inspiron 9300 won't power up -- adapter dead?

Guys,

I bought an Inspiron 9300 2 years ago. Last night I took it to my father's office, and I plugged it in there, because my battery lasts for like, 30 minutes now. So I used it fine, all night long, and left the AC adapter plugged in.

So today I go there and the notebook won't turn on. I look at the AC adapter and the green light indicator isn't on. So I take the AC adapter back to my room and plug it in an outlet that I know is good (I've been using it for 2 years now, geez). The green light turns on (hooray!) but as soon as I plug the cable to the notebook, it turns off (boo! )

I went through the dell.com steps, and the last 4 steps I could follow were:

so I chose "The AC adapter LED is steady green.". then:

I chose "The AC adapter LED goes out or dims or blinks when attached to the system.", and it sent me to a page where they said I should contact Dell!

So I tried to contact dell through the chat thingy, and they said I couldn't because my warranty expired (it did). So I tried to call Dell and they said their phone service hours had already ended (I'm in Brazil and it goes from 8am to 6pm).

So you guys are my last resort. Anyone had this happen? I tried googling this but the results weren't so accurate, so I thought I'd ask here. Help?

 

no one? anyone?

 

I have an Inspiron d505 with the same problem. I tripped over the power cord and when I plug the ac adapter in the hole, the light on the ac adapter goes out. Dell says I need a new motherboard. I think there is a short in the part of the computer where the ac adapter plugs in.

There is some fellow on EBay who claims to fix these DC input plugs for about $90, though being from Brazil, shipping is a lot to the States. EBay also has a fair number of Dell laptops with motherboards in plastic cases, so swapping in your hard drive, screen, memory and the like is another viable option. I'd have a computer persson do this though unless you are really handy with a steady hand and good eyes.

 

Try taking out the battery and connecting the adapter.

 

gridtalker: i tested with the battery and without. no dice

i tested the AC adapter with a voltimeter, and it seems to be alright. but i still can't power up my notebook.


i'm starting to think it's the motherboard. i think i could replace it myself, i'm not so bad with electronics, but where the hell would i buy one, and how much would that cost, anyone know?

 

Hello,

This is Richard from Dell's Online Community Outreach group. From what you describe it is a motherboard problem. It is impossible to say if the AC plug or the power circuits on the board is at fault. Which ever is at cause the motherboard should be replaced.

You are able to purchase a new board from Dell or from another reliable source. You may also request Dell to setup an order for a certified Dell technician to install the board for you. There would be a separate fee which would be bill by that technician.

Regards,

Richard B
Dell Online Community Outreach

 

whoa.

it indeed was the motherboard. i took it to a local electronics guru and he couldn't fix it. now i want to buy a motherboard, but i can't find the damned IDE motherboard, only the SATA models

now, i could buy the SATA mobo, but i'd have to buy a SATA hard drive as well. can i buy one off newegg or something like that or is it a specific dell hard drive? what are the compatibility issues here?

thanks again, this forum never fails to deliver

 

It doesn't have to be dell specific hard-drive. As long as the HDD is SATA (assuming you are going to buy a SATA mb), it will work fine. Good luck!

 

yeah i got scared to death when my computer just shut off and the adapter light was off luckily it was an adapter for me. glad to see someones trying to keep a old 9300 on the road they are still much better then the low end laptops out there today.

 

well i loved this baby and swore by it until the day it stopped working. i always praised dell laptops highly for this very fact. i recommended everyone of my friends looking for a laptop to go dell. then it died on me

brazilian dell doesn't support i9300s, unfortunately. i couldn't even buy the AC adapter if i tried. i'm trying to find a reputable seller on ebay so i can find someone to bring it to me

but yeah, i9300s are sweet. when they work. the only thing that i thought was subpar was the screen with the light leak but it really didn't bother me at all. great solid machine.

 

My wife's e1705 has the same issue. I was thinking the contacts on the mobo would need to be resoldered, but I haven't had time to take it in to be diagnosed.

I'm thinking she's gonna need a new mobo as well.