I have a Dell XPS 15 9550 that will no longer boot-up. Prior to this occurring, my boss was attempting to reformat this laptop with a Dell provided Windows 10 USB flash drive, P/N 55YG7_A00. In attempting to restore from the USB media, Windows setup stated that there was a problem with the setup, at which time he attempted to reboot. The laptop has not booted since.
The laptop, when you power it on, will simply show a black screen; the POST does not appear to run, as the Dell logo is never shown (so I can't even get into F2 for setup or F12 for boot device selection). The power button does light up when turned on, but will only stay lit for about a minute before the unit shuts down again (the internal fans turn off as well). I can run the pre-boot display test by holding down the D key while pressing power. That video test cycles through its color pattern about three times, and the laptop shuts down again. No other pre-boot key combinations (holding down Fn) seem to work for me.
I have tried holding down the power button for a minute or more, just try a force reboot, in the event that the laptop or OS were stuck in some sort of state. That does not work. I am sure that the laptop is charged, as I had connected the AC adapter for over an hour at one point. I have removed the back panel and disconnected the battery and tried to hold down the power button for 30 seconds to clear any residual power, but it still does not boot correctly.
I am not sure if the laptop somehow got stuck in the pre-boot environment that the Windows deployment media evokes, or if there is even a way just to get back into that environment from USB media (I created new USB media from Dell.com, the previous Dell issued USB drive apparently does not work for this laptop, likely due to it not being able to recognize the internal SSD).
I have seen other people reporting the same issue, and for many it was a dead motherboard. It seems unlikely to me that a failed Windows 10 reinstall could fry the motherboard, or some other internal component, but I does appear as if the unit is bricked at this point.
Are there any ideas on what I can try to do here an resolve? My alternative is to reinstitute the recently expired warranty for about $600, and have a Dell tech take a look at it.
