Question Laptop not turning on

[SirMonkeyV]

Hello. I'm trying to fix a Dell Latitude E5440. At first, I saw no display, but the lights would turn on. I connected it to a tv to test if just the display is bad, but I got no signal. I then took out the one RAM stick and put it in other slot. The laptop turned on fine. I ran Windows memory diagnostic tool and it detected no errors. I did not run the extended one. I wanted to get 2nd opinion of memtest86 and made a USB. When I shut down the laptop, it went back to how it was of not turning on. I noticed the fan on bottom spins for a bit, but stops.

Should I buy another RAM stick, or is the fan not spinning all the time the problem? My guess is it can't be heat problem if the laptop turned on fine and ran the memory diagnostic tool fine? It also wasn't used for a day and didn't work when I first tried to turn it on, so it was cool. It only worked when I moved the RAM. Could it be motherboard issue or even CPU? I tried both plugged into wall and with battery. Thank you.

 

[Prostar Computer]

Try another memory stick. Memory diagnostic software doesn't always pick up faults with memory.

The fan is probably spinning briefly as part of POST only. Doubtful that the fan is the issue, but once you replace the memory, keep an eye on it.

 

[SirMonkeyV]

Try another memory stick. Memory diagnostic software doesn't always pick up faults with memory.

The fan is probably spinning briefly as part of POST only. Doubtful that the fan is the issue, but once you replace the memory, keep an eye on it.

Thank you for your reply. I just replaced the RAM with ram of the exact same model number. It turned on fine and detected right amount of RAM. It gave alert on startup it didn't detect ram on last boot up. I turned it off to see if it will turn on again. It didn't. It's doing the same exact thing. Does this mean the motherboard is malfunctioning? My understanding of laptop motherboard is that it's most of the time not worth replacing the motherboard? It turns on sometimes after reseating the RAM. Does that mean the slot or a pin could be loose?