Repairing Inspiron 8600 -- Success!!!

[WobbleWobble]

A few of you have PM'd me about my experiences fixing the laptop.

Many eBay auctions are obscure, they will say the board will work with the Inspiron 8600/Latitude D800/Precision M60. Reading auctions and some information from other forums, I was led to believe that they were the same boards with a different BIOS. This is not entirely true and I'll explain why.

The above boards are interchangeable, but they do have a few minor differences. I ended up getting a D800 board and I'll explain the differences from my experience. The D800 has an extra USB port on the side and a D-bay connector. The D800 has a different onboard sound card and to my suprise, gigabit LAN. However, the D800 also has crippled memory speeds (266MHz vs 333MHz) but supposedly that can be corrected by flashing the board with the M80 BIOS.

There is one major caveat, the AC adapter is slightly different. My 8600 came with a 65W and when I first booted up my computer I was greeted with a BIOS screen saying I don't have the 90W power adapter and that my computer won't run at optimal speeds. I look in the BIOS and I'm only running at 600MHz rather than 1800MHz. I install Windows and get Notebook Hardware Control to kick my CPU speed back up and everything is fine. The laptop seems to work fine with the 65W AC adapter and it's pretty much the same thing as a 8600, so I don't know why it demands a 90W adapter. I ended up ordering a 90W Dell AC adapter online for $25 shipped to be on the safe side.

The motherboard I bought from eBay came partially damaged. The chassis that it was sitting on partially broke, but I was able to transport the motherboard to my old chassis. No big deal, but a little more work. This board came with legacy ports that my old board didn't have so I had to swap out the plastic connector openings in the back (it's glued on, so I pried it off). Having Dell's service manual made life a heck of a lot easier. It's not a difficult thing to swap the boards. The toughest part was figuring out which screw goes back where.

I flashed my laptop with a M60 BIOS I found here. I tried to flash it with a 8600, but it wouldn't let me even with the /forcetype switch to get around the AC adapter issue. Maybe it's a good thing, I didn't know at the time that the sound and network components were different. My memory speed still seems to be a 266MHz, maybe the 90W AC adapter will allow it to run at full speed...

My system is back up and running. Oh how I missed the WUXGA (1920x1200) screen...

So I lend my brother my Dell Inspiron 8600 laptop while he's on co-op and he spills water on it while it's running. From what I hear it seems like something shorted and it's been dead since then.

After a few months, its in my hands. All the water is dried off of course, still no power. I pulled out some components to test, CPU, HDD, RAM and mini PCI wifi. All seem to be fine. I will be arranging with my friend to test my graphics card and screen on his 8600.

When I test the AC adapter on the dead system, the green indicator light is initially on but turns off when I plug it into the laptop.

I'm pretty sure the system (mother) board is dead. Do you guys think it's worth replacing for $200-300? I could a laptop, but can't decide whether I want to repair this one or buy a new one. I live in Canada so laptops are slightly more expensive than what you get in the US.

The system is a P-M 1.8GHz, 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400RPM, 128MB 9600 Pro, 15" WUXGA (1920x1200).

Any thoughts? Or maybe repair/diagnosis tips?

 

[AmigaMan]

I'd try to sell it for parts on ebay. I don't think it's worth fixing, but then again I don't have any electronic repair skills either.

 

[Mojonba]

Imho it is hard to justify spending $200-$300 on a motherboard when you can buy a new laptop for $500

 

[ender11122]

mojo may be right but that is no slouch of a laptop. Pentium while outdated does not make it slow by any means. I would repair it cuz something that performs as well as that is gonna run you closer to 1k

 

[Ayah]

I suggest a repair, it's still a decent laptop.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Are you sure a replacement mobo would be $200-$300? A perfunctory eBay search indicates you should be able to get one for ~$150.
I'm not sure if I'd spend the money on a mobo & then try to fix it (it seems you're not 100% confident a new motherboard will solve your woes). You could probably sell the screen for at least $100, the cpu for maybe $50, the ram for maybe $100, vid card for another $30-$40 (?), and the hdd for another $50. A minimum of $300, maybe more like $400. That's a good chunk to put towards a new laptop - make your bro pony up the rest, it's his fault it's broken.

 

[WobbleWobble]

If I buy a cheap laptop to replace it, it's going to come with integrated video whereas this at least has a 9600 Pro. More importantly, you're not going to find a cheap laptop with a WSXGA+ screen let alone a WUXGA screen. Screen resolution is the biggest selling feature for me on laptops.

But you guys are right. I'm not 100% sure it is the motherboard, it have taken other things with it. I will have the ability to test some parts with my buddy's 8600, mainly the video card and the screen. I don't know if I could really get that much for my "spare" parts

 

[WobbleWobble]

I've confirmed by testing parts on my friend's 8600 that the video card, LCD, battery and AC adapter all work. That only leaves the mobo. I've decided that this laptop is fast enough and will last me another good 2 years. Let's see what the best deal I can get on eBay is...

 

[Abhi]

YGPM

 

[frostedflakes]

Are there any physical signs of damage on the motherboard (burns, stuff like that)? When I've had leaks w/PC watercooling, and recently when I spilled some gatorade on my lappy (was really pissed at myself for that one), cleaning the parts that had liquid on them with q-tips, washcloth, and 91% isopropyl alcohol seemed to do the trick. What I'd guess is that with water and other liquids is that after they dry conductive ions may still remain on the board causing shorts. So try cleaning with the highest purity solvent you can find (91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol is available at retail stores in the US, dunno about Canada, or if you know a chemist or something see if they have 100%). At least it's worth a try IMO before shelling out hundreds for a new board. Good luck

 

[WobbleWobble]

That's actually a very good point. I didn't make an attempt to clean the motherboard because it was water and I assumed it would be completely dry since the spill happened months ago. I do have 99% isopropyl and maybe I should give it a cleaning since of course our drinking water is never pure.

On the flip side, I did purchase a motherboard from eBay for just over $200 ($250 CAD). I should be getting that any day now. If I can revive my old board, I guess I could always resell my "new" used board.

 

[tami]

this is why i always buy a dell laptop warranty on my laptops....

i hope it truly is the motherboard.

 

[frostedflakes]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
That's actually a very good point. I didn't make an attempt to clean the motherboard because it was water and I assumed it would be completely dry since the spill happened months ago. I do have 99% isopropyl and maybe I should give it a cleaning since of course our drinking water is never pure.

On the flip side, I did purchase a motherboard from eBay for just over $200 ($250 CAD). I should be getting that any day now. If I can revive my old board, I guess I could always resell my "new" used board.

Definitely worth a try, if you get it working at least you can make a bit of money off the board on eBay. But if there's physical damage don't even bother, probably means something is already burnt out and removing the short won't fix it.

 

[Fraggable]

Don't throw it out! I replaced an 8600's mobo for $130+shipping on ebay for a refurb from Dell and it took me 45 mins. definitely worth doing, those systems are nice. The one I did it on had a 1600X1200 resolution - I haven't seen that on a 15" LCD ever before.

 

[WobbleWobble]

I ordered a used/refurb "tested" board from eBay and am expecting it any day now. Cost me $250 Canadian after shipping, but I may incur duties/taxes/brokerage fees...

Apparently the address wasn't clear to UPS so there were some delays. Oh well, it's actually my first time buying from eBay as well so hopefully I won't get ripped off

 

[cw42]

I still get VERY good use out of my 8600C w/ 9600Pro

 

[jaymo13]

Can you let me know how this works for you, and how hard it was to replace the motherboard?

I also have a 8600, and the exact same thing happened. Same symptoms also with the power adapter.

Thanks

 

[WobbleWobble]

I've moved my post to the top for easy reading. I hope my experience doing this will help anyone else that is fixing a dead 8600

 

[frostedflakes]

Congrats! In our consumer society, it's always kind of neat to hear about people fixing electronics as opposed to throwing them away. I generally don't have the patience for that stuff, so if I mess something up I'll usually just sell it or give it away.

 

[IEC]

Originally posted by: frostedflakes
Congrats! In our consumer society, it's always kind of neat to hear about people fixing electronics as opposed to throwing them away. I generally don't have the patience for that stuff, so if I mess something up I'll usually just sell it or give it away.

I try to not throw away electronics, EVER. I'm not going to contribute to heavy metal contamination of land/water. Better to ship it off to a recycling center or repair it/salvage components. I've fixed (and broken) many a piece of equipment

 

[frostedflakes]

I feel the same way. Nothing goes in the trash. Even "junk" (i.e. dead motherboards, old modems, etc.) ends up in the Anandtech freebies thread, because I know there is somebody out there that needs the part. Just a matter of finding them.

I tend to question the effectiveness of computer recycling programs, though. Thought I've read somewhere that most just pull the more useful components (CPU, RAM, etc.) and toss the rest in a landfill. Definitely not worth the money spend on "recycling" IMO if you have the time and ability to do this yourself.

Also use junkmail catalogs I receive in the mail for packaging material. I'm such a treehugger at heart, lol.

 

[AmigaMan]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
I've moved my post to the top for easy reading. I hope my experience doing this will help anyone else that is fixing a dead 8600

Great job man! How much did the new logic board cost you?

 

[WobbleWobble]

Originally posted by: AmigaMan

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
I've moved my post to the top for easy reading. I hope my experience doing this will help anyone else that is fixing a dead 8600

Great job man! How much did the new logic board cost you?

$219 USD shipped for the mobo
$26 USD shipped for the AC adapter

Plus 2.5% currency conversion from USD to Canadian Dollars.

I'm sure I could do without the AC adapter, but I'm going to err on the side of caution. I'll just resell my old for a few bucks to mitigate costs. In all honesty, if this laptop didn't have a 128MB 9600 Pro and 15" WUXGA (1920x1200) screen I probably wouldn't have done the repairs.

 

[AmigaMan]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble

Originally posted by: AmigaMan

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
I've moved my post to the top for easy reading. I hope my experience doing this will help anyone else that is fixing a dead 8600

Great job man! How much did the new logic board cost you?

$219 USD shipped for the mobo
$26 USD shipped for the AC adapter

Plus 2.5% currency conversion from USD to Canadian Dollars.

I'm sure I could do without the AC adapter, but I'm going to err on the side of caution. I'll just resell my old for a few bucks to mitigate costs. In all honesty, if this laptop didn't have a 128MB 9600 Pro and 15" WUXGA (1920x1200) screen I probably wouldn't have done the repairs.

I hear ya. $250 to repair a decent laptop vs. $1000 for a brand new one, that's an easy choice. Now had it cost $500, I might have just saved an additional $500 to get the new laptop. That 9600Pro should be good for a couple more years.

 

[Fraggable]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble

Originally posted by: AmigaMan

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
I've moved my post to the top for easy reading. I hope my experience doing this will help anyone else that is fixing a dead 8600

Great job man! How much did the new logic board cost you?

$219 USD shipped for the mobo
$26 USD shipped for the AC adapter

Plus 2.5% currency conversion from USD to Canadian Dollars.

I'm sure I could do without the AC adapter, but I'm going to err on the side of caution. I'll just resell my old for a few bucks to mitigate costs. In all honesty, if this laptop didn't have a 128MB 9600 Pro and 15" WUXGA (1920x1200) screen I probably wouldn't have done the repairs.

Now why can they not make a 15" desktop LCD with 1920 X 1200 resolution? I would really have a use for a laptop like that. My 17" WS laptop is only 1440 X 900.