[hayleypm93]

My Dell Inspiron is a few years old now, but I've never had any real problems with it. Anyways, I haven't been treating it any different than normal and it's started having a problem--it randomly decides to go into standby mode now.
Here's what happens:
I turn the laptop on, everything starts up just fine, it finally loads the main screen, then a few seconds later it will go into Standby mode, so I trigger it back on, then it almost immediately goes back into Standby mode, and this happens over for maybe four or five times before it stays on. But it can't seem to go 15 minutes without going through the process again.
I'm running a Dell Inspiron N4010
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU P6100 @ 2.00GHz 2.00GHz; 64-bit
Not sure what other info I need to add.

No, I'm no longer under warranty--and I don't have the money to spend on a new laptop. Please help!

Ps: In the ten minutes it took to write this post, it went into Standby mode three times.

 

[chauffeur2]

Hi hayleypm93, :wave:

Are you using the AC adapter when this problem occurs, or is the laptop on battery only when it happens?
Please post back with the information.

Kind Regards,

 

[hayleypm93]

Hi there! Thanks for your reply.

It does it regardless if it is plugged in or not. I just got a new charger, too.

 

[chauffeur2]

Hello Again hayleypm93, :wave:

Lets see if adjusting the Power Options helps.
To do this, follow these instructions...

Click the Windows Orb (the old Start Button), > Control Panel > Power Options > in the Left Menu > Change when the computer sleeps > set all options to Never > Save Changes.
Please ensure that the AC Adapter is connected for this test.
Reboot the laptop and post back with the results.

Kind Regards,

 

[hayleypm93]

I should've added this in my original post, oops!
I immediately changed my power settings to never go into sleep mode once this started happening. I thought maybe it would have something to do with the sensor for when the lid is opened or closed, but since it still goes to sleep I figured that wasn't it.
Any other suggestions? I'm desperate at this point.

 

[chauffeur2]

Mmm...Ok,

Click the Windows Orb > in the Search Box, type in cmd > Right click > cmd.exe >Run as Administrator > type in sfc /scannow > OK.
(Please note the space between 'sfc' and "/".)
This will open the integrated System File Checker, that will check all core files and replace those that are corrupt.
None of your Personal Files/Folders will be deleted/altered.
The sfc can take up to 45 minutes to complete; it is not recommended to do any other work on the laptop whilst it is running.
Once finished, reboot the machine; then post back with the results.

Kind Regards,

 

[hayleypm93]

It didn't finish--so I uploaded the screenshot.

 

[chauffeur2]

Ok hayleypm93,

I'm thinking that this issue is pointing towards the battery and/or the AC Adapter...
The lifespan of Laptop batteries is not all that long, and a couple of years usage is not that bad.
One test that you can do is to turn off the laptop; remove the AC Adapter, and battery; then, press the power button, holding it down for about 30 seconds; and wait another minute.
After waiting; insert the battery and AC Adapter, and power up the laptop to see if this helps to solve the issue.

Try this workaround and post back with the results.

Kind Regards,

 

[hayleypm93]

I'm thinking it has something to do with the battery, too, now...
I tried what you said, but it's still doing the same thing.
However,
the third little light on the bottom of the laptop only flickers on and then off again whenever I plug in the charger....the charger is new, and I've tried multiple chargers with the laptop with the same results. Does this mean that my battery is dying and not holding much charge anymore?

 

[chauffeur2]

Yes hayleypm93,

I'm afraid to say, but the battery looks like the culprit here. :sayyes:
My recommendation would be to purchase a new one.
A little tip; with the new battery, let it fully charge before you use it, and do not use it with the AC Adapter plugged in all the time.
Disconnect the AC Adapter when you turn off the laptop, as this can 'cook' the battery and shorten its lifespan.
Good Luck with it.

Kind Regards,

 

[hayleypm93]

I swapped batteries with a friend of mine who has a dell with the same battery, and it didn't make a difference. With my battery in his laptop, his laptop worked fine. And with his in mine, mine did the same standy-mode thing. So I'm guessing it isn't the battery.
Any ideas?

 

[Corday]

In the power options, raise the alarm level and Critical alarm level and see what happens. Also test the battery in your friends computer. What % is it before charging?

 

[hayleypm93]

The battery holds the same charge in each laptop--it's at about 95% right now in both.
Also, do you mean in the advanced power settings to change to percentage under "Critical battery level"?? If so, I changed that to a higher amount and it's still going into standby mode.

 

[Corday]

OK, let's see what happens if you try booting into Safe Mode. Does it hold?

 

[hayleypm93]

Strange....it's not turning off in safe mode. I had it on for about 30 minutes yesterday in Safe mode and it stayed on fine. I've got in on now and it's still running fine, too. It could be that it just hasn't done it yet, or...maybe it's not going to? What does this mean??

 

[hayleypm93]

Interestingly enough, booting in Safe mode must prevent it from going on and off into Standby mode. I just turned it on normally and within five minutes it had gone into Standby...so I restarted into Safe mode and it has been at least 15 minutes and still running strong.

 

[chauffeur2]

Hey hayleypm93,

Now that you are in Safe Mode; have you tried to adjust the Sleep/Hibernation Modes, and see if they work once you boot normally?
Post back with the results.

Kind Regards,

 

[hayleypm93]

It has been on for about an hour and hasn't turned off yet!! I think that might've fixed it (fingers crossed). Thank you so much!
Why did I have to change the settings in Safe mode though, if I already had it changed in a normal boot?? Is there something I can do to prevent this from happening again?

 

[chauffeur2]

Hi hayleypm93, :wave:

When a computer is in Safe Mode, only the basic system Drivers are loaded; hence, changing some specific settings can be done without interruption from other Windows Services running.
As a matter of interest, are you running in "Normal Mode" or "Safe Mode" at the moment; I am curious to know.

KInd Regards,

 

[hayleypm93]

Normal.
However, I spoke too soon. Instead of going to Sleep (with the power button flashing), the screen itself just cuts off. The power button indicates that nothing has happened, but I can't see anything until I press Ctrl+Alt+Delete...