Solved Dropped laptop -- Can't figure it out

[kbronski]

Putting this in general because I don't know where else to put it.

So my friend dropped her laptop. This video shows what happens when you push the power button.



All I can say as of now is that the screen does not appear to be cracked or broken.



I'll update this thread as I investigate it more, but if anyone has any ideas, please chime in.

 

[andrew129260]

Not much information to go on, (You didn't state what kind of Dell it is, or anything about it for that matter.)

This information is all from google.

8 Beeps on a dell typically means the LCD on system has failed, a 6 Beep code would mean you GPU.
That may suggest the lcd display panel or the signal going to the display. Could be the cable came loose when dropped as well. You could try dismantling the laptop and look for any loose cables. For that, you could put in youtube the name of the computer model followed by teardown.

Does the laptop have a vga out port? Or hdmi? Try connecting it to another display. (This most likely won't work, but you could try.)

There's a tag located on your laptop, probably the bottom, that lists the machine's Service Tag value. Go to support.dell.com--on another machine, of course--select 'Support for Home Users' and then 'Troubleshooting.' Enter the Service Tag in the appropriate field. The next page will give you the machine's warranty status. If you got it new, it should still be under warranty.

Contact Dell tech support about your problem. There are two ways: (1) telephone or (2) chat. By far, online chat is the best, but you'll need a working computer and the broken one.

At the top of the web page that you got the machine's warranty information from should be a 'Contact Us' entry. Select it, then select 'Contact Technical Support.' From there, open an online chat session. A Dell technician will debug your problem and either help you fix it, or have you bring it to a store or ship it to them for repair.

And your files should be fine. The problem is most likely not with the machine's hard drive.
But it is defiantly one of the many reasons you should have your files backed up.

 

[AmericanPharaoh]

Here are two videos to help get you started in the event you need to replace the LCD, or just look inside to see if a wire came loose. There are many other video's available on Youtube if these don't suite you.

Dell Inspiron N5110 Laptop Screen Replacement Procedure - YouTube

Dell Inspiron N5110 Dismantle Ram Upgrade and Hard Drive Repair - YouTube

Hope this helps.

John

 

[kbronski]

Actually figured it out. Took the laptop apart to find that when she dropped it, the display cable came just slightly unplugged, skewing the connection. Plugged it back in and the laptop boots perfectly now.

 

[4wd]

Plugged it back in and the laptop boots perfectly now

! not often one reads such good news, easy fix to a potentially destructive (and expensive) accident. Congrats.

 

[AmericanPharaoh]

Good work! You saved her a trip to the repair shop.

John

 

[andrew129260]

Awesome!

 

[kbronski]

Yep. For visual reference, this is all that there was.