Problem with Dell laptop 'blanking out' and not booting properly.

Geshpenst · 04-05-2007, 08:23 PM

Hi,

Recently I purchased a Dell Inspiron 6400 running Vista Home Basic, with no problems for the first couple of weeks. However 2 days ago the system seemed to switch itself off with no warning. The power light was still on, as was the bluetooth and num lock light. The music I was playing at the time also stopped, so it wasn't just the monitor switching off.

When I turned it back on, the power light came on and I was able to open and close the CD drive but nothing seemed to boot. I left it for about 10 mins and it seemed to boot up fine after this point, however about 20 mins later the same thing happened.

The next day the system seemed to work fine, with no issues at all. However that night the same thing stared happening, only more severe. Now the system will sometimes 'cut out' while booting, before windows even starts. The same thing happened when lauching in safe mode, and when running the Dell diagnostics. After a 'cut out' I'll have to wait several minutes to even get the Dell logo before another 'cut out'.

There was even a stage when the system started, but the monitor went blank and the startup sound played as though the system had started as normal. Another occurance had the monitor giving a flickering across the screen upon startup.

I rang the Dell support and they said it sounded like an overheating problem, which is what I suspected. I've got a technician coming around to have a look at it on Wednesday, but is there any other possibilities to a problem causing the system 'blank outs'?

Thanks in advance.

**TheMatt** · 04-05-2007, 08:49 PM

Hi,

Overheating definitely sounds like the issue. What I would recommend you do is once the problem is fixed, set the power Scheme to Portable/Laptop. That way, Intel SpeedStep will be enabled and your processor will produce less heat.

You can monitor the temps of your CPU with MobileMeter from my sig. If you have an ATI Mobility Radeon graphics card, you can monitor the temps of that with ATI Tray Tools. The temps of each should not go above 70 degrees (c).

If the problem presists, you should look into a cooling pad. Both these are effective cooling pads. The second one is much more comfortable on the lap, but a bit more expensive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834999336
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835192013

Another trick you can try is removing the battery when the laptop is running of AC power. The battery is a large source of heat, and removing it will help eliminate some of the heat inside the laptop.

Geshpenst · 04-05-2007, 08:52 PM

The power scheme is set to 'Dell Recommended'. I don't think I have anything on there called 'Intel Speedstep'.

For now the laptop is pretty much unusable, guess I'll have to wait for the techie to fix whatever it is that's stopped working. I'll definitely look into a cooling mat though. Thanks for the tip on the battery, as well.

I'm on a Radeon X1400, I'll have a look at tray tools once it's all running again.

DellCA · 04-17-2007, 01:17 PM

Hi-

My name is John, and I work at Dell headquarters. I ran across your thread, and it doesn't look like your problem's been fixed. It looks like a definite overheating problem, one which will probably require some parts replacement. If you haven't been able to contact our support, or have and haven't been helped, feel free to contact me:

This e-mail address has been edited out to prevent spam. Please use this link to send a PM to DellCA to request the e-mail address.

I'd be more than happy to look into the problem and see what we can do to get you fixed up!

04-05-2007, 08:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
Geshpenst Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4 OS: XP SP2	Problem with Dell laptop 'blanking out' and not booting properly. Hi, Recently I purchased a Dell Inspiron 6400 running Vista Home Basic, with no problems for the first couple of weeks. However 2 days ago the system seemed to switch itself off with no warning. The power light was still on, as was the bluetooth and num lock light. The music I was playing at the time also stopped, so it wasn't just the monitor switching off. When I turned it back on, the power light came on and I was able to open and close the CD drive but nothing seemed to boot. I left it for about 10 mins and it seemed to boot up fine after this point, however about 20 mins later the same thing happened. The next day the system seemed to work fine, with no issues at all. However that night the same thing stared happening, only more severe. Now the system will sometimes 'cut out' while booting, before windows even starts. The same thing happened when lauching in safe mode, and when running the Dell diagnostics. After a 'cut out' I'll have to wait several minutes to even get the Dell logo before another 'cut out'. There was even a stage when the system started, but the monitor went blank and the startup sound played as though the system had started as normal. Another occurance had the monitor giving a flickering across the screen upon startup. I rang the Dell support and they said it sounded like an overheating problem, which is what I suspected. I've got a technician coming around to have a look at it on Wednesday, but is there any other possibilities to a problem causing the system 'blank outs'? Thanks in advance. Last edited by Geshpenst; 04-05-2007 at 08:24 PM.

04-05-2007, 08:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: Problem with Dell laptop 'blanking out' and not booting properly. Hi, Overheating definitely sounds like the issue. What I would recommend you do is once the problem is fixed, set the power Scheme to Portable/Laptop. That way, Intel SpeedStep will be enabled and your processor will produce less heat. You can monitor the temps of your CPU with MobileMeter from my sig. If you have an ATI Mobility Radeon graphics card, you can monitor the temps of that with ATI Tray Tools. The temps of each should not go above 70 degrees (c). If the problem presists, you should look into a cooling pad. Both these are effective cooling pads. The second one is much more comfortable on the lap, but a bit more expensive. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834999336 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835192013 Another trick you can try is removing the battery when the laptop is running of AC power. The battery is a large source of heat, and removing it will help eliminate some of the heat inside the laptop. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

04-05-2007, 08:52 PM	#3 (permalink)
Geshpenst Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 4 OS: XP SP2	Re: Problem with Dell laptop 'blanking out' and not booting properly. The power scheme is set to 'Dell Recommended'. I don't think I have anything on there called 'Intel Speedstep'. For now the laptop is pretty much unusable, guess I'll have to wait for the techie to fix whatever it is that's stopped working. I'll definitely look into a cooling mat though. Thanks for the tip on the battery, as well. I'm on a Radeon X1400, I'll have a look at tray tools once it's all running again.

04-17-2007, 01:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
DellCA Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 89 OS: XP	Re: Problem with Dell laptop 'blanking out' and not booting properly. Hi- My name is John, and I work at Dell headquarters. I ran across your thread, and it doesn't look like your problem's been fixed. It looks like a definite overheating problem, one which will probably require some parts replacement. If you haven't been able to contact our support, or have and haven't been helped, feel free to contact me: This e-mail address has been edited out to prevent spam. Please use this link to send a PM to DellCA to request the e-mail address. I'd be more than happy to look into the problem and see what we can do to get you fixed up! __________________ Dell Customer Advocate Last edited by TheMatt; 04-17-2007 at 07:04 PM. Reason: Edited out e-mail address.