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Dell Tower won't turn on/boot - (inspiron 545)
Hello my name is Sebastian Todd, I've been using my dell computer for more than 2 years now with absolutely no problems affecting it, due to my proper maintenance. About 1 month ago, I turned it off by clicking the "shut down" button. Ever since then, I haven't been able to turn it back on. When I push the power button on the tower, it emits a yellow/orange light for about a quarter of a second. I know for a fact that there is a sufficient power supply, due to the green light being emitted on the back of the tower. I don't know what to do, and am not economically ready to purchase a new computer. PLEASE HELP! (inspiron 545)
- Sebastian Todd
shesagordie
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April 9th, 2014 22:00
sebtodd
Does the power supply fan run/work?
The green light on the back of the power supply does not indicate that the power supply has not failed, it only indicates that power is reaching the PSU.
What colour is the power button light, is it Blinking, Solid or Off?
Are there any 'Beeps'?
The Inspiron 535/537/545/546 Service Manual, is here:
ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_inspiron_desktop/inspiron-546_Service%20Manual_en-us.pdf
The Troubleshooter, is here:
ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_inspiron_desktop/inspiron-546_Setup%20Guide_en-us.pdf
Bev.
shesagordie
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April 12th, 2014 12:00
sebtodd
First tturn off the desktop, remove power cord and hold power button in for about three minutes, reconnect power cord and power system on and see if this makes a difference.
No difference, try the following, if you are comfortable working around computers:
Note: The only 100% method of testing a PSU, is to install a known working power supply.
Unplug the cord from the power supply, hold the power button in for about 15/20 seconds, open the case, unplug the 24-pin power connector from the motherboard and jump the Green wire to one of the Black wires, reconnect the power cord and power the system, if power supply and case fans and the hard drive run, then the PSU should be good.
Note: Do not remove any wires from the plug, use a small piece of wire or a paper clip as a jumper.
Power supply checks out, again disconnect the power cord, hold the power button in for several seconds to discharge the residue power, reconnect the 24-pin connector to the motherboard.
Remove all PCI cards from the system, take out the video card [if applicable], disconnect all peripherals, except the monitor, mouse and keyboard and disconnect 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.
Bev.
shesagordie
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April 13th, 2014 22:00
sebtodd
Nice video.
Have you carried out the troubleshooting procedures I listed in my previous post?
Bev.
sebtodd
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April 12th, 2014 12:00
Hi, thank you for the response.
the fan starts up for a tenth of a second when i press the power button.
the power button flashes yellow for a split second as i press it.
There are no beeps.
sebtodd
sebtodd
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April 13th, 2014 19:00
Thanks for answering once again.. anyways, i uploaded a video on youtube showing my problem with everything i thought you should know included. Go to the link and watch the video please! :
youtube.com/watch?v=HiaLutART9o
sebtodd
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April 14th, 2014 06:00
I carried out the first troubleshooting procedure, where i held the power button in for 3 minutes. The other procedures, i'm not going to do myself because I know I'm gonna mess something up. On top of it im confused with half of the stuff you told me to do. This has nothing to do with how you explained it, just that I'm completely lost.. and dont know how to do those procedures. Should i take it to someone to fix?
shesagordie
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April 14th, 2014 07:00
cheuktom
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April 6th, 2016 10:00
hi,
this is happening w my dell inspiron tower, did exactly first scenorio, computer powered up, do i have to do this every time? unplug, press 2-3 minute, plug back in and press power button to start machine?
does this indicate the power supply is no good and need a replacement?
does this mean the mother board no good?
need advise what to do, send recommendation to my email at <ADMIN NOTE: Email id removed per privacy policy>
thks
shesagordie
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April 6th, 2016 13:00
Have you performed the troubleshooting procedures listed in my post Here:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19577721/20614618#20614618
If you have, please post what happened.
Bev.
Metsforever62
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August 7th, 2016 12:00
I tried all of the above. The PC started fine when memory cards were removed, but would not start after they were reinstalled. Any thoughts? Bad memory card? Motherboard? Other?
BTW, I tried the green to black jumper but am not sure if it should be in place when I attempt to power on the pc. I did not have it installed on power up just to be safe that I didn't mess something else up. Can you clarify that point ... jumper installed on power on or not? Thanks
shesagordie
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August 7th, 2016 14:00
Metsforever62
It's always handy to include the computer model, in the post, :emotion-5:
Hopefully it's a memory module.
Have you installed new memory recently?
Remove all the memory modules, then install only one module in slot 1 and see if the system boots and if the computer starts normally, reinstall an additional module.
Does not boot, move the module to slot 2 and again see if the system boots, no boot, try the module in slot 3, no boot, try installing in slot 4.
Still does not boot, then remove the first module and using second one, repeat the sequence described above.
Still no boot, try installing any remaining modules, one at a time, using the above procedure.
Continue until you have identified any faulty module [or slot] or reinstalled all modules without error.
Then if the computer still does not start, it's possible that the motherboard has failed and needs to be replaced.
Bev.