XPS 410 Won't boot...fan runs at full speed and power light is solid amber in color!

Pull all the cards and ram out of the system. disconnect the power to the drives. press the power button and note the button condition, diagnostic lights,beeps. Do the fans still run?

If no changes then the motherbord/porcessor is bad. 

If things change begin to add things back into the system one thing at a time.

 

Thanks for the replies!! 

 

I did remove all cards/ram, disconnect power from drives and exact same result!  Fan on high, orange steady power button.  UGH!  

 

OK, so now I have some more questions I would like some help on.  I know that I can NOT buy just a mobo to replace the one in the Dell due to propritary stuff, right?  What would be the best plan of attack?  Here are my questions:

 

1)  Buy a new case, mobo, powersupply from say newegg?

2)  Am I able to reuse the processor - or - should I buy a new one for best results?

3)  I should be able to reuse the RAM/DVD Drives/Hard Drive/Sound card (Sound Blaster)/Video ATI 256MB/Modem/Firewire card, right?

 

On New Hardware, do any one have suggestions on brand of mobo, powersupply/case?

 

As far as transfering you part of that might depend on what you currently have and what you look to pick up for a new system.

I understand but I looking to keep the system about the same or slight upgrades.  Can you answer the questions above however?

Right, however I am planning to use the same hard drive from the original machine, so I will not have to resintall everything.  I know there could be some issues with this however with different drivers. 

Also, if you buy a non-Dell motherboard you will have to buy a new copy of Windows. Your Dell reinstall disc

will only install on a Dell.

 You should be able to the rest of your hardware,processor,drives,sound card,etc.

1) Yes, you can buy a new case, motherboard and powersupply if one is not included with the case.

2) Depending on the new motherboard's processor compatibility you should be able to use your processor

3) Again, depending on the new motherboard's RAM compatibility you should be able to reuse your RAM. You'll be able to reuse your DVD drives, hard drives, sound card, video card, modem and firewire card.

 

Asus and Intel are good motherboards. Antec cases are nice and quiet. I've used the Sonata model and it's quiet. Most cases come with a power supply.

 

You will have to reinstall your OS, apps and peripheral drivers because the new motherboard will have different drivers. So, do a backup before building your new system so you are able to transfer your data files.

 

Good luck. 

I see there are some refurished mobo on ebay for about 3.5x less money then from dell and have a 30 day guarantee.  Anybody done this before?

The Dell board will come with a 90 warranty and be labeled referburished too.

 

Try HERE or HERE

Hey Guys!!

 

Good News, I got a refurbished mobo (exact replacement) from ebay for $90 and it works fine.  However, now I found that I have a bad stick of RAM.  Luckily I have 2 - 1GB sticks.  I am running on 1 now.  The RAM is made by Samsung, PC2-5300 (DDR2 667Mhz).  Do I have to use any special RAM in the machine to replace this bad stick??

 

Please help me, we are close to getting past this!  

Best place for Memory.

I have noticed others that suggest Crucial RAM as well and it is a good price!  Is this going to cause any compatibility issues if I keep the original Samsung 1GB in there (that is currently working) and add the Crucial, or should I buy 2 new Crucials so they are the same?!

 

I see the link given (above) was for Dimension 9200.  I believe that is the same as XPS 410.  However when check compatibility, the part #'s are different on crucial website.  Any suggestions or should they both work?!

 

If I can get the right part #, I can order from newegg slightly cheaper I believe.  

Link to 410 Memory

 

Looks like you can run either PC4200 or Pc 5300 memory. 

I would recommend you not mix memory and get enough to replace it all. Even if the memory is the same type it can cause the whole memory block to downclock to a lower speed.