[olug] OT: Dell Help?

[Steve Litt]

William Mihalo said on Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:13:00 -0500

>Here is what I would do.


>   4. Test for a failed component. Disconnect all peripherals from the
>   motherboard--including the video display card and try powering on
> the computer. If the power supply starts running, then you may have a
> failed peripheral.

The preceding is the standard practice for diagnosing a "won't turn on"
if you don't have a POST card. Disconnect everything but
microprocessor and RAM. I'd recommend that the first time you *don't*
disconnect the video card, because your monitor gives you a lot of good
symptom information and enables you to get to the BIOS. If you have a
known good spare video card, you can swap. Otherwise, leave the old
video card in after lightly applying a lubricant to the video card's
gold fingers and pressing it in and out ten times.

By the way, some nVidea cards are known to cause non-starts,
intermittent or repeated reboots, and failure to start, when used with
the GNU/Linux OS. I'd recommend you order a spare video card, for
moments like this one. Here's a cheap fanless Radeon:

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/graphics-cards/graphics_cards/78137300

I use this same card, but with 2GB RAM instead of 1GB, every day, and I
love it. Even if it isn't the card of your dreams, when something like
this happens, you can swap it in for diagnosis, and if the problem had
been your video card, you can limp by with this non-gaming card until
you get the (non-nVidea) card of your dreams.

[snip]

>However, the description of your problem sounds like you may have
>received a failed power supply.

Try double swapping a power supply from a working computer and this
computer. If the problem moves with the power supply, suspect the power
supply. If the problem stays with the bad computer, you've ruled out
the power supply as a root cause, to a reasonable doubt.

>Finally, check all your connections to
>the motherboard and power supply and make sure nothing is loose. Also
>check the front panel to motherboard connections.

The preceding is a must. Intermittent power switches and reset switches
do this stuff all the time. Just be sure to, one way or another, record
how all the front panel wires hooked up. To boot the computer you'll
need to short circuit the two pins that the power switch was connected
to.



SteveT

Steve Litt 
Autumn 2022 featured book: Thriving in Tough Times
http://www.troubleshooters.com/bookstore/thrive.htm