can and clean out the dust, you want to keep it cool to try to keep it alive as long as possible.

 

Do you know offhand of any tutorials about changing thermal paste on a notebook video card?

 

It will be the same as changing it on a CPU.
Your paste should come with instructions (or a link to their website).

Just make sure that after you change the paste and screw the heatsink on, take the heatsink back off to check that the paste spread well and then clean it up and re-paste.

Good vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXLu1Ms-q4

 

I have pictures of my Vostro 1500 repasting guide in my signature. It has the same basic layout of a Inspiron 1720 (essentially a 17" version of my notebook). The Inspiron 1720/Vostro 1700 have the same Nvidia GPU module actually, just the heatsink/heatpipe P/N are different than the Inspiron 1520/Vostro 1500 because it is a larger laptop.

Go to support.dell.com and download the service manual.

I would try to install the latest Nvidia Forceware driver before a major hardware change like that.

Moral hazard, Dell made a proprietary GPU module for Vostro 1500/1700 Inspiron 1520/1720. Yes it houses the chip but it is soldered into a PCB that connects to the motherboard. And neither of the models listed above were listed for the Nvidia lawsuit, yes I know not all models are listed. I have gamed with my notebook for over 3.5 years, no defect so far.

 

The thing is, it doesn't matter what it's soldered to...
I have 2 dead 9500m GS MXM cards. The chip is soldered to the card, then the card sits in an mxm slot.
Both cards still failed and I baked them back to life (then they died again after a few days).

BTW not all of them are going to fail, it's just those GPUs have a higher chance than most others.

 

When the 1720's GPU fails, the right side LEDs, will flash 3 times, signaling a failure and needing replacement. When a no POST happens its generally a motherboard issue/static problem.

It's recommended to do your cleanup every 3 - 6 months of dust buildup for best results.

To access the GPU core you need a torx screwdriver to do so.

This is your entire motherboard layout, GPU on the left.


GPU when pulled out.


Using the torx screwdriver, remove the the 4 torx screws from the spreader, exposing the GPU core (right) Use Arctic Clean or Isopropyl alcohol to remove the existing paste carefully.

 

Hi Folks,
Thanks for the replies. I haven't had a chance to change the thermal paste yet. Everything was ok for a while, but tonight my screen went black for a short time. When the picture came back on, and I had a message that the nvidia drivers crashed and were recovered. I tried to reboot but now the laptop won't post again. I see a good deal on ebay for a replacement, can anyone confirm that this is the correct part?
NEW Dell Vostro 1700 Inspiron 1720 Video Card UW390 - eBay (item 380253303757 end time Feb-18-11 06:32:54 PST)
Edit: But if it's the motherboard, like Tsunade_Hime and SomeFormOFhuman are suggesting, then what could I do? Is it worth it/cheap enough to replace or should I just get a new machine?

 

Yes that is the right P/N.

If Nvidia drivers keep crashing it most likely means your GPU is defective or you have bad drivers. I would try reinstalling Nvidia drivers first.

The motherboard swap isn't terribly difficult, just keep track of your screws and use the service manual. Or it could be time to look at a new notebook, up to you.

 

Several weeks ago when I posted this topic, my computer starting working again, and I immediately reinstalled the drivers at that point. But I cannot reinstall them now that we are back to the non-bootage and non-POSTage. I don't want to spend $60 if the graphics are not necessarily the problem, but since I was getting these artifacts and driver crashes, I suspect that it's the GPU instead of the mobo. I have had this machine for 2.5 years, using it heavy duty for 3D rendering and CAD, and some gaming. Already I replaced the ram and the ethernet card, as well as the speaker jack (although the speaker jack was my fault). I am disappointed in the poor quality of this Dell machine for it to be not booting after only 2.5 years.
edit: additional info

 

Haha, it booted again after I baked the GPU. After I baked it I also put on new paste.

 

Good to hear about your updates. I shall admit having not checked back this forum for ages. Apparently you're one of the few 1720 owners that is with the GPU issue. (Then again for most 8 and 9 series Nvidia cards) But do remember that baking is a temporary issue to get it working. It might fail again some other time - or even a short while.

 

Well that's good to hear. Keep us updated on how long the GPU baking lasts or post in Commander Wolf's GPU making thread in the Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades section.

 

Thanks guys,
You are quite right, I am now realizing. My machine certainly booted, but I can tell from screen flickers and driver crashes that I don't have too long on this thing. I went ahead and ordered a new card for $60 in the mean time. The success did, however, cause me to lean more towards blaming the GPU than motherboard, because that was a debate in this thread.
From now on I am also going to monitor my temps, I didn't do that in the past. I didn't think it was important because I wasn't OCing or anything, and I wasn't aware of any nvidia defects.
edit: clarification