POST Card

[Jayson]

But would the disks still spin up if it wasn't actually getting past the POST?




So, you have two monitors plugged in? One is HDMI and the other is VGA? While doing your diagnostics, did you have both monitors plugged in? I would recommend only plugging in the VGA monitor when testing. Mixing an analog and digital signal can cause some confusion.




If you power it on and just let it run for a few minutes, do the fans and the HD continue running?

Are there LED lights inside the case that light up and remain lit? How about the LED lights on the outside of the tower? I don't know about that model, but certain Dell models are infamous for problems with this or that. Many times the behavior of the main power button's LED light can help you find out if there's a hardware issue. You could also try calling Dell.

Question #1, I was wondering about the HD spinning question too, but figured since there wasn't a beep it wasn't getting past post.

#2, I unplugged the HDMI first try and have tried plugging and unplugging as I tested originally. Both work on other computers and when plugged into the down computer, they display like it would be off or in sleep mode.

#3, Yes, the fans and HD continue running. You can tell it isn't processing anything by the sounds it makes, just running. The LED light inside the case beside the batter is orange and stays orange when the computer is turned on and plugged in. The LED light on the front of the computer which usually displays white when the computer is on, is displaying orange also (just like it would when in sleep mode or hibernate). The little light on the front that flashes when it is initially turned on(wife calls this the thinking light) doesn't do anything at all. I thought initially that I might have had a bent USB pin from the plugging in of the microphone, but they appear to be fine, and I think that would have been solved by unplugging that from the motherboard.

[rlriii13]

Is it under warranty?

[Jayson]

Is it under warranty?

Sadly no. I bought it refurbished over a year ago and I believe I only had a 90 day warranty. Get what you pay for sometime right...

[NFLD Stephen]

Sounds like the motherboard to me. My mobo fried last month and had the same symptoms. REplaced that (and the processor too, while I was at it) and everything else works fine.

Problem is, you can generally only tell if your mobo is toast by ruleing out everything else....

Stephen

[ChadS]

Problem is, you can generally only tell if your mobo is toast by ruleing out everything else....

That depends strongly on how many computers you have lying around... At any one moment I have about 10 in various operational, server, or graveyard positions. I guess people outnumber computers in most houses? (not including smart phones and tablets)

[jrw]

Had a similar situation with my son's computer. For Christmas he received a new graphics card and power supply. The first time there was a problem all it took was unplugging the PSU connector to the motherboard. Worked fine, for a couple of days. Second time around, I popped out the pins from the connector and cleaned them with rubbing alcohol, as well as the pins on the MoBo. There was some resin flux residue left inside the female pins. Haven't had a problem since.

Worth a try anyways.

[ChadS]

@JRW good point. If the voltage regulators don't get up to proper voltage the mobo won't beep. It's worth putting a Fluke on the pins if you've got one. Replacement power supplies are cheaper than a new computer.

[M_Six]

Have you tried a different video card? Does it have a video card or is it on-board video?

We bought a bunch of those small form factor Dells about 4 years ago and they're all beginning to drop like flies. Those small cases just don't allow enough airflow to cool adequately. We've gone back to mini-towers.

[Jayson]

Have you tried a different video card? Does it have a video card or is it on-board video?

We bought a bunch of those small form factor Dells about 4 years ago and they're all beginning to drop like flies. Those small cases just don't allow enough airflow to cool adequately. We've gone back to mini-towers.

Regarding the power supply, I did try to check and clean the pins. Then I purchased another power supply for the thing and that didn't work either.

I believe the video card is on board on this one. I don't see any place where there is a detachable card unless I am missing something. I didn't think of the airflow problem until I actually had it in hand and was thinking the same thing. Seemed to get hot very quickly when using it to most of it's potential.

[M_Six]

If the vid card is on-board (on the motherboard), you might want to check with a local computer shop and see if they can lend you a cheapo PCI vid card. It'll have to be a low profile one for that machine, but it's one way to check if your I/O board (the section of the motherboard with the external connections) is shot. They do tend to die in those machines. They're not too pricey to replace, either. Do you know of any local computer stores you can trust?