Dell Inspiron 8600 Has Stopped Powering On, Fan?

[larrytucaz]

I posted about this machine earlier (link at end of post), I was having "physical memory dump" (or blue-screen-of-death) messages with the Dell Inspiron 8600 I just purchased here. I swapped the locations of the 2 memory chips and it fixed everything. Wonderful bliss.

Then it came crashing down on me.

All of a sudden, it stopped powering up. The screen flickers just for a bit and all the green lights light up, just for a second, then it goes to the caps-lock indicator (that's what I think it is) flickering and then it gives up and shuts down. It appears to be a fan issue, because the little circulation fan on the bottom won't spin when you power it on.

Good grief!

I don't recall seeing any warning messages prior about the fan failing or the like. I can say that I did, earlier, remove the fan looking for the WiFi card to see what kind it was (to get its driver), but I replaced it properly and the machine was working for quite awhile until now, no problems.

I researched online for other persons experiencing the same thing & read where some stated it was, in fact, a total motherboard failure, but I'm thinking that what's going on is it is refusing to turn on fully as it's "sensing" that the circulation fan won't work.

Is there anyway to determine exactly what's going on, if it is the fan vs a dead board etc? (It would seem that you'd at least get a "powering down" message to flicker on the screen vs just those flickers with it then giving up.) If it is the fan, is it an easy replacement? Any past experiences that might shine a light? Is this a common occurrence?

Grrrrrr!!

LRH
Earlier Post: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2091444

 

[mfenn]

Sounds like you should've just built a rig as we originally suggested.

Anyway, it, as you say, could be the motherboard or the fan. You can try to "push start" the fan with your finger and see if it begins spinning and allows the computer to boot. If it is just the fan, it should be a fairly easy fix assuming that it is a standard size.

 

[larrytucaz]

(mfenn) I did order a $5 replacement fan from eBay. It is simply a matter of removing 2 screws and popping it in.

I'm only distressed because I hope I'm not stuck with a lemon. I just got this 2 days ago and have had this happen. The seller is reputable but I'm nervous just the same. When it works, it works just last the type of laptop I'm looking for. Trouble is, it's not working regularly. Maybe it's just kinks that need to be worked out, but if not--I sure hope I haven't committed to a moneypit.

 

[imagoon]

A dead fan shouldn't cause what your describing. Sounds like a dead PSU to me. Maybe a dead MB but less likely so.

 

[mfenn]

A dead fan shouldn't cause what your describing. Sounds like a dead PSU to me. Maybe a dead MB but less likely so.

Dells are super integrated though. I have seen them refuse to start when a fan doesn't report its RPM.

 

[imagoon]

Dells are super integrated though. I have seen them refuse to start when a fan doesn't report its RPM.

True but of the 18 different Dell models I have in this office, they boot, say "Fan failure or Thermal solution compromised", and then power off. Not make the power led / caps lock pulse.

Actually check that... that is a laptop. Being a consumer model I don't know if I have access to the boot code documents or not...

Does it blink the caps lock 10 times? If so it means bad RAM / Bad ram socket. I don't have the complete list as Dell doesn't have it in the business repair docs since it is a 'consumer' laptop. As a side note, the machine seems to have a particularly bad 'history' of keyboard light error codes = bad system board also.

 

[REC]

While I agree with Imagoon that it sounds more like PSU than a fan for a desktop situation, this is on an Inspiron which is a Laptop, which makes this a bit more complicated.

In most laptops, the Power Supply (PSU) is integrated onto the motherboard. So, if your PSU fails, you have to replace the whole mobo. Power supply failure is very common in desktops, but much less common in laptops.

The curve-ball in this case is the memory issue. Running at too low of a voltage will make the sticks behave sporatically; also, a bad chip will make it behave the same. So let's troubleshoot the memory out:

With the laptop off and the power cable disconnected, remove the battery. Pull out both sticks, and place 1 stick into the lowest slot (closest to the motherboard). Reconnect the power cable but do not replace the battery. Attempt to boot.

Take note of the results, then disconnect the power (power down first if necessary), swap the sticks using the lowest slot for the new stick, reconnect the power and reattempt. If it turned on with one stick but not the other, the other stick is bad.

The system will not boot with a bad stick in the lowest slot, and will cause LOTS of issues with it in the second slot.

If it doesn't boot with either stick, either both are bad or it is a different issue; most likely it is a PSU issue. If you just bought it and it's not a used model it should be under warranty and/or return policy. Return the machine to the store or have it shipped for service.

 

[larrytucaz]

(imagoon) Yes, the CAPS LOCK blinks about 10 times or so (after the other ones, initially, glow--only to then shut off altogether), which would support my findings (to come).

Someone at work who works in MIS suggested I play with switching the memory chips around again (which is what I did before to prevent the "physical memory dump" blue screen of death), and sure enough--it fired up. In fact, I'm typing this up from that laptop right now.

I simply removed 1 of the chips (DIMM A, the one nearest the FRONT of the unit, farthest from the LCD) and it's running. I will try other configurations, but I guess I have my answer--my memory chips (one or both) are apparently bad.

The only thing is, the fan STILL isn't running. I have read that some laptops have both CPU and GPU fans, I wonder if that's the case here. (The fan is highly visible & is as easily accessible as removing the memory chips or DVD drive etc.) In any case I purchased another on eBay for $5 (it simply screws in place with 2 screws on the bottom) and will try that out. I will say that the laptop isn't hot on the bottom like it was yesterday (then again I'm running it via the battery right now vs the AC adapter).

I guess, between the memory chips causing the "physical memory dump" problem and now this, I guess I have bad memory chips. The thing to do, then, would be (it seems) to replace the memory--and hope the seller is okay with reimbursing me for that (much as how, for instance, I reimbursed someone $30 who bought my netbook and found the battery life too short, I found a replacement online for $30 and refunded that to him).


LRH

 

[REC]

[Disregard, misposted to this thread]