Okay, once I get my warranty extended, I probably won't even worry about this, but I still want to see if I can fix the problem myself. I have several problems with my laptop. The computer doesn't recognize it's own AC Adapter, and therefore isn't charging the battery. The battery is now out of power, and I assume it has to be replaced. Recently though, we had a brown out at our house, and it completely shut down my computer. When I restarted it, I found that it has a very predictable skip and stutter every 2 seconds or so. Basically, it makes watching video intolerable, every action is slowed down considerably, and I can't get my cursor to go where I want because of the way it skips. I've run diagnostics on it, and have even set my laptop to factory restore settings. The problem remains. Does anybody know what is wrong, or if there's any way I can fix it? Quote

Okay, once I get my warranty extended, I probably won't even worry about this, but I still want to see if I can fix the problem myself. I have several problems with my laptop. The computer doesn't recognize it's own AC Adapter, and therefore isn't charging the battery. The battery is now out of power, and I assume it has to be replaced. Recently though, we had a brown out at our house, and it completely shut down my computer. When I restarted it, I found that it has a very predictable skip and stutter every 2 seconds or so. Basically, it makes watching video intolerable, every action is slowed down considerably, and I can't get my cursor to go where I want because of the way it skips. I've run diagnostics on it, and have even set my laptop to factory restore settings. The problem remains. Does anybody know what is wrong, or if there's any way I can fix it?


Problem # 1: AC Adapter not being recognized. Unfortunately on most laptops I have fixed, the problem is not in either the AC adapter or the battery. When the error comes up that the adapter is not recognize it is usually the pin in your laptop that the adapter plugs into. If this is the case, the reason for it happening is that the pin itself has seperated or is working away off of the board on the laptop. If this happens, the only thing that you can do is take it to someone to repair or repair it yourself. This repair requires the laptop taken apart and the pin resodered to the board itself. If you take it to Best Buy, minimum they will charge you $150. If you send it to the manufacturer it will cost you plus time without the laptop, lead time on repairs is usually 6 - 8 weeks. If you are confident enough you can do it yourself. This is the cheapest way, but it is a little labor intensive and caution if you have never soldered anything before. If you choose to repair it yourself, YouTube has alot of guides in taking apart your laptop, just search by brand and model.

Problem #2: Is the noise coming from the hard drive the only recourse would be to replace the hard drive. Vs. the adapter issue, replacing the hd is fairly simple. Usually two screws or a lock on the underside of the laptop and it should just pull out.

The RAM can also be affected by your "brown out", which resulted in a power surge. The RAM is easy to replace, similar to the hd replacement.

As with any computer equipment, it is always advisable to use a surge protector while plugged into a wall outlet.

Good Luck
Tim


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Thank you for the reply, Tim. You have basically confirmed that getting my warranty extended and having the computer repaired will be cheaper than trying to fix it myself or sending it to a repair shop. Luckily, with the warranty I had, the repair people come to my house and fix whatever is wrong. So, I won't be with this problem for very long.

Bit of advice to anybody buying a laptop. If you buy from Dell, buy from the small business side. The warranty is better, and is based in the US. You won't believe how good it is. It's worth the investment. Quote

Thank you for the reply, Tim. You have basically confirmed that getting my warranty extended and having the computer repaired will be cheaper than trying to fix it myself or sending it to a repair shop. Luckily, with the warranty I had, the repair people come to my house and fix whatever is wrong. So, I won't be with this problem for very long.

Bit of advice to anybody buying a laptop. If you buy from Dell, buy from the small business side. The warranty is better, and is based in the US. You won't believe how good it is. It's worth the investment.


Funny thing is disco, i sensed your issue would be with a dell. It seems that there production issues have problems with that solder connection on the board.

I love dells, had an inspiron for the last year before selling it. The laptops I repair, only dells have that problem that i saw.
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Funny thing is disco, i sensed your issue would be with a dell. It seems that there production issues have problems with that solder connection on the board.

I love dells, had an inspiron for the last year before selling it. The laptops I repair, only dells have that problem that i saw.



Well, I think the problem started after I had accidentally dropped my laptop from a short height. It might have caused the problem. This whole thing could have been my fault. The warranty I had covers accidental damage and the repair people come to me, so I don't have to send it out to anyone to get fixed. And I think if the computer is completely fucked up and they need to replace it, it will be replaced by a new model with similar specs. So, I may be getting a new laptop if this computer's really broken. Quote