Why won't my Dell Venue 8 Pro Windows Tablet turn on?

Anonymous
2014-02-04T17:06:49+00:00

I was using my new Dell Venue 8 Pro Windows tablet with 32 GB (I got it this Christmas) when all of a sudden the screen went blank and turned this almost black color, with a slight glow to it. I tried turning it back on, pressing the power button and the Windows button, but it refused to respond. I plugged it into the charger and let it charge overnight, no change whatsoever. The screen still had a slight glow to it and it stayed blank no matter which buttons I pressed. I've tried unplugging it and plugging it in again, no response. The only thing that happens when I plug it into the charger is that the white battery light comes on. I tried plugging it into the computer, no difference. I had been sorting through eBooks in my virtual library on my tablet when the screen went blank on me, could this be a factor? Honestly, I have no idea what the cause for this odd behavior is, if anybody has some hints or ideas as to this problem, please respond to my question. I'm really at my wit's end! Thank you in advance, graceSGZ

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2014-02-05T22:23:50+00:00

Ok, so I searched up a bunch of help articles on the Microsoft site and the Dell site, and I found an online manual for my tablet. I finally got it to turn on by pressing and holding the power button for ten seconds and then another ten seconds. Based on my research, I'm guessing that somehow I managed to shut off the screen on my tablet without turning the tablet itself off, and that I shut it down. Because when I got it to turn back on, it was like I had shut it down, where I had to sign in and everything. Whatever the cause, I'm glad I fixed it, and I hope that if anybody else has this same problem,  my question and how I fixed it will help them too. 

UPDATE: If you're still having trouble, you can try scrolling through the comments; I have posted more detailed instructions in one of the comments. :)

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-03-21T07:54:41+00:00

    I am having the same problem!  Dell had obviously sold us a faulty product!  I received my tablet as a Christmas gift and after only a few weeks I noticed that it was resistant to "waking up" after going to sleep.  Each time, I was able to (finally) get it to come to life after the 10-second-twice exercise.  But now, it's just black screen.  It does not seem to matter whether it's plugged into to AC or PC.   

    The battery is not dead, because it's been charging for me than 4 hours now and is still non-responsive.  What is Dell going to do about this problem????

    I have the same problem with a Venue 8 Pro. Plugging in a power cord does nothing, no power or charge light. The buttons do nothing. I opened it up and tested the battery okay, it has 3.8 volts, it's a 3.7 volt battery. While plugged into the computer I tested 5 volts on the board across a capacitor, so the USB port is working okay.

    The only "life" I see is when I unplug the battery and plug it back in, the power light lights up for 2 seconds then goes off, that's it, nothing else. There must be something blown on the main board.

    Should have bought a laptop.

    The port on the system is likely faulty. I've seen this with several of these devices including one of my own:

    http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/mobile-devices/f/4586/t/19533276

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-03-20T21:08:00+00:00

    I am having the same problem!  Dell had obviously sold us a faulty product!  I received my tablet as a Christmas gift and after only a few weeks I noticed that it was resistant to "waking up" after going to sleep.  Each time, I was able to (finally) get it to come to life after the 10-second-twice exercise.  But now, it's just black screen.  It does not seem to matter whether it's plugged into to AC or PC.   

    The battery is not dead, because it's been charging for me than 4 hours now and is still non-responsive.  What is Dell going to do about this problem????

    I have the same problem with a Venue 8 Pro. Plugging in a power cord does nothing, no power or charge light. The buttons do nothing. I opened it up and tested the battery okay, it has 3.8 volts, it's a 3.7 volt battery. While plugged into the computer I tested 5 volts on the board across a capacitor, so the USB port is working okay.

    The only "life" I see is when I unplug the battery and plug it back in, the power light lights up for 2 seconds then goes off, that's it, nothing else. There must be something blown on the main board.

    Should have bought a laptop.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-03-16T17:38:59+00:00

    I had this happen last night. Someone here I think, had the answer that helped me. I'm sorry I can't find that response to thank them.  What happened to me was I left it charging overnight, but the tablet still would not turn on. I tried all the 10 second on and repeat, then the 20 second on and repeat attempts, pushing buttons together, but still nothing. 

    This morning i plugged the tablet into the pc and left it for an hour or so. Then tried again. Finally it worked. The response I read here somewhere, said that if you let the tablet battery completely run down, which I apparently did, it won't just charge up with the charger. It needs a trickle charge from a pc or other to get it started. That's what happened here and after plugging it back in to the charger, the battery was only showing 5%, so overnight charging did nothing. 

    Bottom line, don't let it run out of battery life and if it does, plug it into a pc or other device to get that trickle charge to get it started charging again.. Thanks to the brilliant person who posted that. Much appreciated.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-03-15T03:31:27+00:00

    Thank you all for posting of this problem.  I was so mad today and thought my tablet was not working.  I believe mine also was caused by windows updates.  It processing 20 updates today and I use my tablet multiple times a week, so I don't know why so many at one time.  Anyway, thank you all for sharing your situations!

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