Dell XPS 13" 9360 not powering on

KrustyKruser

El Chingon
I purchased a dell XPS 9360 13" touchscreen back in early 2018 and it is out of warranty. I usually just close the computer rather than power down. I recently tried to power it on and get a quick 1 second power on of the keyboard backlight and maybe the dell logo on the screen then it powers off. I have plugged in the power cord and the charging light turns on for a second then turns off. I have performed a BIOS reset and disconnected the main battery as well as the coin battery but still no function. I can get the computer to cycle through the screen test by holding down the D key and watch it cycle through the colors.

I have read the motherboard sometimes goes bad and replacement is about $600. Is there anything else I can try or is there an upgraded motherboard for this? Is it even worth fixing or are these dell computers consumables? I can't find a matching motherboard on E-bay either as mine has more USB and USB type c ports than the parted out motherboards.
 

Sharxfan

Well-known member
What are the specs on that PC? If the specs aren't up to par with current gen laptops with the same or better specs and they aren't that mush more than the $600 or so motherboard cost I would upgrade.

But also how old is the battery? My old ass Dell won't work if the battery is bad so maybe a quick test with a cheap Amazon battery is in order to see if it is that.......
 

KrustyKruser

El Chingon
What are the specs on that PC? If the specs aren't up to par with current gen laptops with the same or better specs and they aren't that mush more than the $600 or so motherboard cost I would upgrade.

But also how old is the battery? My old ass Dell won't work if the battery is bad so maybe a quick test with a cheap Amazon battery is in order to see if it is that.......

As far as my service tag says the computer has:
7th gen CORE i7
Windows 10 professional 64 bit
16GB onboard LPDDR3 memory

Kinda hard to read the info from the Dell site as it's all foreign to me. I could post the service tag info.

Battery is original so about 3 years old. I'm pretty bummed as I spent about $1400 on this computer but it's a sunk cost now. Not sure it worth fixing.
 
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Abacinator

Unholy Blasphemies
Funny, I have an older refurb Optiplex 790 that just today won't power on. Must be a Dell thing :laughing
 

rodr

Well-known member
Thanks Rodr, I did the RTC reset as well and no luck. How do I install the new BIOS when the computer won't turn on? Can I unplug the hard drive andbinstall into a new computer and install? Hoping it won't fry the new computers motherboard?

You want to look for cheap/easy solutions first, like power adaptor or battery. Is calling Dell support an option? Yes hard drives are normally portable if the connectors are compatible.
 

Sharxfan

Well-known member
You can move a hard drive around but you won't be able to use it as an OS drive but you can get your files off of it if needed no issue. You could even get a USB enclosure and use it as USB storage.

Batteries are like ~$50ish for that laptop it may be worth it to try that approach to see if you can salvage it. Looks like some of them even have free returns but may want to check and see exactly what the return policy is like. Could always just say you got the wrong one after you test it.
 

ScarySpikes

tastes like burning
Thanks Rodr, I did the RTC reset as well and no luck. How do I install the new BIOS when the computer won't turn on? Can I unplug the hard drive andbinstall into a new computer and install? Hoping it won't fry the new computers motherboard?
BIOS is stored on the motherboard, not the hard drive, you can update the bios without getting into the operating system. Instructions are at:

https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-au/sln129956/dell-bios-updates?lang=en

Create a bootable USB flash drive.
Download the BIOS update file and save it to the USB flash drive.
Note: Make a note of the BIOS update file e.g. O9010A12.exe
Power off the Dell computer.
Connect the USB flash drive and restart the Dell computer.
Press F12 key at the Dell logo screen to enter One Time Boot Menu.
Using the arrow keys, select USB Storage Device and press Enter key.
At the command prompt, type the full BIOS filename e.g. O9010A12.exe and press Enter key.
Follow the instructions in the BIOS Update Utility screen to complete the update process.

You may also want to try clearing the CMOS.
 

Tom G

"The Deer Hunter"
I have a similar Dell from work. When I got it (used) I had problems with connecting my power supply through the USB-C. They had Dell come and replace the motherboard, some part defective. I was able to connect the small power supply using the DC plug though. Sounds like a Dell quality issue.
 

KrustyKruser

El Chingon
You want to look for cheap/easy solutions first, like power adaptor or battery. Is calling Dell support an option? Yes hard drives are normally portable if the connectors are compatible.

I did some research and most common easy fix was a new power cord. I replaced and still no function. Calling dell basically ended up with them saying to send it to them. Which I may do later but first I want to get the data off the hard drive in case they say it's $600 to fix, at which point I'll tell them to scrap it.

You can move a hard drive around but you won't be able to use it as an OS drive but you can get your files off of it if needed no issue. You could even get a USB enclosure and use it as USB storage.

Batteries are like ~$50ish for that laptop it may be worth it to try that approach to see if you can salvage it. Looks like some of them even have free returns but may want to check and see exactly what the return policy is like. Could always just say you got the wrong one after you test it.

Cool, thanks for the info. I found an adapter to read from the hard drive so I will use that to get my important documents out of the hard drive.


BIOS is stored on the motherboard, not the hard drive, you can update the bios without getting into the operating system. Instructions are at:

https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-au/sln129956/dell-bios-updates?lang=en


You may also want to try clearing the CMOS.

Interesting, I didn't find that BIOS earlier, thanks, I will give that a shot. If that doesn't work I will see about sending the computer to Dell. I'm kinda prepared to walk away from this computer. I just need to research a new laptop to replace it with.

Thanks all! Much appreciated on the feedback.
 

KrustyKruser

El Chingon
I have a similar Dell from work. When I got it (used) I had problems with connecting my power supply through the USB-C. They had Dell come and replace the motherboard, some part defective. I was able to connect the small power supply using the DC plug though. Sounds like a Dell quality issue.

Yeah seems like the motherboard going out iscommon on these slim laptops. :(
 
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