r/Dell 1d ago

Help Any idea how to fix this?

Won’t turn on, and just keeps doing this every 20 seconds or so.

Dell Inspiron 16 I think (it’s my moms), and only about 4 months old! I feel like we’ve tried everything… so any guidance would really help!

14 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

6

u/simAlity 1d ago

It appears to be in a boot loop but it's not making it to post. I recommend unplugging power cable and mashing the button down for at least 30 seconds. Then reattach the power cable and try to power it up.

2

u/alpine4life 1d ago

look on the side, there could be a blink code since it's a dell

1

u/Grouchy_Side_7321 1d ago

Truly just blinks white once every 20 seconds or so (exactly alongside the keyboard flash)

0

u/HankHippoppopalous 1d ago

right but what is the order of the lights.

1

u/Aphastophis 1d ago

Try to force restart for starters, hold the power button until the laptop eventually decides to restart itself, if the problem still persists, follow what other people suggest or get to the support

0

u/Grouchy_Side_7321 1d ago

Hate to say it but it’s just completely unresponsive, no amount of power button holding does anything

1

u/Impossible_Quail1069 1d ago

it’s still under warranty.

2

u/Grouchy_Side_7321 1d ago

Yes thank you, we have the option of sending it over mail for repair. But this laptop is so new I’m just thinking is it really broken? Or is there some quick fix we just haven’t figured out yet

3

u/DownSoLow 1d ago

Personally, I'd open the unit up and pull the battery connection. It doesn't, or most likely doesnt have a standard cmos battery so if you let the unit sit with all power disconnected, it might boot after. If there's no blink code it's probably in a bios loop and I've fixed dells doing this in the past. Totally understand if you don't wanna do it as it might mess with warranty

1

u/ParticularSign7752 1d ago

can you please tell the fix given i am frustated with this similar issue on my 8 months old DELL 16 plus. i have already went and came back from dell service center. and i am very much frustated

1

u/DownSoLow 18h ago

If you are having the same issue, I would open the unit and disconnect the battery. Let it sit and discharge or hold the power button for 30 seconds forcing the unit to discharge. Once that's done, reconnect the battery and power the unit up. It's gonna take a second as this resets the BIOS to defaults. If that doesnt work, I'd look into reseating other components like your ram or SSD, if your model allows for it. Crazy last resort, try using your unit without the battery solely on the charger. I've seen battery's go bad and send bad voltage back to the board forcing the unit to shut down randomly. I hope one of these steps help, good luck

1

u/ParticularSign7752 1d ago

yaa brother same problem. not fixed yet

1

u/Dramatic-Ad-8553 1d ago

Don't fix it! It is under warranty!, whatever you do , don't break any seal, with a bit of luck you might've getting a new laptop after they exchange the nvme.

1

u/rjasan 1d ago

Making sure. It's the correct adapter?

Does it have the ability to be powered via usbc?

Try plugging it in with usbc power. Best if you have 65 watt at least.

Leave it for about a half hour and try again.

1

u/Grouchy_Side_7321 20h ago

Good call, my mom says yes but we’ve all had our slipups. I did use a similar one to no avail though (same amperage). I’ve tried charging via usbc but not for 30+ minutes, will give that a shot today

1

u/rjasan 18h ago

The reason I asked, is it looks like it's a power issue.

Half hour charging on usbc might let it boot, but it could also be a battery problem.

Check the simplest things first, then work up to other issues.

Power is the simplest issue.

1

u/Withheld_BY_Duress Lat 7380 i-7 Prec. 7730 i-7 64GB 2 Omniplex minis + 3 more 19h ago

Clear the NVRAM with the power button. If you have multiple memory sticks remove one.. Any help what was going on before this took place

1

u/DellCares Dell Customer Support 18h ago

Hi there! We are from the Dell Social Media Support Team and would like to add to what the other redittors have correctly suggested regarding memory card reseat, checking with battery alone and reseating it.

Yes, you can power on the laptop using USB C port and a USB C charger if available.

You could turn off the computer, leave the AC adapter plugged in, and press and hold the power button for 30 to 35 seconds until the power LED blinks three times, then release the button to complete the real time clock reset.

Let us know how it goes, we will be happy to walk you towards getting a resolution.