Dell Dimension 2400....no boot

[JC]

Hi
Trying to fix a friend's sister's Dell Dimension 2400....roommates supposedly screwed with it while she was on vacation :|

The only sign of life it has is the LED by the mobo's ATX power connector glows dimly when plugged in. Other than that, nada. I would try another PSU, but I recalled they have a different wiring layout in the PSU connector...is this still true? I checked the layout against an Antec, wires are the same except the Antec has a white wire where the Dell PSU has an open slot.

Any ideas where I can start here?

thanks.
JC

 

[JC]

Hmmm.....anybody wanna take a shot?

 

[LTC8K6]

What about the diagnostic leds on the back of it? Should be 4 green ones when all is well.

 

[mechBgon]

Were the roommates inside the case at all? Check that the case's front-panel cable is still plugged into the motherboard and that the slide switch on the rear of the PSU (if it has one) is not on 230 volt input or halfway between 115 and 230, as a result of someone just chancing to get a finger into the recess when moving the computer. I've seen it happen.

 

[JC]

LTC8K6: I didn't know about those LEDs....didn't see them because they're not lit 🙁

MechBgon: Don't know if they were inside the case, I'd guess not...nothing seems to be disturbed, all the cables are connected, and I already checked the 115/230v switch 😉 The LED by the power connector dims (even more, it's already dim) when I press the power switch.

So is this a proprietary setup on the PSU/connector? I certainly don't have another Dell PSU to swap in to test.

 

[mechBgon]

The first resource I usually would use to check that is PC Power & Cooling's PSU configurator, since they sell Dell-compatible PSUs. Lately, however, even if it's a normal ATX PSU, they'll still tack on the word "Dell."

Turbo-Cool® 425 Dell Deluxe Power Supply

Looking at the 20-pin pinout diagram and comparing it to a standard ATX plug diagram, it verifies that the only discrepancy is the white wire, a -5volt wire that I believe has been dropped from the standard ATX specs. So I'd view it as a formality that the Dell PSU still happens to have, and try the Antec if you like.

Bigger picture: if the Dell is still under warranty you could just make it Dell's problem?

 

[JC]

I think you're right, time to make it Dell's problem 🙂

These sort of things really make me want to buy a proprietary machine.......NOT!

Thanks for the help, guys.

JC

 

[JC]

Machine was out of warranty....customer got one from Dell ($100....for a refurb!). Same problem 😱 Whilst searching the web for answers, I heard the case fan come on briefly...and it boots! Turns out the PSU needed about 5 minutes to 'charge up' 😕 Never come across anything like it. PSUs always seem to work or not work. Following mechBgon's advice, I tried an Antec SL300S I had sitting around. Result: immediate bootup 😀 Upon opening up the Dell PSU, I found caps on either side of the HS that were bulging and starting to leak :|

I hope the owner can return that mobo....😱



JC