Hey there,
I was having a problem with my Dell Inspiron 1501. When I turn it on
it sounds as if its about to boot up then instead runs silently. The
monitor stays completly off, the power on and charging lights come on
but when I press caps lock or num lock there is no response with the
lights. To turn it off I just press the power button again.

I was wondering if it could be a problem with the wiring, I know
laptops often get disconnected from opening and closing then pinching
the wires. If so where could I look to reconnect or replace those wires?
Or if there were any other suggestions that would be great! Thanks in
advanced.

Hi.

I see 5 possible causes for this issue.

¤ RAM Memories
¤ LCD Monitor
¤ Video Card
¤ Wiring
¤ CPU

In that particular order.

Step 1: Reseat the RAM Memory Modules one by one and try booting
again.
If the issue remains remove all of them and use 1 module at a time and
different sockets either to rule out a faulty ram module or a faulty
socket.

Step 2: Above the keyboard there's a panel and below it are the cables
linking the video card to the LCD Monitor. Try just put some weight on
the panel, This will re-attach the video signal cable in case it's
loose. You could also try connecting an external monitor to the laptops
vga port to see if you get an image. Perhaps an error message pointint
us in any direction.

Step 3: If it's the video card you'll have to open up the case. This is
usually done by remove the bottom case of the laptop and make sure that
there's no dust covering the fan of the video card or any other parts
for that matter.

Step 4: While you have the bottom case open you might as well make sure
that all the wiring is attached properly.

Step 5: CPU last possible cause for a no video error could be the CPU.
Make sure that the cooling for the CPU is attached properly.

If you need help stripping down the system Dell usually has pretty
decent guides for this at their support page.
Let me know if these steps help.

/ Ani

Try booting with the external monitor.