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    dell 2100 hard crashes - what's wrong?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by drumfu, Apr 11, 2005.

  1. drumfu

    drumfu super modfu

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    (this might be better suited for the hardware thread? mods, feel free to move to wherever)

    i'm happily using my new 6000, but i have a 3 year old inspiron 2100 that is in perfect condition except for a weird crashing problem.

    system hard crashes at random intervals, usually within minutes of use. this isn't a crash where the cursor freezes on the screen or apps stop functioning, rather the system will abruptly power off in the same way it would if you held the power button down.

    i have tried to isolate the problem, here is what i've done...

    1. it's not the RAM chip, i used 2 different chips and the same thing happened for both.
    2. it's not the HD, i used 2 different HDs (one is brand new), same problem
    3. it's not the CMOS battery. i replaced it with a new one and problem persists
    4. installed XP home, XP pro, 2000, and even windows ME to no avail; problem persists
    5. battery is useless, but problem persists on a/c whether battery is in the lappy or not
    6. note the problem has worsened over time, it used to crash like this never, then rarely, then often, and now you can't go more than a few minutes before the machine powers off

    the lappy is in really great condition, the LCD is still perfect, keyboard is perfect, have a brand new HD, new RAM, etc.

    the only thing i can think of is a fried motherboard which i really hope it isn't. other than the above mentioned items, what could be causing the problem?

    any help?
     
    drumfu, Apr 11, 2005
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  2. Andrew Baxter

    Andrew Baxter -

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    you say the battery is useless so I'm going to assume it holds no charge, maybe the power jack connection is loose and when it wiggles even a little you lose any precious source of power? This could only be tested by unplugging and running on battery alone which would mean having a new battery. Not sure if you'd be willing to invest in that just for this experiment.

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    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 2, 2015
    Andrew Baxter, Apr 11, 2005
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  3. drumfu

    drumfu super modfu

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    i ripped the entire thing apart tonite and looked for a short on the motherboard. couldn't find anything. checked the a/c connector and it looked and felt solid. yeah, the battery will barely make it through POST, but i don't wanna fork out the $ for a new one just to test the theory.

    o well, it served me well through 3 years of law school. i just hate to see it rot in a case when everything else on it is perfect except for a random crashing problem.
     
    drumfu, Apr 12, 2005
    #3