Dell Dimension 8300 Problems

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M

maddawg

Member
Dec 18, 2005
74
0
0
Hello,

A friend has a Dell Dimension 8300 desktop which was in working condition. He recently moved to a new apt. and plugged his PC in and it didn't turn on - no response. I took a look at it and noticed the green power light on the MB, tested the power supply and it tested Okay. I unplugged all non-req'd components and still no response, changed the RAM, reseated all chips, remounted CPU/fan. and nothing!!!

For weeks, I failed to diagnose the problem!!!!

So then, I seen the exact same PC on eBay and got a good deal on it. I got the new PC in and swapped out the harddrives, ram and CD/DVD drive. So he basically had the same system. I then turned it on and bingo...it worked. So, I did some minor file cleaning and updating and then I re-booted it approx. 6 times without a hitch. Problem solved....Right!!!

So now I took it to his apartment to hook it up. I plugged it in and turned it on and nothing happened.....I tried a new Power cable and nothing. There are other components plugged into this same outlet in his house and they run fine.

I took the PC back to my house and tried to start it and nothing......I am lost as to what the problem is.....

Specifications
Model: Dell Dimension 8300.
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 with Hyper Threading 3.0GHz.
RAM: 2 x 1024MB DDR (2 Gb).
Hard Drive: 120Gb IDE harddrive
CD-ROM: DVD-ROM, CD-RW.
Floppy: 3.5"
Ports: (2) PS/2, Serial, Parallel, (8) USB, Ethernet, 5ch. audio, headphone.
Cards: VGA/S-Video/DVI, modem.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.....Thanks!!!!
 
J

jackschmittusa

Diamond Member
Apr 16, 2003
5,972
1
0
Unless something keeps getting knocked loose during transport, I'd guess the power supply. I know, you tested it. I have one that tests good on 2 different testers, but will only occasionally boot even just the mb, cpu, ram (built-in vid). It was in a rig kept in a desk cubbyhole and the psu got hot enough to cause the labels to start peeling and curling. Replaced the psu and it boots consistently.
 
M

maddawg

Member
Dec 18, 2005
74
0
0
I tried a new power supply and nothing!!!! Green LED on MB is lit as before with old PS....
I also tried just connecting the power cable and 4-pin cable to MB without connecting any extra components but still won't even attempt to turn on....
 
RebateMonger

RebateMonger

Elite Member
Dec 24, 2005
11,586
0
0
When 1/3 of the Dell 400SC servers were failing from bad capacitors after a year or two, many folks changed over to the very similar Dell 8300 boards, which didn't have any known capacitor issues.

That said, I've seen a couple of Dell motherboards with green LEDs that light up and the motherboard was still bad. So you can't tell by the lit green light.
 
M

maddawg

Member
Dec 18, 2005
74
0
0
Any idea where the two pins are on the MB to hard power it???
If this works, I'm assuming the switch or the card that the switch is mounted to is bad!!!!
 
RebateMonger

RebateMonger

Elite Member
Dec 24, 2005
11,586
0
0
This generation of Dell motherboards used a proprietary 32-pin cable to run between the motherboard and the proprietary front panel electronics manual that controlled Power-On, USB, etc. You can probably find links to pinout diagrams of the motherboard connector (probably the same as the Dell 400SC at ServerEdge.net.

Edit: Try this (for Dell 400SC):
http://www.lnmdesign.com/400sc/front_pnl.html
 
Last edited:
pcgeek11

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,418
5,019
136
Be careful about swapping power supplies. Dells sometimes uses a Nonstandard 20 pin motherboard ATX power connector ( on Pentium ii and Pentium iii ) and will not work with a standard ATX PSU.

All Pentium 4 PSUs should use a standard ATX Connector. The Dimension 8300 should be a standard ATX but don't install just any old Dell PSU as the ATX connector may be different.
 
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