The causes of power buttons on Dell laptops not working vary from annoying to downright expensive.
Here are a few of the issues you may be experiencing with your Dell laptop not working and how you can fix them.
A Dell laptop power button that isn’t working could have a hardware or a software problem. A battery or power supply failure, physical damage to internal or external hardware, a virus, or some malware variations are possible causes. Corrupted BIOS or Windows files could also be an issue.
To isolate the problem, try starting your laptop with the power supply plugged in. If the laptop fails to respond, it could be a faulty power supply or charger. Check to see if any lights are on. If not, then check the charger with a multimeter to see if it is charging.
It is possible to fix a failed charger but they are reasonably inexpensive and as long as the charging voltage is the same, you can buy a generic charger.
How to Troubleshoot a Dell Laptop That’s Not Working
If the charger is working, then you’re looking at the possibility of replacing or repairing the laptop power supply unit or a capacitor. Beware of capacitors as they can carry a fatal charge or create a spark that can cause a fire or explosion.
If you have the necessary tools and equipment, then remove the laptop’s back cover and plug in the charger. Test to see if the voltage is correct on the PSU by testing the various components.
The next component to check is the battery. Unplug the charger and remove the battery. Push the start button and see if the laptop will turn on. It is possible that by removing the battery and starting the laptop, you can unfreeze the machine so that it works again.
If the laptop works without the battery in place, then turn off the laptop, unplug the charger and reinstall the battery.
Should the laptop stall during the start-up phase, then you most likely have a BIOS problem.
To start, unplug the charger and remove the external battery. If the battery is internal, then you’ll need to remove the laptop’s back cover. Unscrew the screws holding the battery in place and unplug the power leads.
Locate the CMOS battery. It is easy to identify as it is a large flat battery similar to a watch battery. Remove the battery and leave it out for about an hour so that the power can drain out of the motherboard.
The BIOS will reset to factory settings, so replace the CMOS battery and the main battery and close your laptop. Push the start button and follow the onscreen prompts to reset your laptop.
Dell Laptop Power Button Not Clicking
A common problem with older laptops is that the power button wears out. The button will fail to “click” when pressed and the laptop will not turn on.
If your Dell laptop button does not click when pressed, it may be damaged or worn out. The first thing to check is whether the plastic button is broken or worn. If it is then you can glue it back in place. If the switch fails, you’ll need to replace the switch by opening the laptop and replacing it.
Depending on how old your laptop is, it may still be under warranty. In that case, send it away to a repair shop for repair under the warranty.
If you have the necessary tools and equipment, you can repair the power switch yourself.
Dell Laptop Power Button Not Responding
It’s frustrating when your power button doesn’t respond when you press it.
To fix a Dell laptop power button that’s not responding, you must first check that your battery is accepting a charge. If it is then insert your power supply and check if the lights come on when you push the power button. If the lights come on, then it may be necessary to reset your BIOS.
Before resetting your BIOS, you should consider disconnecting the battery from your laptop. If it is an external battery, you can just unclip it. If it is internal, you will have to remove the back of the laptop and then unscrew the screws holding the battery in place.
Once the battery is disconnected, hold the power key down and check that all the lights are off. Then reconnect the battery or reinsert it in the back of your laptop and close up the case. Push the power button and the laptop should boot up.
If the laptop fails to boot, you must then remove the CMOS battery located on the motherboard. The battery holder accepts a battery about the size of a watch battery. Be careful that you don’t damage the battery holder when you remove it.
Some CMOS batteries are attached to the motherboard via a small power lead. The battery looks like it is covered with insulation tape and is about the size of a watch battery. There is no battery holder, so it’s easy to identify the battery.
Once the battery is removed, leave the laptop without power for about an hour. Then replace the battery and press the power button. You can follow the on-screen instructions to reset your BIOS to the factory settings.
Once that is done, the laptop should boot up without any more problems.
Dell Laptop Power Button Stuck/Jammed
Over time, buttons get worn out or become damaged by being dropped or mishandled.
If your Dell power button is stuck or jammed, you must remove the back cover to access the switchboard on which the power button is mounted. Remove the switch and replace it with a new part, which you can identify by the part number on the circuit board or via a Dell manual online.
The power switches come in a variety of formats and do not all look alike. However, so long as the part numbers match, the switch will fit in your laptop.
It appears that the button that actuates the power switch has a tiny black button that sits right in the center of the tactile membrane that makes up the switch.
If you are waiting for a part and still need to use your laptop, you can tape the little black piece to the center of the switch. Then use the laptop like that until the replacement part arrives.
Dell Laptop Power Button Won’t Turn Off Or Stays On
As inconvenient as not being able to turn your laptop on, is not being able to turn it off when you’ve finished using it.
To fix your Dell laptop button that won’t turn off or stay on, you’ll need to check your Windows 10 power settings. Press the Windows key + I at the same time. In the systems tab, select power and sleep. In the additional power settings, select “unavailable settings” and tick the fast startup box.
These power settings are the standard settings on your Windows operating system and should not be changed unless you have a very good reason to adjust them.
Don’t forget to save your setting changes before switching your laptop off.
Dell Laptop Power Button Just Blinks / Keeps Flashing
If your laptop lights keep flashing or just blink when pushing the power button, you’ll need to disconnect your battery.
To fix a Dell laptop power button that just blinks or keeps flashing, undo the screw holding the back laptop cover. Then remove the screws holding your battery in place. Carefully remove the battery and disconnect the power lead. Hold the power button for 30 seconds and reinstall the battery.
Once you’ve reinstalled your battery, you can push the power button normally and the laptop will power up.
This process is easier if you have an external battery. Just be careful when removing the internal battery so that you don’t damage the power lead connector on the motherboard.
Another problem relates to the light on your laptop blinking white and yellow. This is a problem related to your RAM.
To resolve the problem, unplug the laptop and open up the back cover to remove the RAM.
If you have RAM in both slots, then exchange it. Once the RAM has been reset in the slots, you can close the laptop and restart your laptop.
Dell Laptop Power Button And Keyboard Flashing
Many of the problems you will experience with your laptop can be fixed by removing both the main and CMOS batteries.
To resolve the problem of a Dell laptop power button and keyboard flashing, you must disconnect the power supply and remove the back cover. Then remove the main battery as well as the CMOS battery on the motherboard. Replace the batteries and screw the back cover in place. Then, reboot your laptop.
Another way to fix the problem is to remove the RAM and change slots.
Open up the laptop to access the RAM. Remove the RAM from its slots and swap them over.
Close the laptop and push the power button to restart the laptop.
Dell Laptop Power Button Does Not Light Up
If you don’t read the manual, you can sometimes miss important little snippets of information.
When the Dell laptop power button does not light up it can indicate that you have selected it to show hard drive activity rather than the power and battery charge status. To resolve the issue, press the function key (Fn) together with the “H” key. This toggles the light between the two activities.
If the laptop does not boot up when you press the power button, and no light shows, then you may have an uncharged battery. Check that the battery charger is working and that the battery is receiving a charge.
A multimeter comes in handy to test your battery voltage and the voltage coming from your power supply.
If the battery does not charge when left overnight, plugged into the charger, you must replace the battery.
If the charger is faulty, then purchase a replacement charger or buy a generic one that is rated for the same voltage as the original.
Dell Laptop Power Button Light On But No Display
When your laptop is powered up, there is nothing more frustrating than the lights coming on but not having anything on the screen.
You may hear the fans come on and the hard drive starts up, but the screen stays stubbornly blank.
When a Dell laptop power button light is on but there’s no display, it usually indicates that there’s a problem with the keyboard or the RAM. To resolve the problem with the RAM. Open the back cover and locate the RAM slots. Remove the RAM and swap it round into the alternate slot.
Before replacing the RAM, make sure that the computer is off and the power supply has been disconnected.
When the RAM has been replaced, press the power button and wait for the laptop to boot up. The screen should now be live.
If that does not solve the problem, then loosen the screws holding the keyboard and remove them. Use a screwdriver to gently lever the tabs holding the keyboard in place. Be careful that you don’t break them off.
Remove the keyboard and carefully disconnect the ribbon cable that connects it to the motherboard. A plastic lever holds the connector in place, so you need to carefully lift it before pulling the connector out.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on April 24, 2022.
When the keyboard is removed, plug in the power supply and press the power button. You should see the lights and the screen coming on. Now that the screen is on, you can be sure that the keyboard is the problem.
Order a replacement keyboard as the old one is damaged.
How to Replace a Damaged LCD Cable or Screen
One other problem that may result in your screen not displaying anything is due to the LCD connectors becoming loose or a damaged LCD.
To fix this, you need to access the screen by removing the bezel. There may be a few screws holding it in place on older model laptops, but the newer ones only have clips that can be loosened using your pry tool.
Move around the edge of the screen, loosening the bezel until you can pry it off with your fingers.
Once the bezel is off, remove the screws holding the LCD and lay it flat on top of the keyboard. You need to be careful that you don’t damage the LCD cables at the bottom of the screen.
To remove the connector, use a flathead screwdriver to push on the connector to loosen it. Don’t pull on the cable as you will likely pull the wires out and the connector will stay behind in the port. There are also usually pieces of tape over the connector which you must remove first. Peel them off and set them on one side so that you can reuse them when you have finished.
Once you’ve loosened the LCD cable you can put the screen on one side and turn the laptop over to access the cable where it enters the motherboard. The cable runs through the hinge so it is easy to identify when you are looking for the other end attached to the motherboard.
There’s a black pin that secures the cable in the connector so you need to lift it up so that the connector will come loose.
Once the cable is loose, you can unthread the cable from the motherboard and case and replace it if necessary. Sometimes, all it takes is to re-install the cable and LCD for the laptop to work properly again.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on April 24, 2022.
However, if the LCD or cable is damaged, you need to order the correct replacement. Check that the attachment points and connector positions are the same. Then follow the reverse order to install the replacement parts.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on April 24, 2022.