k i have a dell inspiron 1100 and the problems is that when i leave my laptop on for the whole night..it just shut off by it self.
and yes i did the "power managment" stuff.
they are all set to "never".
but the weird thing is..it only happen sometimes.
yesterday i was converting a Divx file(wich usually take's a day to process) and the next morning my laptop was off!
so i did a diagnostic test.
when it reached the "fan testing speed" my laptop went off??
so i turned my laptop on and did again the test but only for the fan and it passed.
now i want to know...do i have problems with my fans??
my high rpm speed was: 5806
my slow rpm speed was" 4191
can anybody help me out?
this is a very anoying problem since my laptop shut off by itself and i lose all my files!

Are you getting any notices about battery power? Are you plugged into A/C when this happens? How about the bios.....have you checked in there for power management settings? When you power it back up, does it go into full boot or does it come up as if it's been in hibernation?

it happens when it's in a/c.
and it comes back in full boot.
cause it shut's off completly.
umm how do i get the bios power managment?

I believe on Dells, you can hold down the F1 key when you power on.....

F2 Actually. i have a dell inspiron 1100 but not i have distorted sound. i have the lateest driver but i fear it could be hardware. can anyone help???

Hi! My best guess is that your Inspiron 1100 is overheating. You rcomputer will shutdown if it the fans cannot cool down your CPU enough.

If it's warm in your room, poor ventilation, etc. For sure, it will shut down. You probably have a Pentium 4 in there, right? And you can probably hear the fans blow real hard many times, right? Like the laptop is about to take off? Well, that's why Intel stopped putting Pentium 4 processors in laptops, it's getting just too hot for a laptop. They are now introducinf the Pentium M which run slower but have more onboard cache which makes them run cooler and at lower speeds for similar performances.

My other tip is to never put the laptop on your lap, legs or any body part. You'll get burned and if you ever plan to have kids (or have more of them), stay as far as possible from it. The heat and EMF coming out of those things is REALLY bad.

I have an inspiron 1100 too with a Pentium 4 2.2Ghz and I cannot even imagine how hot an Inspiron 1100 3Ghz P4 may get. Scarry stuff! Good luck!

Pierre
P.S. If anyone knwo why my inspiron 1100 "Dimm A" socket does not work, I'd appreciate it (if I take the pc2100 memory chip that is in slot B and move it to slot a, if does not recognize it and fails to boot, no memory found).

Most of the time you will find that the computer is having problems with heat. Again, as in the message above, it doesn't just mean the processor isn't cooling enough. It also happens because the video card is overheating. Or the hard drive, or the memory. When you turn the computer back on, does it give you an error message saying that the computer was shut down due to heat? If not the bios may need to be updated. support.dell.com will have the lastest bios for it. I think right now the version is A32. The way to tell is when the dell screen is booting up, where the progress bar is. If you look under that, it will tell you the bios version/revision. Good Luck.

Just a tip that might apply to overheating problems: buy a 6$ can of compressed air (staples, office depot, compusa often has then on special, buy one whenever they're free after rebate ;-) ). Anyway, if you blow some of that compressed air into the ventilation holes on your laptop and a cloud of dust comes out, you'll know that fixed your problem. My friend has an AMD-based laptop and this fixed his problem.

And I agree with the previous post, updating your BIOS is always a good idea. I think there's even one of the BIOS updates that deals with dust on the fans.

It's interesting to read that your laptop shutdown while doing a fan test. I don't know what these tests are about but if they slow them down while the computer is already very hot (as you said, you were converting DIVX, which I'm sure heats up your computer a lot). So, slowing down the fan (fan test) while it's doing all it can to cool it down might have pushed it over the edge.
Just an uniformed brainstorming idea ;-)

Good luck!

After I upgraded BIOS (from Dell site) battery indicator flashes rapid yellow 3 times, then green long one time. Battery seems good (computer was bought 18 months ago).

Hi, I have this problem too. My Inspiron 1100 is nearly 3 years old. Is it time for the battery to be changed? The indicator light flashes the way the above poster describes even when the computer is started from cold.

I too am experiencing the multiple amber falshes, followed by a long green one. Is it as simple as replacing the battery or is it more involved??? Someone please advise...

I have the same problem.... does anyone have a suggestion or diagnosis?

(Oh and Bump)

Bumpedy bump bump :knock:

bumps don't work here. If people feel like answering, they will.

[B]Hello guys and welcome to Techspot.[/B]

Maybe the easiest sollution is simply to contact Dell.

I`m sure they must have heard of this problem before.

Regards Howard

i had the same problem with the overheating
if the laptop is several years old there is probably a build up of dust in the fan/heatsink
your warrenty is probably void so google how to open it up and remove the fan assembly and clean it
good luck

stylin hat man, look at the age of the thread these people are not looking for answeres to this now.

also, don't use BIOS version A33. Use A32. A33, the latest one I heard of, minimizes the fan use (because people complained about the fan noise) to the point that the computer overheats at the drop of a hat. I have A32 and it keeps everything cool.

Hi i have a Dell Inspiron 1100 service tag # is G5KY541, express service code is # 35166033505 i need reset the bios password need help thanks.

I have a Dell 1100 inspiron the service tag is # G5KY541 I need reset the bios password somebody can help me thank