Reviving a Dell Precision 7510: Troubleshooting a Stubborn Device

After nearly two years of using my Dell Precision 7510, I finally decided to breathe new life into the device. However, upon attempting to power it up, I was met with an unexpected challenge: the laptop appeared to be completely non-functional. Upon pressing the power button, the device briefly illuminated for approximately 20 seconds, but then fell silent, showing no further signs of activity.

Despite my confidence in handling tech issues, this situation has left me perplexed. Over the past few days, I have undertaken various troubleshooting measures, which included:

• Replacing the CMOS battery to ensure proper time and settings retention.
• Swapping out the NVMe drive for a spare unit to rule out storage-related issues.
• Charging the device overnight to eliminate low battery power as a factor.
• Testing it on mains power as well as with the battery to see if either source would yield better results.
• Using a docking station to check if the charging port was at fault.
• Trying a different mains adapter to ensure the original adapter wasn’t the problem.
• Performing a power reset by removing the battery, disconnecting the power source, and holding down the power button for 60 seconds.
• Replacing the motherboard, taking this drastic step in hopes of a resolution.

The motherboard swap did introduce a slight change: while the previous symptom was a quick flash on battery and a longer pause on mains power, it now displays the opposite behavior—running for 15 to 20 seconds on battery but showing no response when connected to mains power.

Despite my familiarity with hardware, the current predicament has left me searching for answers. If anyone has experience or advice on this matter, your insights would be greatly appreciated. Let’s see if we can solve this mystery together and perhaps give this Dell Precision 7510 a second chance.