Laptop power - really annoying problem, help appreciated!

whirlpool

Dell Inspiron 1501

Hey, I'd really appreciate some help with this.

I took my laptop apart in order to get rid of all the dust inside it. I then put it back together. (I'd never taken a computer or laptop apart before.) At the end I was left over with three or four small screws.

The laptop then would not work if the battery was inserted (with the AC plugged/unplugged.) The only way I could get the laptop to turn on was if the battery was not inserted.

Here's an example of an occurrence that was happening:
1> With the battery out and the AC in, I turned on the laptop.
2> Then I inserted the battery.
3> The laptop cut out.
4> I then removed the battery. And then the only way I could get the laptop to turn back on again was to unplug the socket from the wall and plug it back in.

I talked to Dell support on the phone. They said it sounds like the battery was damaged. Thankfully, my battery was still under warranty, so I returned it and they sent me out a replacement. (not Dell. I had bought the battery from a "Trusted Seller" on eBay.)

However, while this new battery works, the laptop will now only recognise either the battery OR the AC. It won't recognise both at the same time. And this means it won't charge the battery. The battery ran out of power. And when I have the laptop running on AC, and insert the battery, the laptop cuts out just as before.

The battery appears to be still functional, but merely out of power. (I did the green-light check on the battery.)

Anybody any idea what I need to do next?

Thanks!

jpl888

I suppose I'm not exactly a laptop hardware expert but at least I will get the ball rolling for you.

This sounds like a really difficult one to diagnose and suggest potential fixes.

It may be time to bend over, put you head between your knees and kiss your a** (laptop) goodbye.

Although if you were able to get the battery replaced under warranty could you not get Dell out to fix the whole thing and hope they don't notice you took the whole thing apart.

whirlpool

The laptop is fully functional when it is plugged in, so getting rid of it would be a waste.

I didn't buy the battery from Dell.

The laptop itself is three years old and is no longer under warranty.

jpl888

Well I don't know unless you can find somebody who specialises in laptop repair.

Or try to take the laptop apart again and find out what you did wrong, could again be futile.

No easy answers me thinks.

Best of luck with it.

whirlpool

Cheers for responding anyway!

Anyone else got any ideas?

duckysauce

check the contectors on the laptop that the battery sits into 5 or six copper prongs one of these may be bent

whirlpool

Cheers, I've checked that. They all seem to be straight, as far as I can see.

ldxo15wus6fpgm

I'd open her up again - you may have snagged a connector while you were cleaning the internals and not realised. I had a similar situation with my network card on my PC recently, turned out I had broken a soldered joint. I had no idea I'd done it.
Give a look over all the area you touched and follow the AC connector to the battery connectors as best you can, you might notice something obviously wrong.
If you're feeling brave (and you're fully alert) turn the laptop on with the parts still exposed, plug in the charger and then put the battery in, very little chance of this happening but if it's a dodgy solder joint it might make a tiny spark.

If you can't find anything you're confident you can fix yourself, take it to a shop. No point potentially destroying a good laptop trying to save 20 quid.

whirlpool

Cheers, munkymanmatt. Great advice. I'll have a think about following your steps. Otherwise yeah I think I might price a professional repair.

unnameduser

Pretty brave of you to take the whole laptop apart when you have never done so before.
At this point you may as well take it apart and have a look
It could simply be dust -you may have caused a short by moving dust to a new area of the MB
It may also be snagged cables, loose connections or you may have shorted something whilst taking it apart.

dazzday

At the end I was left over with three or four small screws.

hmmmm!

Download the product service manual and take it apart through its instructions...might give you a clearer indication as to what went wrong.

whirlpool

Cheers for all the info guys.

I'm gonna take it all on board, proceed, and then report back.