power - Laptop shuts off unexpectedly while in motion

08
2014-07
  • rink.attendant.6

    Recently I've been encountering a very annoying problem during my commute in which my laptop unexpectedly powers off. I am using a Dell Inspiron 15 with a touchscreen. The laptop is just a bit over a year old. Here are some more details:

    • Speed does not seem to matter. Today it has happened while moving in heavy traffic at approximately 5 km/h, on a road at 60 km/h, and down a rapid transit lane at nearly 100 km/h
    • It happens regardless of position inside the vehicle. Whether I'm sitting 15 feet back (closer to the front of the bus) or 40-60 feet back (last row of seats) it still happens.
    • It happens regardless of road quality. There's an on-ramp and some parts of the Transitway that have bad potholes but hitting those doesn't cause the power down, yet this has happened on some newly-paved roads.
    • Acceleration doesn't seem to matter either. I've encountered several instances of sudden braking that did not cause the power down.

    To reduce vibration, I typically set the laptop on top of a nearly-empty backpack on my lap, without any part of the laptop touching the seat or vehicle directly.

    Another thing I've noticed too is that this problem does not happen only on vehicles, but also when I am walking between classes. I usually put the computer to "Sleep" instead of shutting it down before putting it in my backpack. Sometimes when I open it up the next class or at work, the power would be off and my open documents/windows would have crashed. For now, I've enabled the "Hibernate" option and use it when class is over, but it still doesn't help me when using the system in transit.

    This power down phenomenon never happens when the system has not physically moved.

    I've checked the Event Viewer in Windows and nothing of significance shows up:

    The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

    The battery lock is in the lock position and it appears to be fairly secure in its position.

    I've also looked at some other questions that did not help my case:

    Can anyone suggest something to prevent this from happening?

    • Answers
  • HighTechGeek

    Many Dell laptops have a built in accelerometer to sense when a laptop is falling and can be configured to instantly turn off the hard drive to prevent damage on impact. It sounds like your accelerometer is too sensitive. I'm guessing there's probably a setting in the BIOS that will let you disable it. I'll do some research and post if I find anything specific.

    UPDATE: Apparently there is a Freefall Sensor Driver. If you go to Dell support and put in your service tag, you can download the current driver.


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  • TheCloudlessSky

    I'm trying to fix a friend's Compaq NC6230. At my previous job, I was exposed constantly to these machines for tech. support, so I'm very familiar with them. However, this particular machine has an odd issue.

    After about 30 seconds after boot, the machine shuts off. It's not overheating because I've been monitoring the temperatures. Also, I cleaned out the fade and checked for any other obstructions. When the machine shuts off the screen has lines across the screen (sometimes - this isn't 100% reproducible) that makes it look garbled. Ever since the first time this happened, the power light to indicate the machine is charging no longer comes on. However, under windows, it is plugged-in and charging just fine. I have tried replacing both RAM modules just in case to no avail.

    If the computer turned on, logged in and then isn't touched - the computer stays on for a longer period of time before shutting off. I was thinking of trying to load a Linux Live OS to determine if it could perhaps be the OS installation causing issues (Windows 7).

    Do any of these symptoms seem familiar? Would anyone have any other suggestions to try?


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  • SteveM82

    How do you know it is charging, especially if the LED no longer comes on? My hunch is that the battery is simply going bad or there is a malfunction with the charging circuitry. Broken solder joints around the AC adapter jack are quite common on notebooks. In either case, the end result is the same as mentioned by @KCotreau. The cost to repair is probably not worth it. Instead, take the money and apply it toward the purchase of a new notebook.

    One last thought ... Are you sure you are using the correct AC adapter, and is the adapter putting out the correct voltage? You wouldn't want to toss a notebook just because the AC adapter is bad.