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Dell Inspiron 530 starts up 3 times
For the past several months, my 5 year old Inspiron 530 has had the following issue:
From a cold start, it will power up for a few seconds (loud fan noise), then power off, then power on for a few seconds, then power off, then power on and proceed as normal. So from a cold start it will start up a total of 3 times.
When the computer is restarted, it will power down, power up for a few seconds, power down again, power up and then proceed normally. So from a restart, it will start up a total of 2 times.
I have tried the following fixes and so far none of them have resolved the issue (these may not be in the correct sequence):
I contacted Dell Support. They told me it was a "software issue" and they proceeded to try several different things over a remote connection. After about 5 hours of trying to resolve the issue without a solution, I was told it was not a software issue but a hardware issue and referred me to the hardware tech support group. The technician from that group told me that it was a software issue and that I needed to reinstall the operating software. Since I also read on the internet that this could be a power supply issue, I had them refer me to Dell sales who could sell me a replacement power supply.
I bought the power supply and installed it, but that had no effect.
I bought a new video card and installed it, but it had no effect on the restart issue and actually caused additional problems. I removed the new video card and reinstalled the old video card.
I contacted Norton about doing a remote virus removal. I had two different technicians from Norton work remotely to fix the startup issue, but they were unsuccessful.
As a last resort, I decided to go ahead and reinstall the operating software which is Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit. I actually reinstalled the operating software twice, because I didn't reformat the C: drive when I did the first reinstallation. I did do the reformat of C: drive on the 2nd reinstallation. While my Inspiron 530 now boots up much faster and also runs much faster, it will still take 3 starts to get going.
So if anyone out there has any insight on this issue, whether it is a fix or whether I should just let it be and not be concerned about it, please respond to let me know your suggestions. If additional detail is needed, please let me know.
froggyjo
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May 18th, 2013 12:00
3 start problem solved! Change your video card. Got rid of my stock 8300GS and replaced it with GeForce 8500GTfrom amazons Echoshop for around $40.00 and took care of the 3 start problem! Goodluck what an awesome card. I would have never figured it was the card causing the problem? Pretty good the techs could not fiigure that one out.SURPRIZE LOL
osprey4
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April 15th, 2013 17:00
Hi RSDColOH,
You've got a lot more patience than I have. :emotion-8:
This is fairly easy to diagnose. Not sure why none of the Dell techies suggested this. What you need to do is disconnect your hard drive and boot to a bootable CD, such as your Dell drivers and utilities disc. If the system continues to boot three times, it's definitely hardware. I'm 95% sure it will and that you have a hardware problem.
So if that's the case, the first thing I would do is boot to the BIOS and write down the drive and boot settings or take pictures of your BIOS screens. Then follow the procedure to reset the CMOS in your manual. You must locate the 3-pin CMOS jumper (CLEAR CMOS) on the system board, move the jumper from pins 2 and 3 over to pins 1 and 2 for five seconds, then replace it. Then boot to the BIOS and restore your drive and boot settings.
RSDColOH
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April 21st, 2013 10:00
Hi osprey4 -
Thank you for responding to my post and for your suggestion. I appreciate the time you put into helping to diagnose the startup issue with my computer. I followed the instructions that you gave me for resetting the CMOS and, unfortunately, this did not solve the issue with the multiple attempts needed for starting or restarting.
If you should have any further suggestions, or, if anyone else out there has any ideas on how to solve this issue, please let me know.
osprey4
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April 21st, 2013 14:00
Let me see if my Rockstar buddies have other ideas. This one is pretty strange all right.
RoHe
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April 22nd, 2013 14:00
osprey4
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April 22nd, 2013 16:00
It would be worth trying one more thing. Unplug the computer, hold the power button for a few seconds, then plug it back in and see if it will boot properly.
RSDColOH
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April 27th, 2013 12:00
Hi RoHe -
Thanks for replying to my forum issue. I've tried some of the items that you have suggested, but, unfortunately, none of theses have resolved the issue. Here's what I tried:
I tried plugging the CPU directly into the wall, instead of into my power strip/surge protector.
I swapped power cables between the CPU and monitor.
Other than plugging the CPU directly into the wall socket using the upper plug-in instead of the lower one that the surge protector is plugged into, I didn't plug the CPU into a different wall socket. The nearest wall socket would require an extension cord to reach and moving my entire system or running an extension cord to this outlet is not really a good option for me.
I disconnected my printer/scanner, speakers, and also the ethernet line for my internet connection.
I have not explored replacing the motherboard battery, but I hope to look into that soon.
Thanks for your helpful tips - let me know if you think of anything else.
RSDColOH
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April 27th, 2013 12:00
Thanks again osprey4 for your suggestion. I unplugged the computer, then held the power button. The system acted as though it was going to start up, but it quickly died off. I plugged the computer back in and started it up, but still had the same issue with it taking three starts. Let me know if you can think of anything else - meanwhile, I'll explore RoHe's suggestion of a motherboard battery.
froggyjo
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April 28th, 2013 22:00
Have the same PC Inspiron 530 5yrs old . Just started the 3 start before the PC boots up almost as if the hard drive is not firing up after the first 2 trys? I ran a diagnostics from Dell, and it said my Hdd targeted Read Test Module failed to start. I don't know if that means anything but I just replaced that 4months ago I would hope it didn't take a dump , but I replaced a seagate 250gb with a western digital 1tb black. I'll be replacing my video card as soon as it come as the dvi side is out and using vga. If I have one more thing go bad in this it will see the roadside!
RSDColOH
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April 30th, 2013 11:00
Thanks for responding froggyjo. It sounds like your Inspiron 530 had the same issue with the 3 starts that mine did. Did replacing the hard drive solve the issue? Would you have to know where I can locate the Dell diagnostics so that I could try that out on my computer?
shesagordie
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April 30th, 2013 13:00
osprey4
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May 1st, 2013 17:00
Hi RSDColOH,
You can test the hard drive by booting to your Dell drivers and utilities disc. That's the preferred method for testing a hard drive.
1. Reboot your system. When you see the Dell logo, hit F12 to enter the boot menu.
2. Insert the Dell Drivers and Utilities disc in your CD/DVD drive.
3. Pick the option to boot from the CD/DVD drive.
4. You will be prompted to hit any key to continue booting from the CD/DVD drive.
5. You will be prompted to hit 1 to run the Dell diagnostics. You may see two such menus.
6. Select Test System.
7. Select Custom Test.
7. Use the arrow keys or mouse to select your hard drive.
9. Click Run Tests.
10. Write down any error messages.
froggyjo
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May 2nd, 2013 21:00
the hard drive was replaced 5 months ago this 3 start thing just started a week ago and does the exact same thing yours is doing! if I come out of sleep mode it's fine only when it is shut down or restarted it does it 2 times,but the fan and everything else is identicle.
RSDColOH
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May 2nd, 2013 21:00
Hi to everyone who helped me to find the Dell Diagnostics -
I was able to get to the Diagnostics screen and, when I saw it, it looked all too familiar. When I had Dell helping to remotely diagnose the issue, I had run this diagnostics test at that time and it had not uncovered any errors then. I decided to try it again today and ran the Extended test to test everything. The test didn't uncover any errors whatsoever, so I'm still stuck with a computer that takes three tries to boot up. I do appreciate all the suggestions and help that all of you have given me with this issue.
RSDColOH
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May 2nd, 2013 22:00
froggyjo -
It's pretty amazing that both of our computers have the same issue - I've also found a few others out there with the same issue out in other forums on the internet, but I (obviously) haven't found any of them that have a solution. If I find anything that works, I'll definitely post back on this forum, but if you find a fix for the issue, please post back and let me know. This problem is really strange in that it doesn't appear to affect the performance of the computer at all, but it is a little scary in that it keeps you wondering if someday it just won't decide to start at all. Of everything that I did, reinstalling the operating software had the greatest impact on the computer's performance even though it didn't solve the 3 start problem. It was also by far the most time-consuming of anything that I did in an attempt to fix the problem.
Thanks for letting me know that you're out there with the same computer issue - it's comforting to know I'm not the only one with this problem.