My laptop goes bezerk if I move it

[athosbr99]

I have a Dell Vostro 5470 laptop. For a while this was bugging me and making me impossible to use it: if I move it or touch on the right side, it stops working. It varies on random BSODs, screen "sparkling", frozen screen or just reboot out of the blue. Sometimes it doesn't even turn on (the 3 leds goes up and nothing happens).

I've changed RAM and HDD and this still persists. It happens randomly and its hard to diagnose and show to people. Some people bet the BGA went bust and it went FUBAR.

What can I do?

 

[ffg7]

what side does the power adapter plug in?

 

[athosbr99]

what side does the power adapter plug in?

on the left

 

[ffg7]

what is on the right side & is it still under warranty?

 

[jsmithepa]

If the symptom is reproducible, it should be relatively easy to find fault.

 

[ffg7]

yes which is why I like to know what is on the right side of laptop to isolate the area & maybe the part that is causing the problem.

 

[athosbr99]

yes which is why I like to know what is on the right side of laptop to isolate the area & maybe the part that is causing the problem.

the biometric reader and the hard drive

 

[athosbr99]

If the symptom is reproducible, it should be relatively easy to find fault.

actually sometimes happens sometimes just works

 

[jsmithepa]

actually sometimes happens sometimes just works

Sometimes is better than totally random, or self-starting.

Have u notice if it takes any pressure (mechanically induced) or a simple touch (statically induced)? Is the casing metal?

 

[athosbr99]

actually sometimes happens sometimes just works

Sometimes is better than totally random, or self-starting.

Have u notice if it takes any pressure (mechanically induced) or a simple touch (statically induced)? Is the casing metal?

the simplest touch sometimes cause it (if it is turned on). if I don't move it, it never happens

the case is aluminum

 

[hang-the-9]

That system may still be in warranty, did you check with Dell support? You very likely have a lose connector that shorts out the system when moved a bit and makes contact.

Try putting it on an antistatic mat and see if that helps with the shutdown. Also reseat the connections to the hard drive and the RAM. Make sure the battery is not too loose.

 

[jsmithepa]

Warranty claim would be my first choice in this situation, remember AMEX purchase extends it for another year.

After that re-plug all cables. Give it a vacuum.

Good luck.

 

[athosbr99]

That system may still be in warranty, did you check with Dell support? You very likely have a lose connector that shorts out the system when moved a bit and makes contact.

Try putting it on an antistatic mat and see if that helps with the shutdown. Also reseat the connections to the hard drive and the RAM. Make sure the battery is not too loose.

it isn't on warranty anymore. it happened when it was, but ePSA claimed something wrong with RAM and they just changed it. after a while it happened again (when the warranty ended)

 

[athosbr99]

I asked on the Dell forum just for the sake of it and they told me to update my BIOS (???)

 

[hang-the-9]

I asked on the Dell forum just for the sake of it and they told me to update my BIOS (???)

That has almost 0 chance of working but can't hurt to do it. If the issue happens only when the system is moved a bit, and only then I don't see how a BIOS update can do anything. That may just be a general "if there is an issue, try a new BIOS" reply. I read quite a bit of support replies and a lot of times the reply has almost nothing to do with the issue, just a standard list of things to try for any general issue. So you'd see the same reply to a hard drive issue as you would to a video card issue as you would a RAM issue.

 

[jarotech]

Hi, do you have the same problem without the lower housing installed?

 

[athosbr99]

Hi, do you have the same problem without the lower housing installed?

sorry my lack of english knowledge but I didn' get what you mean as "lower housing"

 

[jarotech]

Sorry, if you use your laptop like on the picture without the base.

 

[athosbr99]

Sorry, if you use your laptop like on the picture without the base.

with it opened? I never tried

 

[ffg7]

try it.