Fix for M1004 Error

My Inspiron 8200 suddently started flashing the M1004 error on startup and would constantly shut down during use.  Tried upgrading the BIOS but it didn't make a difference.  Knowing the M1004 error may be due to a buildup of heat, checked the heat sink to make sure it was clean (It was.)  Checked the fans to ensure they were working (They were.)

 

So we broke the computer down to try to find the problem.  Interesting enough, it didn't seem as if the heat sink was getting that hot or dissipating heat when the computer was running.  What we noticed was that the thermal paste that typically sits between the heat sink and CPU was gone so the heat was not being dissipated form the CPU to heat sink.  (This explains why the fans ran excessively.)  Luckily, the system shut down as it should before burning out the equipment.

 

Went to a local store and bought a tube of heat dissipating paste for about $2.00 and installed the paste between the heat sink and CPU where it should be, put the system back together, and the system seems to be running fine.  Heat sink now gets hot as it should and the fans are running normally.

 

I just rant the laptop for several hours without any issue.  Hope this helps everyone.  Flashing the BIOS didn't fix the problem.