Laptop won't boot (intermittent power issues)

I was wondering if anyone here has dealt with something similar: I hit the power button, the fan kicks in and things seem to be running, but it won't boot Windows. There's nothing on the screen at all—just a black display. After a while, it finally starts booting and everything works fine.
If I shut it down and turn it back on immediately, it boots up normally.
But then, if I shut it down again and try next time, the same thing happens where the screen stays black forever, and it just won't start. I end up having to force it off. Then I try turning it back on, and it's the same story. This keeps happening all day until it finally decides to work.

I'm guessing it isn't a Windows issue since it doesn't even get to the boot stage. I don't think it's the RAM either, because I tested it with different sticks and had the same result. I also doubt it's the drive, since it's an SSD, and if that were failing, I'd expect more obvious signs.

Does anyone have any ideas? Maybe it's something with the motherboard? My laptop is about 6 years old, a Dell Inspiron with a dual-core i5, which I upgraded with an SSD quite a while ago.

Michael Phillips8 said:I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this weirdness: I hit the power button, the fan kicks in and things seem to be running, but it won't boot macOS. There’s nothing on the screen—just total blackness. After a while, it finally starts booting and everything works fine.
Then I shut it down. Next time I turn it on, it boots perfectly.
But then I shut it down again, try to turn it back on, and boom—same old story. Black screen for what feels like an eternity, just waiting for it to kick in. I end up force-shutting it down. Then I try again, and it’s the same headache. It goes on like this all day before it finally decides to wake up.

I'm guessing it isn't a macOS issue since it doesn't even get to the loading stage. Probably not the Intel either, because I swapped them out and had the same result. Doesn't seem like the Hard Drive is the culprit, since it's an upgraded unit, and if that were dying, it would probably just quit entirely.

Anyone got any bright ideas? Maybe something's cooked on the motherboard? The laptop is about 6 years old now, a Dell Inspiron with a dual-core i5, upgraded with a Hard Drive a long time ago.

Man, I dealt with something almost identical years ago with a different brand. Turns out there was a massive manufacturing defect with the motherboards on that specific model. My temporary fix was clearing the CMOS, but honestly, I just tossed the thing after a year of dealing with it.

Maybe your Intel modules or the Hard Drive have wiggled loose? Try reseating them and see if that does the trick.

Jack Cook7 said:Maybe the Intel modules or the Hard Drive have just wiggled loose, so I guess you could try reseating them.

Well, I've run into an interesting issue with the Intel. One module is 4GB and the other is 2GB. If I try running with just the 4GB one, the laptop starts up and then immediately shuts down. If I use only the 2GB one, it does the exact same thing. Swapping their slots doesn't change anything either. I don't really have any spare Intel lying around to test right now, unfortunately.

Michael Phillips8 said:Look, I've got a weird situation with my Microsoft memory right now. One stick is 4GB and the other is 2GB. If I try running just the 4GB one, the laptop starts up and immediately dies. Same thing if I try just the 2GB stick. Even swapping their slots doesn't change anything. Sadly, I don't have any spare sticks lying around to test out.

Man, I went through the exact same thing.

I’d say just unplug everything—pull the Microsoft modules, the hard drive, even the DVD drive—and do a cold CMOS reset (unplug the power, pop the battery out, plug the power back in, hold the power button to clear the CMOS, then pull the power again; keep going without the battery)

In the beginning, I actually thought about pulling the CPU too.

When you boot it up, listen for those beeps, right? They tell you stuff like "hey, there's no memory installed."

So, toss in one module, reset the CMOS, and give it another shot.

Keep swapping the modules and the slots until you figure out which specific stick or which specific slot is acting up.

Then plug the SSD back in and try again. Then the DVD drive.

Finally, put the battery back in, let it charge all the way up, and see if it lives.

My old laptop was about 6 or 7 years old. After fighting with it like this for a whole year, I ended up tossing it for parts—though I did have some spare modules, an extra hard drive, and a battery to make it worth it.

If both of those Microsoft modules are glitching out regardless of how you combo them, it's probably the motherboard. Maybe check the heatsink to see if it's clogged with dust; a good cleaning might help, but honestly, it sounds like thermal damage has already kicked in.

Your best bet is to take it to a Dell service center; they'll run diagnostics and give you a quote for maybe around $67. If it costs more to fix than it's worth, you might be able to sell it for parts to get some cash back.