The Dell Inspiron 5515 is entirely nonfunctional.
The Dell Inspiron 5515 is entirely nonfunctional.
My Dell Inspiron 5515 is under a year old and hasn't been used much. One day I couldn't turn it on and there was no charging indicator either. I bought a new charger but it didn't help. I opened the back, took out the battery, and removed the flea power, and then it worked again. I ran a diagnostic and everything seemed normal. But later that night it became completely unresponsive once more.
Because it's still covered by warranty, I contacted support who said they'd send someone to check it out. It took a few weeks. About an hour before the technician arrived, I plugged it in again, but when he got there it turned on. He replaced the motherboard and power cycled it a few times to ensure everything was fine.
I used the computer for about an hour after he left, but the battery was starting to drain (he had unplugged it). So I plugged it back in and closed the lid. When I returned later that night, the same problem occurred... no lights, couldn't turn on, nothing.
I messaged the tech but didn't get a reply. Anyone have any advice on what to do next? Thanks.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
If you managed to restore power to your laptop after taking it apart or discharging any remaining energy, it’s probably due to a grounding problem from the wall outlet or dirty contacts on your RAM. You might need to clean the gold connections on the RAM sticks with an eraser, remove any dust, and then properly reinsert them.
When your laptop starts up again, check its BIOS version using CPU-Z. Then visit HP’s support page with your laptop’s SKU or serial number to find out if any BIOS updates are available.
Thank you for your reply. I cleaned the RAM using an eraser and updated the BIOS. After that, I applied all the updates my OS suggested for Ubuntu. However, the same issue persists—my laptop functions normally until I close the lid, after which it stops working completely until I drain any remaining power. I haven’t checked the outlet ground yet, but since my apartment is very new, I’m not expecting any problems there.
I just bought an outlet tester, and the outlet is grounded. To recap, the laptop functions normally until the lid is closed, after which it becomes almost useless. Only draining any remaining power restores it to working condition. The BIOS and drivers are all current, the RAM is clean, the motherboard has been replaced. Any other suggestions?
Who's there? I wasted $900 on this garbage. Dell support is a waste of time.
When you mention it dies when you close the lid, are you asking about the situation when it's active and you simply close the lid? Or does it shut off, and closing the lid stops it from working, but leaving the lid up restores functionality? Adjusting the power management to "do nothing" when the lid is closed might help. It seems there could be a problem with your sleep/hybernate settings. If the issue isn't related to the sleep mode, replacing the device might not be necessary unless you suspect a deeper problem.