Dell Inspiron M5030 7 beeps of bullshit

[Soylent Brice]

Warranty barely expired.

According to the manual, online tech forums, and Dell, 7 beeps is CPU.

Turn it on, black screen, 7 beeps of bullshit.

Aside from replacement or reballing, which I have not the patience for, what other options do I have?

Thanks in advance.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

1. Has this pc ever overheated? n/t

[Soylent Brice]

2. laptop has never overheated.

No problem overheating ever.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

3. I would pursue the issue with Dell

And expect that it would be covered under warranty especially if it is within 30 of the expiration. Is this a 1 year warranty?

[Phillip McCleod]

4. cpu bad? ur doomed. get new puter

[Denzil_DC]

5. With a little effort, you could replace the CPU, but

without figuring out why it went kaput (if it has), there's a danger the replacement would go the same way.

You say it's never overheated, but how do you know that (not meant as a challenge, just wondering)? One possiblility is a cooler fan malfunction, in which case the chip would have fried. Another possibility (which only applies if it's got an AMD CPU) is set out here, and is also related to heat:

Recently my inbox has been full with requests on how to repair the dreaded 7 beeps error on the new M series Dell laptops “M5030?, “M5010?, “M5050? the error is actually a post error code to let you know their is a problem in the Bios post sequence it means “problem with cpu”, although on closer this is actually incorrect it has to do with the south-bridge chipset thats the true fault.

The reason the laptop posts with 7 beeps is the South-bridge cannot communicate with the CPU and thinks the cpu isn’t connect, it’s actually a BGA fault.

http://novatekk.com/dell-inspiron-m5030-7-beeps/

That's not something I think an amateur could fix (well, I don't think I'd tackle it), and it might happen again anyway, so the CPU frying is actually a more hopeful possibility.

When I say "a little effort" above, I've worked on a few Dells, replaced cooling fans, screens, etc. Dell has some handy guides available that take you step by step through the process, and it's not too bad if you're at all handy with a screwdriver and follow the precautions advised. In the case of the fan and CPU, dismantling the laptop to get at it is the major bind, once you're in there, it's quite an easy process.

If it was mine, I'd check the trading laws that apply in your jusrisdiction and see what Dell's reaction was when you approached them (a warranty's one thing, but you should expect more than a couple of years out of a laptop - looking round the Web, they've helped others in your exact situation), and if it's a known common fault like this you may have more leverage, especially if you can find others with the same issue and band together.

If it's not the BGA fault described above (a gentle shake of the laptop with it turned off might show up a rattle if the BGA's fully come adrift), if Dell wouldn't play ball I'd think of buying a replacement CPU (looking round, they're not expensive) and fan and replace the whole assembly. Otherwise, the laptop still has some residual value for spare parts, but don't get your hopes up too much as it's a buyer's market nowadays.

[Mnpaul]

9. I think this whole BGA idea has been a big failure

Corporations taking shortcuts with solutions that don't work all that well. I see Intel is going with BGA for their next line of processors even on desktops. You won't be able to change the processor on these motherboards.

[Gore1FL]

6. I would call Dell and beg

That model looks like it has had issues with this. They may be willing to give you a deal.

But, short of that, I don't think there are other options besides replacement.

[YngWldNCzy]

7. DELL CAN HELP!

I recently just had this problem and when I looked up how to fix it I ended up just calling Dell. When I called them they were very nice and told me all I had to do was give them my U.S. address and they'd send me an empty box. Then all I had to do was send them my laptop in the box and then they would fix it free of charge. They said It was my processor and it would take 7-10 days. Then they send It back to me. All free of charge. I was so happy. I'm currently over seas but once I get back to state side, this is the first thing Ill be doing. Hope this helped!

[hrmjustin]

8. Welcome to Du my friend!

[Fantastic Anarchist]

10. Actually, if it's a HDD problem (trouble booting)

You could try this trick and see if it works (I read this on a computer website):

You can take the HDD and place it in the freezer overnight. Take it out the next morning, reinstall it, and see if it boots up. From recollection, it was something about how the heat when using the HDD expands everything, and then gets a little "off". Freezing the HDD tends to recalibrate all of the parts.

Let me know if you try that, and if it works. Good luck to you.

[jrandom421]

11. Unfortunately

This is a temporary fix at best. It should allow you enough time to get your vital files off the laptop. but it'll have the same problems as soon as the drive warms up.

[MikeEllis]

12. Probably not worth the repair

I work on a lot of Dell's, first thing I would do is go onto the Dell web site, go to the contact us link hidden all the way at the bottom of the web page in tiny print, click on Chat with a technician. This will save you twenty minutes of hold time on their phone listening to free form light Jazz. Use IE as a browser and it will beep when a tech types something in. Wait times on the chat line are usually about ten minutes during business hours. Explain your problem with the tech and ask him to research if there has been a recall on your unit. Dell really does not go out of their way to publish when the have a recall, unless it is about a fire hazard with a battery. If they offer to fix the unit if they ship it in, back up all of your data, as they will promise to ship back the unit with the original drive, but often they wipe the drive or just swap out the unit and you lose everything.

If it was an overheating fan problem, the unit should work if you start it up, then shut down when the thermal override kicks in, usually when the internal temp hits about 110 degrees, but more likely around 120 or so. If that is the case it may be a fan problem, but if the unit won't boot past the beep codes, you chip is probably fried.

If you were going to try and buy a processor online, you might try to find another working unit and just swap out the hard drive, old Dell units that were rented out to businesses usually go for under $200, but for another hundred, you could buy a new laptop. It's usually never worth fixing a four year old laptop, unless you get the parts for free and do the job yourself. I hate installing chips on motherboards, because it's so easy to snap off a pin and the chip is useless. I usually end up bending one and then spend a half an hour with a sewing needle straightening bent pins and hoping for the best.

Usually you get about three years out of a laptop with standard use, four of five if you are careful. I would probably try for one of the memorial day sales and get a new laptop. If you need your data off the old one, purchase a usb to sata cable and you should be able to copy the old information off the drive.

Best of luck.

[Arahgon]

13. There is a cure

I found a few fixes for this issue one takes just over 2 hours the other about 20 minute's since you say you don't have the patience to wait I will explain the 20 minute one the guy turned on his laptop and let it beep for 20 minutes wrapped in a towel and blanket after 20 minute's all 3 items were very hot to the touch he unwrapped that laptop and unplugged it and removed the battery to allow it to cool once cooled he plug it back in and it was up and running since heat hurts these dell inspiron m5030's I suggest getting a lap[top cooling pad.