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June 13th, 2023 08:00
Xps 13, motherboard data loss
This question is for a dell xps 2015 that served me well as a young grad. Great performance, good definition on the display, decent battery life. I recently dropped it when lounging in my bed and a piece of the charging port snapped clean off - total human error, but I’m hoping it will be an easy fix.
However, just spoke with dell support, and apparently it’s a motherboard issue (seems that the charging port connects all the way to the motherboard - is that true?). The initial estimate was quite good, sounds like there wouldn’t be any data loss, but Im giving myself a 24 hour window to do my own due diligence in case there’s an easier way.
Does anyone know A) if there’s an easier fix for the charging port that the team may have overlooked, B) how likely it is with the xps 13 that there will be data loss by replacing the motherboard?
Thanks in advance.
filbert
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June 13th, 2023 09:00
As I said in my first post, you cannot make blanket statements covering the entire series. There are dozens of models in that series that differ considerably.
You're in luck: both the SSD and the charging jack are removable and replaceable. It's possible that there could also be damage to the board, in which case just replacing the charging jack won't be sufficient.
Before handing your laptop to a repair shop, I would remove the drive and backup your data. If Dell will do the repairs, they may want a drive installed, so you could wipe it after backing up your data, and then reinstall the drive.
Whenever touching components or working inside a computer, wear a grounded wrist strap, also called anti-static wrist strap, ESD wrist strap, or ground bracelet. It's a cheap and sensible precaution. Rest the laptop on an anti-static mat or at least a reasonable alternative such as corrugated cardboard. (Repeatedly touching a metal case part is not sufficient mitigation with modern components.)
ejn63
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28.7K Posts
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June 13th, 2023 09:00
The system has a replaceable DC input jack:
https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=19725
And the SSD is separate from the system board.
If the jack is the damaged part, it's easily replaced. If the connector to the mainboard has snapped off there, though -- Dell's diagnosis is correct and the mainboard will need to be replaced. Only you can decide whether that's cost-effective on a system that's about eight years old; my advice would be that it's not, and that you'd be better off with a new system than replacing a system board on this one.
Either way, the data should be intact on the SSD.
filbert
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June 13th, 2023 09:00
There is no way to answer your questions without knowing the specific laptop mode. "XPS 13" is a series or family, comprising many models over many years. We need the model number. e.g. XPS 13 9310.
Some models had a charging jack that could be replaced. Others have it integrated into the motherboard, so the entire board would have to be replaced.
Same with drive. Older models tended to have drives that could be removed, so even if the system were dead you could remove the drive and place it in another computer or USB interface to backup your data. However, some later XPS 13 models have the drive integrated into the motherboard, soldered in place without a normal connector, so that it can't be removed.
Ua-chjp
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June 13th, 2023 09:00
The model is a 9350. The other thing to add is that I updated the SSD years ago - not sure to what extent this is relevant in terms of data loss, but it sounds like it’s integrated with the motherboard? Or is that not accurate for the XPS series?