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Cannot start Dell inspiron 1526 laptop

Computer Aid Posted on by

This laptop was behaving strangely.

It normally gets switched off overnight.

But in the mornings, it would normally take 2 – 10 attempts to start, before it finally started properly.

Often, it would just flash some lights, and then go off after a few seconds.

Once it did start, it would complain about the CMOS time being wrong.

And the customer also found the laptop to be running quite slow.

Since the Dell Inspiron 1526 is always plugged into mains power, the battery should be in good shape, so the CMOS battery should also be in good shape… but even so, a faulty CMOS battery shouldn’t prevent the laptop from starting!

Anyway, I do the obvious first: check for infections, plus some system tuning on Vista. I also adjust the date/time to be correct, before I do any Windows updates.

I find no infections, so all is good on that front.

I shutdown the laptop, leave it off for about 2 minutes, and there is no problem with starting it.

I then shutdown, remove the power cord and the main battery, press the power button a few times, wait a minute, then plug everything back, and there is still no problem starting.

So I leave, asking the owner to keep an eye on it & let me know if the problem re-occurs.

About 3 days later, I get a call saying its still not working properly.

I do some research, and find that this model laptop has a known problem when the CMOS battery runs flat: it becomes difficult to start, and it keeps forgetting the date and time…

Now, I was under the impression (because I thought it was logical), that the CMOS data & the internal clock was kept running by a rechargeable battery. This battery would get recharged by the main battery, so that it was unlikely to go flat unless the laptop was left “unpowered” for a many months.

Anyway, I returned, with instructions on how to dismantle the entire laptop… just so I could replace the 3V lithium coin battery.

Internally, the laptop is quite flimsy, but I managed to dismantle the 1526, replace the CMOS battery, and re-assemble the whole laptop in 1.5 hours!

But once it started, I found about 8 keyboard keys wouldn’t work… grrr

Since I was running low on time, I just plugged in an external USB keyboard, and told the customer that if it was a problem, I would come back and re-seat the keyboard plug, as its most likely some dust on a contact.

Comments

Cannot start Dell inspiron 1526 laptop — 4 Comments

  1. I have been all over the internet, and this same black screen problem is happening everywhere to inspiron 1526’s. The problem is the same… black screen on boot-up. The answer and solutions vary, but the most common one is the cmos battery.

    So is there a step by step process to follow so i can replace this battery? I’m not a computer technician, and I don’t want to screw up my laptop. However, everyone makes it sound like it’s an easy fix.

    Also, I’ve read that this action may be necessary:
    1. Reseating the processor.

    2. Replacing the system board.

    3. Replacing the processor.

    Again, is there a “how to” out there?

  2. Hi Christian,

    My answer to you is: if you are not a technician, then you run a very real risk of stuffing up your laptop.

    I followed Dells tech guide, and it was very difficult, with many pitfalls for the inexperienced.

    I’d say: if you cannot find the step by step guide yourself, then there is no way you should even try to do this yourself.

  3. Hi Christian:

    I have to agree with computer help. It is a legit fix, I was having that problem and replacing the coin cell battery worked like a champ. However, my brother, who is a computer professional, did it and I was biting my nails the whole time. You have to literally tear the computer apart, unplugging cables, etc. along the way. There is a lot of room for damage if it’s not done correctly. Now I’m having the “plugged in not charging problem (Probably unrelated.)Good luck!

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