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Dell Studio 540 -- Dead, not power supply
I have a Dell Studio 540 desktop running Windows 7. Recently, the entire system shut down while I was using it. I had replaced the power supply once before so I thought that was the cause. However, I bought a replacement power supply (Diablotek) which was identical to the first power supply, but after that was installed, it was still dead. No led lighting up on the motherboard, no HD's spinning up, nothing. I replaced the power cord with one I know to work on another system, and still nothing.
I looked at the capacitors on the motherboard and none were bulging / needed replacement. That's about as far as my diagnostic skills go.
Is this indicative of the motherboard being "dead"? Is there anything else I can try? Any advice or guesses is sincerely appreciated.
Thos.
shesagordie
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November 15th, 2012 17:00
Thos19
Is the power button LED Steady White, Blinking White, Steady Amber, Blinking Amber?
The Studio 540 Troubleshooter is HERE
Are there any 'Beeps'?
How to check the motherboard,
As the power supply is a 'known' working unit, remove the power cord, hold the power button in for several seconds to discharge the residue power.
Remove all PCI cards from the system, take out the video card [if applicable], disconnect all peripherals and the power & data cables from all drives.
Reconnect the power cord and power system on, see if you get a different LED indication on the power button, or 'Beeps'.
No difference, remove the memory from the system and try again.
Still shows no signs of life then you are looking at a motherboard replacement & maybe a processor.
Note: the processor rarely fails, but the only method I know of checking a checking a processor, is to install it a compatible working PC, or use a known working processor.
Bev.
RoHe
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November 15th, 2012 17:00
Are you sure the new PSU is any good?
If you're using a power strip, surge protector or UPS, remove those and try connecting the PC directly to the wall. And maybe try a different outlet..??
If the flea light on the motherboard isn't on, it's not getting (or not detecting) power...
Thos19
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November 16th, 2012 06:00
That's the strange thing, the light on the motherboard doesn't light either. The whole PC is inert in every sense of the word. No beeps, either. As Ron said, it is just not detecting an power.
Silly question...there isn't a fuse somewhere that could burn out?
Tom
shesagordie
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November 16th, 2012 07:00
Thos19
No fuses.
If the standby LED is not lite, this is usually indicative of either a failed motherboard, or power supply.
A thought, unfortunately, while a person can make an informed diagnosis, sometimes computer troubleshooting, due to the complexity of components, is diagnostics by substitution.
Bev.
Thos19
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November 16th, 2012 11:00
Hi Bev,
Power supply worked in another PC, so I guess it must be the motherboard.
Looks like I can get a refurb. motherboard for about $100. Cheaper than a new PC, I guess...
Tom
RoHe
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November 16th, 2012 11:00
Is the power supply indicator LED at rear of tower, #6 on page 17 here, on or off? If it's on, the PSU is getting power but if the motherboard LED is off, that would imply a failed motherboard. This assumes you've connected the power cables from the new PSU to the motherboard (page 34) correctly. Re-check them and make sure both Main (#9) and CPU (#35) power cables are both connected correctly / securely.
If your system has a voltage selector switch (#6 on page 17) between the A/C power connector and the power supply indicator LED, you can also try this. Unplug the PC from the wall and press/hold power button for ~15 sec. Move the voltage selector back / forth a few times and make sure to set it to the correct vottage at your location before you reconnect the power cord to the wall. See what happens now...
EDIT: The links disappeared because they're on the ftp site. :emotion-39:
Tower link: ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_studio_desktop/studio-desktop_Setup%20Guide_en-us.pdf
Motherboard link: ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_studio_desktop/studio-desktop_Service%20Manual_en-us.pdf
RoHe
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November 16th, 2012 11:00
There's a new one here for $190.