My Dell Laptop is not Turning Off

[Bumby_grumpy]

Hi Everyone i am new and i am not sure if this is the correct place to be in, Sorry in Advance.

i have a Dell g3 laptop got water damage and Repaired. Now working and all but a problem apparently came up after repairing.
-Note: Water Damage was near Power button and I/O MB, I have the version with Fingerprint Login and it’s working fine.


Only way to make fully shutdown and stay shut is to Plug the charger and then shutdown with the charger, if charger unplugged it Turns Back on by itself.

First thought come to mind it’s because of the water Damage. But if that’s the case won’t that make the laptop not work completely or not work properly at all.
It’s working fine but this issue made near impossible to take the laptop out with me anywhere.

I tried Windows update, Safe mode, Bios is Up to date. Nothing solved the problem.
I am trying to explore all options before Clean Setup.

 

[Dr. Dro]

There is likely a short somewhere. It will have to be sent in for repair again, and each part that was handled carefully re-inspected and if necessary, cleaned, repaired or replaced.

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

There is likely a short somewhere. It will have to be sent in for repair again, and each part that was handled carefully re-inspected and if necessary, cleaned, repaired or replaced.

The Power button cable was cleaned and all.
Since it’s working fine repair guy said no need to replace it.
Laptop Event log shows
Error Id-41_Kernal power error.
ATM i am using Malwarebytes App to check for any Malware’s

 

[Dr. Dro]

The Power button cable was cleaned and all.
Since it’s working fine repair guy said no need to replace it.
Laptop Event log shows
Error Id-41_Kernal power error.
ATM i am using Malwarebytes App to check for any Malware’s

That only means that the operating system was not safely shut down, happens when you yank the cord or take the battery on with the machine live. The power-on button actually closes a circuit that turns the system on (this is the reason why you can turn on a desktop motherboard with a screwdriver, for example), and having the charger plugged in probably prevents the circuit from closing somehow.

I still think a physical inspection is in order, to at least see if the system is reassembled correctly. With water damage existing, the problem could be as simple as a resistor that has some corrosion in or around it.

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

That only means that the operating system was not safely shut down, happens when you yank the cord or take the battery on with the machine live. The power-on button actually closes a circuit that turns the system on (this is the reason why you can turn on a desktop motherboard with a screwdriver, for example), and having the charger plugged in probably prevents the circuit from closing somehow.

I still think a physical inspection is in order, to at least see if the system is reassembled correctly. With water damage existing, the problem could be as simple as a resistor that has some corrosion in or around it.

Hi.
I asked the repair person what he did after getting the laptop to work.
He said he found a corroded resistor, he took it off and cleaned it and welded it back on, after that the laptop turned on.
Most damaged area was attached in the photos.
Cable noted as 1 is the power for power button he found corrosion on it and got it cleaned.

Malwarebyets finished scanning 2.8M files and after 3 hours said no malware on any problems.

That only means that the operating system was not safely shut down, happens when you yank the cord or take the battery on with the machine live. The power-on button actually closes a circuit that turns the system on (this is the reason why you can turn on a desktop motherboard with a screwdriver, for example), and having the charger plugged in probably prevents the circuit from closing somehow.

I still think a physical inspection is in order, to at least see if the system is reassembled correctly. With water damage existing, the problem could be as simple as a resistor that has some corrosion in or around it.

Can’t we rule out physical damage since it shuts down and stays shut down when charger is plugged? The moment charger disconnects it turn back on alone

 

[Dr. Dro]

Try using a live Linux OS and see if the behavior can be replicated. That way you don't need to lose any data on your HDD. I like to use Fedora, but any of them works - Mint, Ubuntu, etc. pick whatever and run it in live mode off the USB or DVD.

The leading Linux desktop

A beautiful, high-quality desktop, built on the latest open source technology. Trusted, powerful and easy.

fedoraproject.org

If the behavior is consistent under a live Linux, then it is a physical problem. Malware will not cause this behavior (usually), because it's likely that the malware author wants to use your computer's resources or the information contained within for some nefarious purpose, to that end the computer needs to be on, of course.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

I think it's a hardware problem, not software. Imo it needs looking at again, just because the engineer got it to power on,. does not mean it is fine, which the problem shows.

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

Try using a live Linux OS and see if the behavior can be replicated. That way you don't need to lose any data on your HDD. I like to use Fedora, but any of them works - Mint, Ubuntu, etc. pick whatever and run it in live mode off the USB or DVD.

The leading Linux desktop

A beautiful, high-quality desktop, built on the latest open source technology. Trusted, powerful and easy.

fedoraproject.org

If the behavior is consistent under a live Linux, then it is a physical problem. Malware will not cause this behavior (usually), because it's likely that the malware author wants to use your computer's resources or the information contained within for some nefarious purpose, to that end the computer needs to be on, of

Honestly i am bad with OS, from my understanding from your reply you want me to install this Live Linux and delete my Windows? Or download this Linux to external drive and boot from it?

I think it's a hardware problem, not software. Imo it needs looking at again, just because the engineer got it to power on,. does not mean it is fine, which the problem shows.

I understand you, the thing is the guy who got it fixed is sort of Amture based experience guy.
I went to specialized shops they demanded absurd amount of money to change the MB immediately without trying to fix it. Or look for whats is faulty due water damage .

 

[Dr. Dro]

Honestly i am bad with OS, from my understanding from your reply you want me to install this Live Linux and delete my Windows? Or download this Linux to external drive and boot from it?


I understand you, the thing is the guy who got it fixed is sort of Amture based experience guy.
I went to specialized shops they demanded absurd amount of money to change the MB immediately without trying to fix it. Or look for whats is faulty due water damage .

No, live Linux doesn't touch your existing operating system, it just boots from the USB stick. You don't have to install it. That's why it's live, lol

See tutorial if you arent familiar with it

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

No, live Linux doesn't touch your existing operating system, it just boots from the USB stick. You don't have to install it. That's why it's live, lol

See tutorial if you arent familiar with it

Thanks a lot i will check it now.

 

[Bill_Bright]

How long ago did this "water" get spilled in there?

While most laptops are not waterproof, most offer some resistance to liquids getting inside, in case caught in a sudden rain storm, for example. My point being, once liquids get in, it can take a long while for them to completely dry out. This is especially true if not flipped upside down immediately after the liquid spilled on it.

While plain water certainly can create an electrical short scenario, plain water rarely creates a corrosion issue. What was in that water? Was it really "water"? Or was it coffee with cream and sugar? Soda? Dirty rain?

I think it needs to be "professionally" cleaned by an experienced technician.

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

How long ago did this "water" get spilled in there?

While most laptops are not waterproof, most offer some resistance to liquids getting inside, in case caught in a sudden rain storm, for example. My point being, once liquids get in, it can take a long while for them to completely dry out. This is especially true if not flipped upside down immediately after the liquid spilled on it.

While plain water certainly can create an electrical short scenario, plain water rarely creates a corrosion issue. What was in that water? Was it really "water"? Or was it coffee with cream and sugar? Soda? Dirty rain?

I think it needs to be "professionally" cleaned by an experienced technician.

Well you’re correct indeed. I didn’t mention the full story of how it got water damage I didn’t see it’s relevant since the laptop eventually after drying up it worked.
( long story short I suspect it was in water for like 2-3h, my whole house was flooded to broken pipe, device wad in my backpack.)
i will take it to a repair shop today and see how. I will keep you guys updated, Thanks to everyone who participated

 

[Bill_Bright]

Wow! Sorry to hear about that. I hope (but doubt ) insurance covered it.

So we are not talking about a glass of filtered water spilling on the keyboards but the laptop soaking in dirty water for potentially hours.

I think you are lucky it even booted at all. I am surprised the battery was not destroyed as that much water would have shorted it out.

I recommend you remove the drive and [hopefully] backup any and all data you don't want to lose - then take it to a reputable shop.

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

Wow! Sorry to hear about that. I hope (but doubt ) insurance covered it.

So we are not talking about a glass of filtered water spilling on the keyboards but the laptop soaking in dirty water for potentially hours.

I think you are lucky it even booted at all. I am surprised the battery was not destroyed as that much water would have shorted it out.

I recommend you remove the drive and [hopefully] backup any and all data you don't want to lose - then take it to a reputable shop.

Well it didn’t fully submerge under water, it was standing in the backpack and damaged in charging/power button area.
Also no insurance here in a middle eastern country ‍.
By this point i am okay with losing data, i got no extra money for hard disk, currently barely able to afford to fix it.

Thanks everyone i will update here as soon as i get it back.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Also no insurance here in a middle eastern country

Well, you are not alone. Not sure how most insurance companies deal with flooding from a broken pipe, but many will not cover damage from flooding unless you pay extra for flood insurance.

Any way, good luck.

 

[Caring1]

Hi.
I asked the repair person what he did after getting the laptop to work.
He said he found a corroded resistor, he took it off and cleaned it and welded it back on, after that the laptop turned on.
Most damaged area was attached in the photos.
Cable noted as 1 is the power for power button he found corrosion on it and got it cleaned.

Can’t we rule out physical damage since it shuts down and stays shut down when charger is plugged? The moment charger disconnects it turn back on alone

If he removed a Capacitor and soldered it back on the wrong way it would allow current from the battery to power the system back on without pressing the power button I would imagine as they are generally one way.
I could be totally wrong too,and welcome more experienced replies.
Get him to have another look at the repair he did and test it.

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

Hi Everyone i came back with an update. basically the repair guy says no damage is found on the MO and it might be a BIOS AC behavior issue.
Because he replaced the Cion battery and that Auto reset BIOS configuration.
from dell repair manual: "CAUTION: Removing the coin-cell battery resets the BIOS setup program’s settings to default. Before removing the I/O board along with the coin-cell battery, it is recommended to note the BIOS setup program’s settings."

If he removed a Capacitor and soldered it back on the wrong way it would allow current from the battery to power the system back on without pressing the power button I would imagine as they are generally one way.
I could be totally wrong too,and welcome more experienced replies.
Get him to have another look at the repair he did and test it.

He did solder back a resistor and i thought of that and told him, he is sure he did it the right way.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Regardless, I don't think this is BIOS-related. It's definitely not the default setting even if this is available on your laptop (and I am fairly sure it is not on mine - a 2021 G15 5515)

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

Regardless, I don't think this is BIOS-related. It's definitely not the default setting even if this is available on your laptop (and I am fairly sure it is not on mine - a 2021 G15 5515)

What made the repair guy say it’s a software issue maybe that the laptop when connected to power and off it, it stays off. No AC cord (charger) connected it goes back on.
I am trying to find a good paying job and just buy a new one.
Any suggestions for decent laptop that can run Engineering software like MatLab,ANSYS, 3D modeling? Ik this might be wrong place to ask but no harm in trying hopefully.

 

[Dr. Dro]

What made the repair guy say it’s a software issue maybe that the laptop when connected to power and off it, it stays off. No AC cord (charger) connected it goes back on.
I am trying to find a good paying job and just buy a new one.
Any suggestions for decent laptop that can run Engineering software like MatLab,ANSYS, 3D modeling? Ik this might be wrong place to ask but no harm in trying hopefully.

Why not get an older generation ThinkPad or Dell Precision laptop? You can find many of those for a very good price on eBay and the sort, usually with a Quadro GPU as well. Those are built for work.

 

[eidairaman1]

What made the repair guy say it’s a software issue maybe that the laptop when connected to power and off it, it stays off. No AC cord (charger) connected it goes back on.
I am trying to find a good paying job and just buy a new one.
Any suggestions for decent laptop that can run Engineering software like MatLab,ANSYS, 3D modeling? Ik this might be wrong place to ask but no harm in trying hopefully.

Contact northridgefix

 

[Bumby_grumpy]

Regardless, I don't think this is BIOS-related. It's definitely not the default setting even if this is available on your laptop (and I am fairly sure it is not on mine - a 2021 G15 5515)

Well he did a full inspection on all damaged
( were water went ) hardware and he found non.
Taking it to other shop I feel like they will try to rip me off in sense of trying to make a short cut regarding the power supply that will cause harm any time.
The main guy i went to, suggest it it possible to make a jumper wire and make it work but it’s risky.

Contact northridgefix

I will look into it, Thanks

Why not get an older generation ThinkPad or Dell Precision laptop? You can find many of those for a very good price on eBay and the sort, usually with a Quadro GPU as well. Those are built for work.

I am not too familiar with this type or laptops in general honestly, i will look into it and see the price including shipping to UAE