# My Weird Laptop



## Calemeyr (Aug 15, 2010)

I have a Dell inspiron 1525. Explain to me why closing the laptop and putting it into hibernation or just trying to send it into regular sleep mode would cause it to reboot. Also, why is it that after I took it to geek squad, my fan is broken? I think my computer is reaching temps of over 100 degrees F, and thats just the plastic underside. And finally, the ac adapter and battery kicked the bucket at the same time. Is this laptop a lost cause?


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## Joeyyy (Aug 15, 2010)

1dynamofox1 said:


> I have a Dell inspiron 1525.





1dynamofox1 said:


> I have a Dell





1dynamofox1 said:


> Dell



hmmm


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## Calemeyr (Aug 15, 2010)

I know a dell...but it was my dad's originally. I didn't buy it. I just got stuck with it because my wifi reciever on my home computer isn't working. Oh and another thing...it runs vista. A dell with vista...


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## Apollo (Aug 15, 2010)

1dynamofox1 said:


> I know a dell...but it was my dad's originally. I didn't buy it. I just got stuck with it because my wifi reciever on my home computer isn't working. Oh and another thing...it runs vista. A dell with vista...


 
What may be happening is that when you close the laptop, there's even more heatÂ® getting generated, causing the thermometer inside the laptop to flip out and shut it off in an attempt to save the laptop from overheating.


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## Willow (Aug 15, 2010)

1dynamofox1 said:


> A dell with vista...


I'm sorry?

Though a possible cause of your temperature problem is something might have gotten caught in the fan. Like dust.


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## Calemeyr (Aug 15, 2010)

> What may be happening is that when you close the laptop, there's even more heatÂ® getting generated, causing the thermometer inside the laptop to flip out and shut it off in an attempt to save the laptop from overheating.


 
I haven't tried to close the laptop in a while though, since it became harder to bring it back to it's original state every time I did it. Oh and another weird thing. When I unplugged the laptop in the past while it was still on, the screen would dim. This stopped happening. I think the motherboard is being slowly fried.



Willow said:


> I'm sorry?
> 
> Though a possible cause of your temperature problem is something might have gotten caught in the fan. Like dust.


 
That's probably it. Though the overheating problem has existed since this pc was bought, only it was much less notable. I guess the fan just compounded the issue. I was going to return this laptop to my dad as he got me a new one for college. I just didn't want him to think I ruined the computer. When I was much younger, I accidently corrupted my hard drive on my first computer by somehow deleting the entire windows folder. Yeah I was dumb. makes for a nice conversation though, heh.


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## Willow (Aug 15, 2010)

It might be, though if you unplug your computer and plug it back in and it doesn't start to charge (the batter icon doesn't change)

You might wanna start thinking about getting another laptop anyway if it's doing things like that.


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## Calemeyr (Aug 15, 2010)

I tried that numerous times. At first, I had to jostle the computer-end plug around till it made a connection. Right now I'm using another adapter, and the computer is working. Though the battery is still dead. I guess a new one needs to be bought.


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## Willow (Aug 15, 2010)

1dynamofox1 said:


> I tried that numerous times. At first, I had to jostle the computer-end plug around till it made a connection.


 Yea, I had a laptop that had the exact same problem. The battery wouldn't charge unless you messed with it a little. I switched out the adapter for it and it worked fine for a little while, but then it wouldn't charge at all. Eventually the computer died. 

One of the guys my mom works with is looking at it right now. It's either a problem with the motherboard or the computer itself. 
If it's a problem with the motherboard, that can obviously be fixed. Though if it turns out to be a problem with the computer, it's time to get a whole new computer. *coughcough*HP*coughcough*


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## ArielMT (Aug 15, 2010)

Well, if it wasn't out of warranty before Geek Squad got their incompetent mitts on it, it is now.

The laptop reset issue could be any number of things, but I would suspect hardware and software issues combined.  It could be heat alone, or it could be Windows Vista being buggy or misconfigured, or it could be Windows Vista not putting the CPU in a low enough power state to avoid heat-related issues.

In the last few years, Dell have been suffering extremely inconsistent quality control problems, enough to render the Dell name a certifiable gamble.  I'd put real money on yours being manufactured during that period.

I'd say get a new PC, if you can afford one.  Don't get one with Windows Vista preinstalled.  Don't get a Dell this time around.  And for the love of whatever you consider holy, don't let that PC be anywhere near a Geek Squad employee.


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## Calemeyr (Aug 15, 2010)

Thank you for the input. I will follow this advice.
Last note: I think the laptop was bought at Best Buy and possibly suggested by someone in Geek Squad. All these things together make for a really, shall we say unpleasant, time.


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## ArielMT (Aug 15, 2010)

1dynamofox1 said:


> Thank you for the input. I will follow this advice.
> Last note: I think the laptop was bought at Best Buy and possibly suggested by someone in Geek Squad. All these things together make for a really, shall we say unpleasant, time.


 
If you bought it at Best Buy, and if you got an extended warranty with it, then that changes things.  Check to see if it's still under the extended warranty.  I doubt it'll be a pleasant experience, since Best Buy own Geek Squad, but there's the chance it'll be less expensive than chalking your current PC up as a lost cause.


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## A10pex (Aug 16, 2010)

Should I get a new laptop? Mine kind of does this only when ever I close it it logs on itself, and it does the same thing with the battery it hasn't charged in like two years. 
BTW, it's an Acer Aspire 3680. 
It's kind of a head scratchier, it gets really hot too. I love it to death though


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## Saintversa (Aug 16, 2010)

1dynamofox1 said:


> I have a Dell inspiron 1525. Explain to me why closing the laptop and putting it into hibernation or just trying to send it into regular sleep mode would cause it to reboot. Also, why is it that after I took it to geek squad, my fan is broken? I think my computer is reaching temps of over 100 degrees F, and thats just the plastic underside. And finally, the ac adapter and battery kicked the bucket at the same time. Is this laptop a lost cause?



who are you..? D: thats seriously the same exact thing, same laptop, same problem with mine! dell screwed us.. ive been through 3 BATTERYS! =/ i feel ya.


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## Slyck (Aug 16, 2010)

1dynamofox1 said:


> I know a dell...


 You too? Wow. My significant other is a Dell. Small world!


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## Lapdog (Aug 18, 2010)

The dell im using right now, has actually BURNT is way through 4 motherboards, 2 screens, 3 CPU's, 2 Hard Drives, and 1 disc drive. All of these from overheating problems... I'm sick of it... I always use it on a table because of all this, on a cooling platform, or on my lap with the heatsinks un-covered. I would buy myself a new one, but I don't have enough money. Also, the AC adapter gets SOOO hot, I have actually scolded my-self on it. It's a Dell Studio 1545. It also has vista, and THAT SUCKS!


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## Willow (Aug 18, 2010)

Even though I really don't know much about computers, I believe it's a problem with the computer's DDR

My mom looked all this stuff up before I bought my computer. Go HP though. Just cuz.


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## yiffytimesnews (Aug 18, 2010)

Have you ever thought about water cooling? I heard once about this guy with the same problem you had, and water cooling seemed to fix it. Other wise I would suggest then larger fans, even running a box fan near your computer.


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## Skittle (Aug 18, 2010)

Willow said:


> Yea, I had a laptop that had the exact same problem. The battery wouldn't charge unless you messed with it a little. I switched out the adapter for it and it worked fine for a little while, but then it wouldn't charge at all. Eventually the computer died.
> 
> One of the guys my mom works with is looking at it right now. It's either a problem with the motherboard or the computer itself.
> If it's a problem with the motherboard, that can obviously be fixed. Though if it turns out to be a problem with the computer, it's time to get a whole new computer. *coughcough*HP*coughcough*


 If it is a laptop and there is a problem with the mobo, honestly, its better to just get a new one. With most laptops the mobo is a complete chip set. Meaning the graphics card and such are PART of the mobo making it much more expensive that a normal one to switch out.

I know a lot of newer computers are slowly getting away from this but those are generally specialized computers that are doing that (like gaming computers). Most general retail lines are still a chip set.

At least, this is my understanding. I could be completely wrong.


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## Lapdog (Aug 18, 2010)

yiffytimesnews, I have my desktop computer running on water cooling, and it would be REALLY impractical to have on a laptop. 1st, you would need the water tank, (Depending on the length of the tubes, the tank is kinda big to even fit in a desktop case...) 2nd, you would need the cooling block to be ether at its side, or built in. And that would make it SUPER clunky. All this would also add to the weight...

Willow, Im actually suprised you have mentioned the RAM, (You called it DDR, that is the standard that the RAM is, I use DDR-3 1600MHZ RAM on my Desktop, and DDR-2 800MHZ in my laptop) and its the only part that hasn't broken because of all the heat. And I know what is producing it all, and its not the RAM. It's the GPU or Video Card as some people like to call it. I like to play 3D games such as Half-Life 2 and I cannot play it without my GPU. That only has a small heatsink, and it needs a proper fan for it... only problem is, my laptop caseing has NO room in it at all, even for air... and the fan that is cooling my CPU (Processor) is only 8CM.

Im glad that it still has a valid warranty...


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## Trpdwarf (Aug 19, 2010)

You're first mistake was giving it to Geek Squad. I have a firm personal rule that I will never ever buy a major piece of electronic (such as a laptop) from Best Buy because I hate the idea of having their incompetent layabouts acting as middle men if I ever have an issue.

That said all these people here are going on an on about Dell problems, and I hear so so much negativity.

Yet my laptop by Dell works absolutely fine. It's Alienware Brand that was bought out by dell but that said it's very efficient and cooling itself off. That said I've come across this kind of an overheating issue that was software generated in laptops in the college I go to. Usually it's Vista related.

Basically Vista bugs out and the result is the computer is being allowed to do shit it shouldn't to put it simple terms. So it heats up. If its' a software problem you can probably resolve it by putting a new OS on it, or wiping it/reloading it.

If it is a Hardware thing, the fan is either not working or it's choked up. You can try getting canned air and doing a thorough cleaning of the fan/duct areas. You can also try to get something raises your computer up slightly so that the underneath area where the air is sucked in has more...space. I never understood why computer makers tend to have a fetish for bad vent/fan design.

Considering most people are going to have their laptop down on a hard surface, why the fuck do you put the intake part underneath the damn thing? It gives little room for air to be sucked in.

Its also possible other things inside the computer are heating up because they are going bad. You may just have to get a new laptop because it may be cheaper that way and better in the long run.


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## Saintversa (Aug 19, 2010)

dell just sucks crundles...


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## Lapdog (Aug 20, 2010)

Yeah, next time I get a laptop, I'm goin' Toshiba...


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## Trpdwarf (Aug 23, 2010)

Lapdog said:


> Yeah, next time I get a laptop, I'm goin' Toshiba...


 
Every Toshiba laptop I've ever seen end up with issues within a month. Maybe it's just bad luck. The first one had hardware failure in a week. The second one had keys falling off before the month was out. The third one's disc ejector started having problems in just a few weeks of the person having it.


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## Runefox (Aug 23, 2010)

If you want one that's pretty much bulletproof short of a ruggedized model, go with a Lenovo ThinkPad.


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## Lapdog (Aug 24, 2010)

Actually my old laptop was a Toshiba, and had absolutely no problems with it, the only reason it broke was because I had dropped it down the stairs 1 time too many (Total: 3 Times). I should be more careful... But my Dell Laptop has finally decided to pack-in altogether, so I'm now Laptop-less. I might send it back to dell, but I think I will give up on it.


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