help! Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop

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  • shadowofthesun
    New Member
    • Nov 2005
    • 4

    #1

    help! Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop

    just a warning, i have little technical background/experience. i can program in C++ and do various other things, but when it comes to hardware i am at a total loss. So, without further ado, here is the problem:

    My computer is an Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop aproximately 2 years old. It runs a 2.00 gigahertz celeron with 256 megabytes of physical memory. The hard drive has approximately 30 gigabytes and my computer runs Windows XP SP 2. Around a year ago, my computer started acting up. At first, the power, when plugged in, whould not recharge my computer. This was definitely not a problem with the power source as i tried multiple outlets, adapters, and locations to attempt to fix this problem. About two months ago, this problem resolved itself (with no input from me). However, at exactly this time a new host of problems appeared. My computer would freeze many times, and something called "NT On Access Scanner" would always end up closing on its own, with the little error window popping up. Also, if i hibernated my computer and then moved it, there was a great chance the computer would not be able to restore itself. Sometimes, the hibernation bar would fill only to have a blue screen appear, stating that "My BIOS was not fully ACPI compatible." However, i know for a fact that this is not true as 1) this problem only occurs when i move my computer and 2) my BIOS is completely ACPI compliant. Other times, the computer would not even bother to load, saying that due to a read failure my restoration data had to be deleted. In addition, my computer's hard drive and CPU often are still running when there are no open applications and my computer is completely done starting up. In addition, my laptop gets extremely hot in what i feel is an unreasonable amount of time. Whether i am merely using microsoft word or running a processor intensive game like Age of Empires III my computer becomes extremely hot in less than a quarter hour. Recently, a whole new host of problems occured. One such problem was the strange actions of my computer when i attempted to restart after an "automatic update". The computer, instead of proceeding to the blue "dell" screen which is the first thing i usually see, began beeping incessantly. My num lock and scroll lock lights continually flashed, and the only way i could get my computer to work was to hold the power button. I am well aware that this problem could very well not be a bad capicator; however, i would like a solution. So, any help would be appreciated.
    Last edited by shadowofthesun; 11-10-2005, 11:32 PM.
  • linuxguru
    Badcaps Legend
    • Apr 2005
    • 1564

    #2
    Re: help!

    The Inspiron 1100 uses a desktop P4/Celeron, not a mobile (its sibling, the 1150, however uses mobile CPUs). It's therefore prone to heat problems, often caused by an improperly attached heatsink.

    If your machine is out of warranty, you can try to remove the heatsink, clean the white Thermal-Interface Material (goop) from both the CPU and the heatsink, and apply Arctic Silver 5 instead. This will lower the average CPU temperature by a few degrees, which may solve your problems. However, there is no magic bullet for any system that uses desktop P4 family CPUs - they just run too hot to be reliable in a notebook.

    Comment

    • willawake
      Super Modulator
      • Nov 2003
      • 8457
      • Greece

      #3
      Re: help!

      linuxguru gave good advice. cleaning the dust out of the fans and heatsinks would be useful also. requires dissasembly also.

      laptop coolers (the ones which are like a desk stand for the laptop) were reported to work with the hot sonys.

      once you have attended to the heat issue then you can see whether it was that or something worse like ram or mainboard issue.

      if you dont want to repair it yourself then get a quote from one of the third party laptop repair centers. if you can find one repairing a lot of dell laptops then they will probably know the issues with that model.
      capacitor lab yachtmati techmati

      Comment

      • japlytic
        Badcaps Legend
        • Oct 2005
        • 2086
        • Australia

        #4
        Re: help!

        Should all notebook computer manufacturers consider fluid cooling? I guess this would be more efficient.
        My first choice in quality Japanese electrolytics is Nippon Chemi-Con, which has been in business since 1931... the quality of electronics is dependent on the quality of the electrolytics.

        Comment

        • linuxguru
          Badcaps Legend
          • Apr 2005
          • 1564

          #5
          Re: help!

          Actually, heat pipes (the most efficient way to transport heat) have been in use for over 10 years, and they're now routinely used in most desktop-replacement notebooks. But the heat still has to be finally expelled from the case using a finned heatsink and a fan, and that invariably clogs up with dust and lint.

          The only general solution is to dissipate less power at the CPU - but most consumers aren't willing to give up their meaningless GHz.

          Comment

          • shadowofthesun
            New Member
            • Nov 2005
            • 4

            #6
            Re: help!

            well i decided to open my laptop as suggested and attempt to clean the fan, however some problems arose. After removing several screws, i attempted to open the laptop only to find that there were two remaining screws. These two screws were underneath the screen, meaning that i had no way to reach them short of removing the screen. When i attempted to find a way to remove the screen, no solution presented itself. So, is there a way to get to those screws, are they unnecessary, or is the design of my laptop just stupid?
            i will post pictures if necessary, just ask

            Comment

            • arneson
              Badcaps Legend
              • Sep 2005
              • 1267

              #7
              Re: help!

              The screen should not be very difficult to loosen and set down allowing you access to the rear case hardware.
              Just be ready for some pretty intrecate dissasembly. keep carefull tabs on how and where everything goes.
              I just fixed an HP laptop with exactly these symptoms by a complete cleaning and proper reasembly.
              It takes takes little time but lots of skill, connectors seated properly, everything torked correctly, and so forth.
              Jim

              Comment

              • stretch0069
                Screwed Up Super Moderator
                • Oct 2003
                • 2658
                • oooo ess aaaaaaaaa

                #8
                Re: help!

                Get a young priest and an old priest......



                Sorry...couldn't help myself.

                Do a google search for 'Inspiron 1100 disassembly'. there a number of articles on people who have had the same problems as you describe. Give it a whirl. Good luck.
                "Its all about the boom....."

                Guns kill people like spoons made Rosie O'Donnell fat.

                We now return you to your regularly scheduled drinking.

                "Fear accompanies the possibility of death.....calm shepherds its certainty"

                Originally posted by Topcat
                AWD is just training wheels for RWD.

                Comment

                • shadowofthesun
                  New Member
                  • Nov 2005
                  • 4

                  #9
                  Re: help!

                  thanks all, ill give it a try. If it seems too complex, i guess i could take willawakes advice and try a third-party repair shop

                  EDIT- sweet i found someone with the same problem as i did. in fact, the title of the article is "our dell inspiron has overheating problems again". it has somewhat complete disassembly instructions. the url is
                  http://www.danandsherree.com/2005/04...nspiron_11.php
                  for any of you guys who want to know. ill give it a try and if something goes wrong, ill be right here again!
                  Last edited by shadowofthesun; 11-28-2005, 08:09 PM.

                  Comment

                  • shadowofthesun
                    New Member
                    • Nov 2005
                    • 4

                    #10
                    Re: help!

                    gah, the cleaning out of the fan worked fairly well but there is no improvement in performance. i have recently stumbled upon a new problem; my memory slot A is messed up and works rarely, if ever. i will probably remove memory from slot a and put a 512 mb card in slot b, which will hopefully solve my hibernation issues as well as giving my memory a much needed boost

                    Comment

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