Laptop finally bitten the dust?

[Zhaoman]

I've had my Dell XPS L502X for a good three and a half years now and today when I was just browsing through Windows Media Player (I'm old fashioned) to decide on a movie to watch, I get a BSOD and before I could even realise what had happened, the laptop restarts immediately (which I thought was strange because BSODs usually hang around for me to read it). It spends a good minute or so on the Dell splash screen which I presume is the POST (and it usually takes 5 seconds) before I get a message saying:

Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable
PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE ROM

Followed by the Boot Menu. If I select hard drive, it just does the same thing. If I select Diagnostics, it says no problems found, and if I do the memory test it still says no problems found. I can go into the BIOS no problem.

I tried sticking in a Windows Vista CD (I didn't have a Win7 disk handy) to try to boot from it and after 15mins of waiting for it to load I gave up and came here. So, has my trusty laptop, which admittedly has been through the wars with me, packed it up?

[deejayburnout]

Sounds like it

[Bonebreaker777]

Try MemTest to run or try to boot from a USB stick. Or take the HDD out and try to boot a live CD/USB like that

[Zhaoman]

I went into the BIOS and noticed that no HDD was found. So that's it then, I'll try to replace the hard drive and give it a go!

[Bonebreaker777]

There you go. Can try the HDD in a standalone PC for testing. But if nothing else, you can upgrade to a SSHD or SSD now. Will literally pour new blood into it.

If you fancy, could try find on eBay a matching PCB and try to replace it if the HDD is worth it (some 1-2TB models are I think).

Or try to negotiate a RMA with the manufacturer if still within warranty and economically feasible.

[Zhaoman]

Thanks for the comments guys. I took it to the local PC repair shop, there was a very friendly and knowledgeable Bosnian guy insulting all his customers casually (me included) as he went about his work. After taking the hard drive out, we found the PCB had short circuited leaving lots of copper dust, likely cause: water damage after I had put it on a table full of water that I did not see. So your man just gets out the bottle of 97% ethanol and a brush and brushes the copper dust off, dries it, and voila! it works! Didn't charge a penny and off I went. What a great day! I have been very very lucky too it was only a minor short circuit on the hard drive PCB and nothing else was affected. Now I'm off to do that back up that I put off for about a year and a half...

[Bonebreaker777]

Hurray! I can relate to the insulting, eastern Europeans tend to do it. That's how they socialise

[deejayburnout]

Excellent news.

I would be taking that guy a bottle of Russia's finest as a thanks.

Every good deed deserves another.

[Zhaoman]

Yeah good call deejayburnout, might get him a little something. I honestly do not expect much from PC repair shops but this one seems well staffed and well equipped!

[deejayburnout]

If you find a good business / service that you can trust. Grab it with both hands. He will be very happy with the nice gesture and will give him a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Spread the Christmas spirit. ( as well as the Russian kind)