Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Dell Studio 1735 serious pro troubleshooting required!

Apr 5, 2016 9:42AM PDT

Hi everybody

As the title suggests, I have some serious issues with the laptop. I hope you are up for a challenge!

Specs:
Dell Studio 1735 with Windows Vista as operating system.
6 years old, built around 2010

History:
This is what happened one year ago: The laptop got damaged while it was closed. An object broke the display. A new one was ordered and installed by a friend of a friend. The laptop worked perfectly for a while, but there was some slight malfunction in a certain position of the screen, causing flickering of said screen and eventually crashes. I think there may have been short circuit (not sure how to translate this, dutch word: kortsluiting). The problem got worse and after 10 crashes or so I decided to open up the laptop to look for the problem. I was unsuccesful and the laptop didn't react to anything after that. Now, one year later I want to get it fixed again.

This is the situation now:
The charger has a lot of broken wires so now I use a differen one, but it is not as powerful as the original. I opened up the laptop again and checked most parts (motherboard, and others) for burn marks. No marks spotted. I put it back together and now I can get it to react again, with both battery and charger plugged in. If I open the display, the buttons above the keyboard light up. The DELL start up screen appears for about half a second, after that: crash. If I try to start it up again this only works after unplugging the battery and adapter. I tried to start it up 10 times now and the startup screen is no longer visible.

I suspect there may be some broken hardware components. How can i figure out which ones? What needs to be replaced? What is the next step in repairing this machine?

Site used for dissassembly:
http://www.insidemylaptop.com/disassemble-dell-studio-1737-laptop-replacing-dvd-drive/

If you need more info or photos, feel free to ask.

Thanks in advance.

Merijn

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Given the age I think it's time to move on.
Apr 5, 2016 10:40AM PDT

If you can't replace the charger with the right sized one, then that's another sign it's time to move on.

The problem to me points to a bad motherboard. Yes you can try a new CMOS battery but if this hit our repair counter the estimate would be for a motherboard, proper size charger and if the date code on the battery was over 2 years old, one of those.

This should cost more than a new laptop to fix.

- Collapse -
Reasons
Apr 7, 2016 8:32AM PDT

Hi R. Proffitt

Thanks for your input so far.

I put effort in repairing this old piece for a few reasons:

*It used to be a powerful machine and I was told the Windows 10 OS is a lighter than Vista. So, if I can get it to function, I may also add whatever hardware is needed to make it up to date.

*I don't intend to use the laptop for heavy duty. Email, text-editing and watch a film. That's about it.

*On the second hand market there are a lot of parts available. A new motherboard e.g. would cost around €25-40. A functional device costs about €190. The cheapest notebook prices start at €250-300

*It all fits in my economical/ecological views and ambitions. I like the modular approach so stuff can be fixed without having to buy a completely new machine.

That said, I'll check out your tips, see if it works and get back here. Hope to hear you soon!

Merijn

- Collapse -
Here the cheapest working notebooks are about 99USD.
Apr 7, 2016 8:50AM PDT

But that's not why I'm adding a reply here.

One of the issues I've seen over the years is burned out motherboards due to old batteries. The other causes seem to be lack of cleaning (canned air on the vents) and then you see the usual dropped laptops and other failures.

If I see a battery that is worn, I replace it rather than chance it causing a motherboard burn out.

Post was last edited on April 7, 2016 8:51 AM PDT

- Collapse -
your future?
Apr 7, 2016 9:29AM PDT