Hi All,
Just finished installing a replacement motherboard in this Inspiron M5030 laptop. The original problem was no power to laptop, no fan, no boot. Tried another known working Dell AC adapter i had and no luck with it. Tried removing Optical drive, Battery and Memory modules one at a time and ran diagnostic on hard drive after removing it and putting in another computer. Still could not get laptop to boot.

After replacing the motherboard, i now have a different issue where i can not get a display on the LCD. I am able to hook up an external LCD and get the display to work on it.

I was able to run the Dell diagnostics and im getting an error code of 0413. The code means LCD cable not detected. I reseated the cable and still have the same issue. The cable and connector look fine and none of the pins look damaged.

Im getting what appears to be 2 different BIOS beep codes when first starting the laptop. The first one is a series of 3 short beeps, followed by 2 quick beeps and then repeats. This happens several times and then i get 8 beeps which repeat several times as well. Beep codes stop and it does boot to the Windows 7 login screen on the external LCD.

Im able to stay at the Windows 7 Login screen without issue for over 15 mins. I have tried entering the BIOS to attempt changing the Service Tag, but the laptop shuts off after a minute or 2. Same thing if i hit F12 and dont make a choice quick enough. This has me thinking i either have 2 separate problems or that the motherboard was a lemon.

So something more than the LCD cable seems to be at fault here. Looking at the Service Manual from here: M5030 Service Manual the display cable does attach to the back of the LCD panel and is replaceable. Before i jump through the hoops of getting it replaced, i thought i would get someone elses opinion.

Because of the 2 different issues that may both be motherboard related, im thinking of exchanging the motherboard and replacing it again. See what happens and then if necessary replace the display cable.

The beep code of 3 short beeps and 2 shorter beeps has me stumped. Maybe its just a 5 beep code?

Beep codes from m5030 manual found here: Inspiron M5030 Setup Manual

Beep Code Possible Problem
One - Possible system board failure or BIOS ROM checksum failure

Two - No RAM detected
NOTE: If you installed or
replaced the memory module,
ensure that the memory module
is seated properly.

Three - Possible system board failure or Chipset error

Four - RAM read/write failure

Five - Real Time Clock failure

Six - Video card or chip failure

Seven - Processor failure

Eight - Display failure