Question:
advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
Hi all,
I have a Dell Inspiron 4000 that's about 4 or 5 years old. A while ago the screen started to flicker occasionally and the battery icon popped in and out of the tray. At first this didn't happen very often, but then more and more. A few days ago I noticed a very faint burning smell but didn't think anything of it. The next time I was using the computer, though, the screen was flickering like crazy, and all of sudden I noticed white smoke coming out of the back of the computer where the plug goes in! I unplugged the computer and turned it off.
Today I gave it another try, but now smoke comes out within a few seconds after you put the plug in. The LED on the power cord transformer turns on and off irregularly, but I didn't notice any screen flickering. The transformer light stays on steadily until it's plugged into the computer.
I removed the battery pack from the front and didn't notice anything unusual... the battery pack doesn't look burnt and doesn't smell like burning. All of the smoke has come out of the back, where the power cord plugs in. The computer works perfectly fine on batteries (though they are nearly dead) and nothing else is wrong with it except this burning problem.
I have two questions I thought someone might be able to help me with:
1. Is there any chance that the problem is fixable? As I said, there is nothing wrong with the rest of the computer - it works fine even when smoke is coming out (not that I let this go on for very long). Also, is there any chance that it's a problem with the transformer on the power cord and not the computer?
2. If the problem isn't fixable, can anyone advise me on getting the data off of the computer? Can I just take out the hard disk? Anything I should know about... I don't have much experience with laptops, though I have plenty with building/replacing parts on desktops.
Thanks!
Rich
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
That doesn't seem good...
I'm not quite familiar of what it is, but perhaps the motherboard is slowly melting? Do the fans still work?
I'd check abd inquire about repairs costs, but usually they are not worth it.
Data is easy to recover, just pull out the HD< get an 2.5" external HD casing and use that as a backup.
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
Did you measure the voltage from the power transformer? White smoke surely isn't good sign, don't plug it in anymore.
I would take it to the service immediately! Not good sign at all.
Although this is very bad situation, I remember one funny idea that all electronic devices hold some amount of white smoke in them that makes them work, as soon as that white smoke goes out, they don't work anymore. Don't get me wrong, I don't make fun of your problem, it was just a funny saying.
Hope you can fix it, and good luck,
Edit: 2. question - yes you can take out the disk and connect it to a desktop comp using small adapter, or you can put it into external case and connect to another comp.
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
Probably blew a transistor. I'm surprised nothing else is broken yet. You can save your HDD if the system goes bad.
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
If you can do nothing else, then I would back up all your files right away.
Since the notebook is four-five years old, the battery might be the cause of the problem.
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
I guess it is the problem with DC socket. Probably it had a bad solder joint between DC socket and MB, so when you connect with Power Adapter, it gets very hot and adjacent plastic is getting burnt(Your laptop is would be drawing around 4Amp current thru a bad solder joint could cause the joint to melt). Could be fire hazard too.
Probably your local repair shop can resolder/replace DC socket. But I am not sure how much they charge and if it is worth it. If you have any experienced friend you could give it shot.
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
could have popped a capacitor.
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
could have popped a capacitor.
I guess it is not, the reason is, most likely if it is a popped capcitor it has to do same when running on battery. and also bases inb symptoms he explained( gotten worse, as opposed to onetime thing).
AC-DC convertion is an external adapter and only DC to DC step down is inside, and typically that is still happening( from 10.8v or 14.4v to CPU voltage and 5v) and ofcourse battery charging circuit functioning is bypassed when it is running on that and still there is one step down from DC adapter to battery charging volatge.
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
that happened on an averatec i was running, the problem is some weird power connecter is loose and starts flicking sparks, at first i thought it was an easy fix but if that happens you need to replace the whole **** MB, not worth it.
Answer:
Re: advice - smoke and burnt smell coming out of Dell
Personally, I think it's time for an upgrade after you backup your hard drive.