Dell Desktop problem My Dell Dimension 3000 has completely fucked and I've no idea how. I shut it down and left for work the other morning. When I returned, I turned it on to find that it didn't boot up at all. The hard drive and fan don't kick in - abolutely nothing turns on. However, the power LED on the front is blinking an orange/amber colour :think: Does anybody have a clue what this problem is, or have you encountered it before? PLEASE help
is it in standby mode? press and hold the power on button for 10-15 seconds. (the button on the case)
Re: Dell Desktop problem If it's obviously not in stand by mode or hibernating then it sounds like your hard drive might of went, if it has it wont boot the CPU up as a safety precaution
Re: Re: Dell Desktop problem first i've heard of this...???? do dell's have special motherboards? i know some BIOS support s.m.a.r.t. HD protection u can still have bios's running without IDE/SATA devices attached
Re: Re: Re: Dell Desktop problem True. They dont have special motherboards but alot of the latest packages have HD protection, we've just got a technology refresh at work & our Dell's have it as a standard requirement so i'd imagine other models have it to.
thats usually a package though, loaded with the OS, not at hardware/bios level. if it's a red flashing light, it'll be power, possible fault on motherboard OR something not fitted properly. i.e. reseat GFX PLUS make sure it's not full of dust & overheating - i know you're a bit of a gypo granty
No. I've had the power cord out for 10mins, put it back in then clicked the power button - nowt!! Still that bastard flashy LED
It's definitely amber/orange. I've been on the phone to Dell and they keep trying to get me to buy a new power pack to fit inside, where the cord plugs in. For some reason - even though I'm no expert - I don't think that's the problem. Also, the LED next to the hard drive icon above the power button doesn't even light up at all??
taking the power supply out ain't the same as resetting the ATX switch. Keep the ON button pressed in for ATLEAST 15 seconds. other than than, there's gotta be Dell forums, they're tell u exactly what they red flashing light means. i MIGHT be PSU related, but i wouldn't be 100% sure, id anything, motherboard or something needs reseating
Hmm sounds like PSU or mobo to me. If you get NOTHING, ie not even the fans etc, then i'd lean towards a PSU fault. Thing is with this thing you can't really be 100% sure which and any money you fork out is often a gamble. With the power cable plugged in, take the cover off the side of the case - is there a solid green light on the motherboard? If so I'd be even more suspect of the PSU... Even with a HDD fault you would usually get something on the screen....certainly has been the case in my experience anyway. Also with HDD errors you'll often get a blue screen to tell you about it. Bear in mind a CPU does not "boot up," the OS is booted from the HDD. How old is the machine? As stated already, If you turn on a PC with no drives in, you will still get as far as being able to access the BIOS. You also get some action with the RAM removed. I just had a quick google and found this: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5150/en/sm/tshoot1.htm#wp1114195 it's for a different unit but I would be surprised if the diagnostic lights/flashing LED's differ between machines. What you need is just over half way down. According to that, flashing amber means PSU or Mobo fault. Check the diagnostic lights, and report back!
Re: Dell Desktop problem if theres no activity coming from any hardware id suspect either a blown moo or a psu fault....which might inturn have blown your mobo... and possibly more things. get someone to pop round with a psu to test it
Found this: Blinking Yellow - The power supply is receiving power from the source but is unable to properly distribute it to the components. This may indicate a power supply problem. Dunno how to rectify this problem though? http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3000/en/SM/adtshoot.htm#wp1054081
I don't know anyone who has one that lives near me - and I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing anyway
I had the same problem with mine, except the amber light is on the back of my compaq. The computer guy came from round the corner and put a new power supply in and it was hunky dory hew.
