Inspiron 1520 refuses to turn on

My father has owned an Inspiron 1520 for under a year, it runs on Vista. He used it yesterday, no problem, but when we tried to turn it on today, it refused to turn on. When the power button is pressed, the power light comes on for 8 seconds, turns off, and the battery light comes on for 2. I tried removing the battery and turning on the laptop when plugged in, but it didn't make a difference. I've been searching for an answer, and the only answer anyone has given is that there is a blown fuse, perhaps from a power surge, but the laptop wasn't being charged between the time successfully used and now. Please help us out, we're really at our wits' end.