Solved Dell Inspiron N5110 passes all diagnostics but freezes

UzY3L

New Member
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4
Hello,
I have a Dell Inspiron N5110 that freezes randomly. I cannot figure out what the issue is, no matter what I do or read in Event Viewer.

System :

- Intel i5 2430m 2.4GHz;
- 6GB DDR3 (4+2GB) Samsung 1333MHz;
- 320GB Western Digital WD3200BPVT HDD;
- Intel HD3000 + NVidia GT 525M 1GB
- Windows 8.1 Pro x64

Maximum temps achieved while running AIDA64 System Stability test (using both GPUs and CPU at 100%) : 90 degrees Celsius.
Maximum GPU temp in Furmark : 84 degrees Celsius.
Maximum CPU temp in Prime95 : 80 degrees Celsius.
Cooling system has been cleaned and fresh thermal paste has been applied, namely Gelid GC-Extreme 2.


The system passes all diagnostics : Dell Diagnostics (quick & full), Dell Pre-Boot Diagnostics, AIDA64 System Stability Test (1h), Gold Memory&MemTest 86, Furmark, Prime95, basically anything you throw at it.


The freezes occur usually during normal operation : browsing the web, browsing the hard drive, downloading files using your browser.
The biggest number of freezes occurred after a fresh install of Windows 7 and using Firefox/IE to download the nVidia drivers.


Steps taken :
- Updated BIOS from A9 to A11 (latest);
- Installed fresh Windows 7;
- Upgraded nvidia drivers from 288 to 344;
- Upgraded Intel Centrino Wireless driver;
- Upgraded power adapter from 90W to 130W;
- Used system without battery;
- Used system with Intel HD Graphics disabled, then with nVidia graphics disabled;
- Formatted hard drive;
- Installed Windows 8.1
- Change SATA mode from AHCI to IDE and back;
- Disabled and Enabled intel SpeedStep Technology;
- Disabled and Enabled USB Charging;

And despite all this, it still freezes randomly. There is no BSOD, no nothing.
The hard drive just stops, the mouse cursor stops and the laptop does nothing but display the last thing I was doing on it.

Please help me with this issue.
I have provided full windows logs + log collector archive. They are small since the windows instalation is 1h old. Please let me know if you need anymore info and I will try to get it ASAP.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron N5110
    CPU
    I5 2430M
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    6GB Samsung DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD3000 + nVidia GT 525M
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    None
I think I may have found the issue. I took the laptop apart again and I noticed that the thermal pad that covers the PCH was missing. The keyboard's metal frame was touching directly on the intel PCH.


I noticed some high temperatures on the PCH, namely 77 degrees Celsius and I thought I should check it. Seems whoever took the laptop apart last time, forgot to put the thermal pad back on.


I'm gonna mount a new pad and post back the results.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron N5110
    CPU
    I5 2430M
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    6GB Samsung DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD3000 + nVidia GT 525M
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    None
Hi UzY3L & Welcome to the forums ^_^,

Has your problem been fixed? If yes, then kindly mark this Thread as SOLVED.

If not, then please do not hesitate to post back and I will take a look at it ^_^.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro B-)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba
    CPU
    Core I5 2430M @ 2.4GHz
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz Dual Channel ^_^
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 3000 B-)
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 500 GB
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & Common Sense!
When I upgraded the CPU on an old Dell 1545 laptop, the PCH pad fell apart. I was able to find some vendors on Amazon selling solid copper replacement pads for the PCH for a few dollars. These copper pads were about 1/4 inch square and a few millimeters thick. Added a little thermal grease to each side of the copper pad and the old system runs cool now.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 64-bit OEM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 17R - 5737
    CPU
    Intel i5-4200U Processor (3M Cache, up to 2.6 GHz, UMA)
    Memory
    8 GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz (4GBx2) Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3 inch LED Backlit Display with Truelife and HD+
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 900
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital, 1-TB WD Blue SATA III, 5400 RPM, 8 MB Cache
    Mouse
    Microsoft Comfort Mouse 4500
    Internet Speed
    20 mb up / 17 mb down
    Browser
    Google Chrome 64-bit
    Antivirus
    MS Defender / Malwarebytes PRO
Hi UzY3L & Welcome to the forums ^_^,

Has your problem been fixed? If yes, then kindly mark this Thread as SOLVED.

If not, then please do not hesitate to post back and I will take a look at it ^_^.

Hello,

I have not powered on or assembled the laptop again since I found that the thermal pad was missing.

I'll get one on Wednesday and see if the issue still occurs. Although PCH failure would explain why the system just freezes with no BSOD.

@Antilope : I'm glad that you were able to fix your problem. I'll dig deeper into N5110 dis-assembly and see if my laptop came with a normal thermal pad or a copper one.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron N5110
    CPU
    I5 2430M
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    6GB Samsung DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD3000 + nVidia GT 525M
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    None
Let me know how it goes ^_^

In case of any further problems, do not hesitate to post back :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro B-)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba
    CPU
    Core I5 2430M @ 2.4GHz
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz Dual Channel ^_^
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 3000 B-)
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 500 GB
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & Common Sense!
Hello,

I mounted the thermal pad to the intel PCH and everything got fixed. I'm gonna led Dell know about this also because they never stated that system instability would occur if the pad is removed nor did they at leas give a warning about the importance of the thermal pad.

Thank you for all your help! I'm marking this as Solved
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron N5110
    CPU
    I5 2430M
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    6GB Samsung DDR3 1333MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD3000 + nVidia GT 525M
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    None
Hi UzY3L ^_^,

Glad to hear that the problem has been solved ^_^.

In case of any further problem, do not hesitate to post back :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro B-)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba
    CPU
    Core I5 2430M @ 2.4GHz
    Memory
    8 GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz Dual Channel ^_^
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 3000 B-)
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 500 GB
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & Common Sense!
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