I've been having some trouble with my Dell Inspiron 5680. It's an older model, and I haven't made many changes aside from adding some RAM about a year ago. Today, I turned it on for the first time in a week, and it got stuck at the Dell logo without making any progress. Normally, I can just reboot it and it starts up fine, but this time it didn't work. I tried to access the BIOS or boot menus, but it wouldn't let me. I see a blue bar like it's about to take me into the setup, but then it just hangs there at the logo.
I've also noticed that the power button is blinking orange five times, pausing, and then repeating. From what I found online, it might be a BIOS issue, but since I can't get into the BIOS, I'm stuck. I also tried removing the RAM stick I had added, thinking it might be the problem, but that didn't change anything.
Additionally, I've read that a faulty CMOS battery could be the culprit, which is a cheaper fix compared to bigger motherboard issues. However, I'm not an expert on this stuff and could use some guidance. I'd really appreciate any advice on how to diagnose the problem, especially since I have important files on there that I'd hate to lose.
I even tried unplugging everything and holding the power button for about a minute, then reconnecting just the essentials—power, keyboard, mouse, and monitor—but it's still the same issue. I did manage to access a menu that states my ROM image version is invalid and asks if I want to update it, but when I select yes, nothing happens. I'm at a bit of a loss here!
1 Answer
It sounds like a frustrating situation! Start by unplugging everything, then hold down the power button for about 30 seconds. Once you plug everything back in (just the basics like power, keyboard, mouse, and monitor), see if it boots up normally. If that doesn't work, you might want to try resetting the BIOS by unplugging the CMOS battery for a couple of minutes and then reconnecting it. That could give you a fresh start!
I can relate! I managed to get to a menu that indicates my ROM image version is invalid, and it prompts for an update. However, hitting 'yes' doesn’t seem to do anything for me either, just stays stuck. Maybe we should look deeper into updating the BIOS manually or seek other solutions before jumping to conclusions?