Dell C521 Desktop shuts down after 15 seconds

Overheating? Damaged port? Damaged component?

What happens if you reboot and press F2 to open BIOS setup and just let it sit. Does it go off that way too?

You can try these in any order:

• Check that all fans are running, including on video card, if any
• Remove heatsink, but not the CPU. Carefully clean both surfaces and apply small amount of fresh thermal paste, eg Arctic Silver. Reinstall the heatsink and make sure it's properly locked in place; reboot with only mouse, monitor and keyboard connected
• Check all USB ports for possible damage. If USB contacts are touching, you might try to carefully/gently push them apart with a non-metallic object. Be sure PC is off, unplugged, and you pressed/held power button for ~15 sec before attempting to fix damaged ports.
• Strip PC down to bare essentials by removing all add-in cards except video card; disconnect all drives except boot hard drive, reseat RAM modules in their slots, try installing each RAM module, one at a time, into slot 1.
• Disconnect hard drive and reconnect optical drive; try booting from bootable CD/DVD in optical drive
• Swap video card

Really helpful tips!! Discovered the post too late to try any of the suggestions but will in the AM. The F2 tip really got my attention - I'll try it first then go to stripped down condition. Thanks !!

Using F2 or F12 at startup allows me to get into both screens. I checked thru all settings and they appeared normal. When I use ESC to leave either mode it starts a "Windows Recovery" screen. When I select either "Start Windows Recovery" or "Start Windows Normally" after just a few seconds the machine shuts down.

There are no add-on cards in the card slots - so its already in a stripped down config. Video is from the backplane connector. I removed the HD and made it a "D" drive in another machine to recover the users data - this was successful.

It feels like Windows is corrupted in some way I've not seen in many years working as a computer tech as a sideline job.

Glad you were able to recover files from the HDD. :emotion-21:

If it stays on when you open BIOS setup, that suggests it's not overheating but doesn't completely rule that out.

It does sound like either Windows is corrupted or maybe there's some boot sector malware...??

Put the drive back into the original system and boot from the appropriate Dell Windows Reinstallation disk. Run a Repair from the optical disk now that there's no worries about losing the files. 

If all else fails, you can either revert to the factory image on the HDD and install all the service packs, updates and software, or wipe it completely and reinstall everything, including hardware drivers, service packs, updates, etc.

A repair using the Windows CD/DVD should have no effect on any installed apps.  But you will likely have to reinstall all recent MS updates and hotfixes. So once the repair is done, the MS update site should be your very next stop.

You didn't mention what version of Windows this is, but be sure to use a CD/DVD with the exact same version of Windows on it as is on the HD, eg Win 7 Home or Win 7 Pro, and with the exact same Service Pack as on the HD, eg Win 7 with SP1.  If you try to use a different version of Windows, eg Home instead of Pro, or with a different Service Pack, the repair will abort.

Before you start the repair, I'd suggest you boot from the optical disk and run chkdsk on the HD. That should fix file allocation table errors which might be contributing to the problem. Running the repair when there are file table errors will likely not help.

At the c: prompt after booting from the optical disk:

Type in: chkdsk c: /r

Press Enter and go take a nice nap because this could take a while, especially if it's a large HD.

When that's done, remove the optical disk and see if you can boot from the HD drive before doing the repair. If you're lucky chkdsk will solve your problem and you won't need to repair.

Having never had to do a repair from the CD I need some clarification on what happens to the installed apps if I do that?

Arrghh - when I went to get a Microsoft Install CD I see that the machine has Windows Vista Basic on it. I hate Vista !! But I did have a Windows Vista Basic CD from Microsoft so I changed the Boot Menu to boot from the CD and it appears to be doing it until the "Loading Files" progress bar completes and then it shuts off as per all the other configs. It feels now like the boot records have been corrupted.

I'm calling it quits for now - tomorrow I will remove the HD and mount it on another machine and run Malwarebytes on it once more. Since it will not be the active drive Malwarebytes should find issues with it if any. I did this once early in the effort and I believe it found a trojan called "...FraudDownloader" or something similar. I cant find the post-it I wrote it on - still looking.

Thanks for the guidance.

Could still be a bad HD with damage to key boot areas, even if you did retrieve the files.

At this point, I'd wipe the drive with DBAN (free), reformat it and reinstall...

Is there any way to retreive the Windows Key from the registry - when the defective drive is attached as a "D" drive to another system? I do have a Vista Installation CD but no key to go with it.

If you're using a Dell OEM Vista reinstallation disk to install on a HDD that's in a Dell PC, you shouldn't be asked for the Windows key.

If you're using a non-Dell Vista reinstallation disk, you should have a Microsoft sticker on the side of the PC with the product key.

Still possible you have a root kit or boot sector virus that malwarebytes may not see. 

Prior to Win 8, Dell always put a Microsoft sticker on the system, typically on the side near the bottom with the product key.  If you use a Dell OEM Windows Reinstallation CD/DVD, it shouldn't ask for the product key. If the system came with Vista Basic, you should install that again to be legal, though if it's not a Dell OEM Vista disk, you will need a valid product key to activate it.

You can install a new HD and load Windows on it to see if that solves the problem. Keep in mind a different HD with new OS install won't tell you if it's the old drive or the OS installation on that old drive.  Maybe just wipe the old drive and install Windows on it. That way, if it's just an OS problem, you'll only have to do this once.  :emotion-5:

Things get weirder by the moment. 1st - there is no such sticker. Today I ran malwarebytes against the drive as a "D" drive in another system - found 2 PUP type items which it removed successfully (I recorded the file path and they were indeed both gone.). Those arent really serious enough to cause much problem.

Then I booted to the Utility Partition under F12 and tested the Memory - all tests passed. Then did the Systems Test - and it showed a flood of items scrolling thru on the screen and within 5 secs it quit like it always does. Ran it multiple times to see if I could catch what failed but could not.

Im going to replace the CMOS battery - for no apparent reason - maybe just to feel good.

Was just sitting thinking what next - it hit me that nothing would be lost by installing a different HD and seeing if I could install Windows on it. That would clear everything except the old hard drive.

I think I have reached my limit on this one -

I replaced the HD and fired up to expect to be able to format it and reinstall. Power failed after 15 secs - same symptoms as before. I then replaced the CMOS battery with ones I had laying around the bench - and on the way up dos told me the system battery was low.

So I'm convinced the problem is on the MB - as I can read the orig HD as a "D" drive on another machine. Dont want to wipe this one until I'm convinced that the owner has all the data they need off it.

Thanks for your interest and pointers - I learned a lot from the conversation.

I think I have reached my limit on this one -

Quitter! :emotion-4: :emotion-2:

Go on, try another battery. And since  BIOS got reset when you pulled the original one, settings may not be correct now. So check to see how BIOS is set, particularly if there's a SATA Mode (aka: SATA Operation) setting.

I'm back to the PSU being the problem...

Good luck whatever you do...

Still possible you have a root kit or boot sector virus that malwarebytes may not see.

The Windows install DVD recovery console can be used to knock out boot sector malware, and the command is bootsect /FIXMBR.

7 Home Premium can be downloaded for free and tried out for 30 days; it would be a nice upgrade from the still supported but long in the tooth Vista Basic.