Resolved Dell 1764 won't boot

laptop was running great, then just shut off. when i try to boot, the first screen starts and then shuts off, the on button does nothing, i have to unplug it then replug, it keeps getting to the first screen then dies, i try hitting f2 but nothing? also with the battery in, it wont do anything at all, if i take the battery out and plug the power cord in, it tries to start on its own but shuts off at the first screen right away, it will do the same thing when i unplug the power cord and put the battery in but if both are in, it wont do anyting at all.

 

Try cleaning the interior of the computer by blowing compressed air through the vents. Be careful using the air. You don't want to spin the fan to fast. Is there ample space for the vents to for there job on the surface where you are using the machine.

 

ok tried that but nothing. same thing happens. the laptop sits on a table so plenty of air flow

 

Does it stay running for a while (say half an hour) while in the BIOS/CMOS Setup?

 

no it shuts right off as soon as the first screen starts. it did boot up and run last night for a few hours then just quit.

 

Sounds like it may be a fairly serious hardware issue then. Could be due to severe dirt/dust; bad/or missing thermal grease between the CPU and heatsink; moisture/gotten wet; bad caps; possibly electrical damage (short/ESD/lightning). Has it ever been opened up?

 

i got it used from a guy so not sure, he did give me a test report when i got it from him a few months ago, i opend the cover to the ram and hard drive, looks really clean there

 

If it can't even stay running while in the CMOS/BIOS Setup, there is a hardware problem somewhere.

I wonder if it's flaky/failing RAM. Do you, or someone you know have some other known-good RAM you could try temporarily?

 

i have an older lapto, would that ram work or does it need to be current

 

The Dell 1764 has two RAM slots and can hold up to 8GB (4GBx2) of either DDR3 PC3-10600 or DDR3 PC3-12800 (non-ECC) SODIMM 204-Pin Notebook Memory Modules. They look like this:

 

i'm on a acer from 2009, i can try to swap them?

 

What's the model number of the Acer?

 

its is a 5515

 

Nope, the Acer Aspire 5515 uses DDR2.

 

i pulled the ram from the dell. they are labled: 2GB 2Rx8 PC3-07-10-F2
M471B5673EH1-CF8 0947

 

M471B5673EH1-CF8's are Samsung 2GB PC3-8500 204-pin DDR3 SO-DIMMs. (A bit slower than what it's supposed to be ... according to Crucial).

If you look at the RAM in the Acer, you'll see 200-pin DDR2 SO-DIMM(s). Click the example in my last post above for a larger comparision. Neither the slots or the number of pins match up.

 

so what should i do at this point? is there any way to get the ram chips tested or should i buy 8gb ram set and where can i get the best price?

 

It may NOT be the RAM. And the only (inexpensive) way to test it is to try yours in another computer and see if it causes the same problem or, try other RAM in yours and see if the problem disappears.

 

sounds like i need to take it to a shop then? i dont know anyone with computer parts. If it starts again, is there any way to check it out?

 

Yep, sounds like it.

Oh, just thought of something. Check all the USB ports to make sure none of the pins have come loose and are touching/nearly touching each other. Or, I've also even seen broken off pieces of USB devices stuck down in the port.