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150169
Dell Inspiron M5010 7 Beeps (GPU failure?)
Hello,
I have an Inspiron M5010 laptop that has worked fine for almost exactly two years, and recently failed with a 7 beep error code on boot, meaning that the motherboard or processor has failed. I left the laptop unattended for about 5 minutes, and returned to a blank and unresponsive screen. On reboot, the 7 beeps indicated the failure. In addition, the area on the motherboard around the GPU smelled burnt for several hours after it failed. My best guess is that it overheated and the solder between the GPU and the motherboard reflowed and fried the chip, despite the laptop sitting on a hard surface with the fan and all of its vents clear of obstructions.
I have tried both holding down the power button for 60 seconds with the batter and charger removed, and reseating the RAM and testing each module individually, but neither action helped.
The laptop is unfortunately out of warranty, and but given that I see several new threads on the forum relating to the same issue, it seems common. In this thread, several users received support despite being out of warranty, but technical support did not recognize it as a known issue when I called them. Is there any way I can get this repaired without having to buy a new motherboard (which could then fail with the same issue) or a new laptop?
Thank you,
Techwolf
Techwolfy
3 Posts
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March 2nd, 2014 23:00
I needed the laptop repaired soon, and there has been no response from Dell so far, so I've ordered a replacement motherboard and will replace it myself since it's out of warranty. I've built several computers so it isn't very difficult for me, but it is still annoying. Despite this failure, this is one of the best laptops I've used, and I hope that using a higher quality of thermal paste will help prevent the issue from reoccurring in another two years.
Thermal failure seems to be an unfortunately common problem with laptops, particularly higher-end ones, so I don't think I can entirely blame Dell for this. However, it would be nice if they would replace laptops that fail due to this issue, because however common this is between different brands, it is still a manufacturing defect.
In the future, I will have to be a bit more careful in selecting a laptop with good cooling, and check to make sure a refurbished laptop won't end up failing for the same reason after a few years as in this case.
Sincerely,
Techwolf
Doylecat
3 Posts
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February 25th, 2014 03:00
I too would be interested to know why Dell are not seeing this as an issue Techwolf???? My M5010 also died this morning, doing the 7beeps and not coming on, it is just under 2 years old...This seems to be a major fault with this model and it needs sorting at Dells cost.... (funny how they all break just out of warrenty?)
One very annoyed Dell customer..
daryl1968
1 Message
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March 2nd, 2014 11:00
same here - I own 4 Dell computers and have been very happy. I recommended Dell to my Mother in Law and she bought an M5010 from Best Buy around 2 years ago.
The most she's ever done with it is played Solitaire and it failed yesterday. 7 beeps and then nothing. Except taking the thing apart, I have tried all of the fixes that are recommended.
As this appears to be a recurring problem with this particular model of laptop, is there anything Dell can do to help? Anyone?
Daryl
Mxruiz
2 Posts
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March 3rd, 2014 20:00
Ugh! I am having this exact issue with my m5010 I bought about 2-3 yrs ago and of course it's out of warranty. Wish they would respond to this post. :(
seaschu
6 Posts
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March 15th, 2014 19:00
Mxruiz
2 Posts
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March 16th, 2014 09:00
The fix is replacing the mother board. Dell tried to charge me 350 and then lowered it to 270 and in the end like a used car sales man 170. I really think they need to do a recall on these laptops.
Maomou
1 Message
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March 21st, 2014 13:00
I've got the same problem and when I rang today they told me that the cost to repair it was 233 euro and that covers the technician and the motherboard only as my laptop is 3 years old. its obvious that there is an issue with this model.
I won't buy a Dell laptop anymore.
kmcgrane
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1 Rookie
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8 Posts
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April 2nd, 2014 21:00
I had this issue in August 2013, my dell M5010 would not boot up one morning and instead beeped 7 times over and over again. After countless hours of research I managed to figure a way to make the laptop turn on, however once it turns off again it will resume the beeping upon boot up. What I did was push the power button, make sure the laptop was plugged in as to not lose power, cover the vents and let it beep and warm up. After it feels hot to the touch I hit the power button again to turn it off, then once more and it typically boots up at this point. The time it takes differs with each boot. I've been told the more times you use this method the longer it takes to make the laptop boot up. I also decided to take a chance and bake my motherboard in the oven. My warranty is up and the worst that could happen is that I need to replace my motherboard. There are techniques on baking your motherboard on available online, I also suggest buying thermal paste and reapplying it as well. After doing this my laptop had no more beeping....Until just last night. I still am to boot it after letting it beep and heat up. However now I am debating on baking it again or trying to replace parts. It is unclear whether this is a motherboard or processor issue. Hope this helps a little
Techwolfy
3 Posts
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April 7th, 2014 15:00
I replaced the motherboard myself, as the laptop wasn't too difficult to disassemble, and it has now been running for about 12 hours straight doing updates with no issues. I reused the same processor, so that wasn't the issue for me.
Heating your computer to reflow the solder may help, depending on which part is damaged, but it will probably damage other components and the fix would likely not last long, if successful at all. My recommendation is to either replace the motherboard yourself, send it to Dell, or buy a new laptop. If you replace the motherboard, be sure to put new thermal paste on the processor and make sure the heat-conductive pads are snugly on the components they are intended to cool, to prevent the problem from recurring.
Hope this helps!
Latitude_gr
9 Posts
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April 27th, 2014 15:00
You can try to reflow the GPU since the problem is more likelly related to it. For a succesfull reflow it is very important to use apropriate flux. The best I have found so far is CS-FLUX which is specially designed for BGA components and you can find it on ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390792468898
atennis86
2 Posts
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September 22nd, 2014 01:00
Pretty much the same exact story last fall, and I mean almost exactly the same. Same age, left alone short time with proper air flow, smelled burnt, 7 beep code error?? Inspiron M5010 as well. My question is did I lose my files on the computer or is there a way to recover them? Also, why the heck is Dell not responding to this issue!
kmcgrane
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1 Rookie
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8 Posts
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September 22nd, 2014 07:00
I gave up trying to fix my m5010 and went with a different brand this time. I was able to recover my data! On Amazon they have a hard drive enclosure for around $12, you need a 2.5" and preferably a 3.0 USB for fastest transfer. Take the hard drive out of the laptop and put it in the enclosure and you will now be able to access all of your files as if it was an external hard drive
maya000
1 Message
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October 20th, 2014 14:00
Same thing happened with me. 7 beeps and I could never repair the computer. Unless investing more money than the computer worths in a new motherboard, especially that the issue came exactly after the guarantee period expired.
Dell should take the responsibility of its failure, I think that most of people that had that model have their computer out of service by now!
I'll never buy a dell product from now on and I'll make sure nobody that I know does!
saabluvr-comput
1 Message
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September 6th, 2015 07:00
inspiron m5010- 7 beeps. replaced motherboard, heat sink cooling fan and the latest is the processor. I rebuilt it last night. and what do ya know....7 beeps-black screen-again. so. I am currently wrapping it in a quilt inside of its soft case to reweld any possible connections that are loose. we'll see.
saw it on this site. the utube guy- wrap your laptop in a airtight quilt with the comp on- and the 7 beeps blaring for 10-15 minutes. let it heat up then take it out and shut it off. let it cool--rinse and repeat.
I will know in 7 minutes. I am not a blogger and a tech freak but I felt obligated to post considering I replaced every element on my 5010 and still got the 7 beeps. stand by........