[PIG20]

I was wondering if someone here can assist me with an issue with my Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop. I've searched all over the internet and found a few possible solutions but some of these solutions require spending hundreds of dollars with no real promise of a fix. I was just hoping someone here has had the same exact problem that I have had and has maybe found a solution to the issue.

The problem is that while using the laptop yesterday, it all of a sudden powered down for no reason. I then tried to restart the computer with no luck. Then about 15 or so minutes later I tried restarting it again and it worked. After about 20 or so minutes of use, the laptop once again shut down on its own. So I figured that maybe it was an overheating issue. I pulled the heat sync out and to no surprise there was a nice patch of dust and gunk clogged up on the one side of the heat sync closest to the fan. So I cleaned it off, sprayed out the insides with canned air and put everything back together with the hopes that it would work. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

So another issue I read about was a faulty power problem and that sometimes the power module goes bad in turn the battery does not charge and the unit can't be run when plugged in. I think this could be the problem but again, I'm not sure and a new power module runs upwards of $140. I've also read that the mother board could be bad as well. So buying either part would be guessing on my end.

I will add that when the charger was plugged into the laptop, normally there is a little power light at the front of the laptop that would glow a white color when the unit was receiving power. As of right now, that light does not turn on when the charger is plugged into the laptop. I also borrowed a neighbors Dell laptop charger and that did not make the light turn on either.

Ok, before anyone says, "its gotta be the power module", here is another twist. While I was able to get the laptop working one of the few times, I decided to check the battery charge and to my surprise it was showing a 95% charge when I checked. So the battery was almost at full charge and yet I still get no power whatsoever.

So I'm pretty much at a loss here as you can see. The battery is almost fully charged, the charger seems to be getting power, no led charging light on the laptop, laptop will not turn on, and when it did turn on, it shut down soon after on its own.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

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So I figured that maybe it was an overheating issue. I pulled the heat sync out and to no surprise there was a nice patch of dust and gunk clogged up on the one side of the heat sync closest to the fan. So I cleaned it off, sprayed out the insides with canned air and put everything back together with the hopes that it would work. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

I hope you re-applied thermal paste again to the heat sink and fan?

How to apply thermal paste

[123Runner]

So I figured that maybe it was an overheating issue. I pulled the heat sync out and to no surprise there was a nice patch of dust and gunk clogged up on the one side of the heat sync closest to the fan. So I cleaned it off, sprayed out the insides with canned air and put everything back together with the hopes that it would work. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

I hope you re-applied thermal paste again to the heat sink and fan?

How to apply thermal paste

[PIG20]

Yes, good point but I did apply new thermal paste to the heat sync. But you also mention something about applying thermal paste to the fan. Where would the paste be applied on the fan?

I used arctic silver 5.

Edited by PIG20, 03 July 2011 - 04:05 PM.

[PIG20]

Ok, so after playing around with this a little more yesterday, I was able to get the laptop to power up numerous times only for it to shut down soon after. I'm thinking it could be the power module because the way I was getting it to work would be to pull the charger in and out and each time trying to power up the laptop. Every once in a while, I would get it to work.

I went ahead and ordered the DC power module and I'll resolder the new one to the board. I hope that this is the problem. I will post back to see if this is the issue. I figure the part is only costing me $7 so its worth a shot.

I could just have a faulty mother board as well but if it were the board, I would assume that I would get no respsone at all.

[DonFrank]

A hundred dollar can save it out now very simple