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XPS 8300 will not boot
I noticed my father's XPS 8300 running a lot when it should be in sleep mode. I suspected malware keeping it awake. I ran a scan with ESET Smart Security 8 and found nothing. I ran a scan with Malwarebytes anti-malware and it found some potentially unwanted programs. I deleted them from the quarantine. This morning my father could not get the computer to wake up. The power light flashes amber and it makes a revving noise, but does not continue to boot up. I tried holding the power button down to make it shut off completely. I tried unplugging it for a few minutes. No luck. It won't get to BIOS for me to try anything. It is running Windows 7 Home Premium. Windows keeps trying to force me to install windows 10, but I am not ready to. Maybe it tried again. I have read many threads on the 8300 problems. I am thinking of removing the CMOS battery for awhile to reset BIOS settings. What do you think?
Here is some system data. The main change is I added a USB 3.0 card.
Brent1978
44 Posts
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December 1st, 2015 11:00
I replaced the battery with a new one and no luck.
RoHe
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December 1st, 2015 17:00
From the manual:
If the power light is blinking amber — The computer has detected an error during POST. There might be a problem with the system board or the power supply.
More likely to be a power supply issue than motherboard. Does the power supply have a green LED on rear of PC? Is it on?
Is the LED on the motherboard on as long as PC is connected to a working outlet, even if PC is off?
You can try the "paperclip" test:
If you need more details, google for "paperclip test" and you'll find youtube vids and other tutorials.
Note: This is not a definitive test and installing a known working PSU is the most accurate way to answer the question.
BTW: If you replaced the motherboard battery, you've reset BIOS to the defaults and some of those settings may not be right for this system, eg if you have 2 hard drives set up for RAID. But even if settings aren't correct, you still should be able to turn the PC on and get into BIOS setup...
Brent1978
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December 3rd, 2015 09:00
The power supply LED is blinking green. I opened the case and two fans run and stop and run. I'm pretty sure that is the power supply. I hope it did not fry the other parts, so if I buy a new PSU it will work.
I'm looking at one on amazon. The model is dell ac460ad-00
www.amazon.com/.../ref=olp_product_details;me=
RoHe
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December 3rd, 2015 11:00
Check to see if that blinking LED is also a button that will reset the PSU...
Can't guarantee a new PSU will solve the problem. You can also find it here and here.
Always ask if new, used, refurbished, and about a warranty. :emotion-5:
Post back and let us know if the replacement PSU fixes it.
Brent1978
44 Posts
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December 3rd, 2015 12:00
The PSU LED does not seem to be a button. My father needed a working computer ASAP, so he bought and XPS 8900 that I have been getting up and running for him. I get to try and fix the 8300 for myself. I noticed the 8900 has a button next to the LED on the PSU. I will order a PSU and hope that works. I *** the MB would be expensive to replace.
Thank you for your help.
Brent1978
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December 7th, 2015 09:00
Well my PSU arrived and I installed it, but the fans do the same start and stop. It is not fixed. If I buy a MB, how do I check for one that was not the old recalled 8300 MB?
Mine says DP/N 0y2mrg
cn-oy2mrg-73604-19g01rv a00
DH67m01 PPID
TB0420
Rev A00
RU US E3839
RoHe
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December 7th, 2015 11:00
Sorry to hear the new PSU didn't resolve the problem.
Please recap exactly what happens when you try to boot with the new PSU installed.
Is the motherboard LED on, 24/7, as long as PC is connected to a working outlet? If not, failed motherboard (or bum PSU).
Any error messages on screen or beeps from the tower?
Does the monitor go right into "stand-by mode"?
Even if you have a motherboard that wasn't updated, it should still boot. The boot drive should be connected to SATA0 on the motherboard and that port wasn't affected by the Sandy Bridge mess.
You can try stripping it down to bare essentials by removing all PCI cards except video, removing all RAM modules except the one in slot 1 (but reseat that one in its slot), disconnecting all drives except boot hard drive.
Then remove motherboard battery and press/hold power button for ~30 sec. Now examine the motherboard for bulging or leaking capacitors. If you find any, the board failed. Otherwise, reinstall the battery and see if it boots now with only mouse, monitor and keyboard connected.
If it still won't boot, remove the last remaining RAM module and do the "battery thing" again. If you don't hear any beeps without any RAM installed, the motherboard failed.
If you hear beeps with no RAM, the board may still have some life in it. So now reinstall one RAM module (use a different one) and remove video card. Do the battery thing again and see if it boots with monitor connected to one of the on-board video ports.
Brent1978
44 Posts
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December 7th, 2015 14:00
The LED on the PSU is solid green. I thought it blinked before.
The fans rev on and off.
The Power button blinks amber when the fans rev.
The monitor does not wake up from sleep when the computer is reving.
The MB LED is solid yellow-orange.
There is no beep when there is no RAM in the system.
I removed the battery and held the power button several times.
I do not see any bad capacitors
i guess my MB is dead.
Any advice on a website to get a good deal on one?
RoHe
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December 7th, 2015 16:00
And you stripped it down by removing / disconnecting everything I mentioned?
BTW: If you're using a power strip, surge protector or uninterruptable power supply, remove those and connect the PC directly to a working wall outlet.
You should have gotten 2 beeps for "No RAM detected". So assuming the replacement PSU is ok, then it's sounding like a motherboard failure. [:'(]
You can find the motherboard here, here, eBay, etc. You want a board with the revision B3 chipset that fixed the Sandy Bridge issue. And always ask if new, used, refurbished and about warranty.
Only you can decide if and how much money to spend trying to fix this system, keeping in mind that I can't guarantee a new motherboard will fix the problem, vs putting that money toward a new PC. I realize this one isn't that old but you should think about it...
Post back and let us know what happens if you decide to replace the board.
RoHe
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December 7th, 2015 16:00
One more thing...
Visually inspect all USB ports on the tower using a flashlight. If any of them are bent or broken that could be causing this problem.
If you find a bent one, power off, unplug and press/hold power button for ~15 sec. Then use something NON-metallic to see if you can separate the contacts. Be gentle so you don't make things worse. While that one USB port may never work again, you might be able to get the PC to boot now...
thalaivar
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December 7th, 2015 18:00
Wow! This sounds exactly like the problem I am having with my Inspiron 546 desktop. I had replaced both the motherboard and PSU but still no luck. I will check the USB ports tonight.
Brent1978
44 Posts
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March 25th, 2016 14:00
I am thinking of trying to replace the MB. It is a five year old computer, so I do not want to spend a lot on it. I want to make sure I get one with revision B3 like you said. Is this the revision number in white right on the board? Mine says REV A00 under the model # oyrmrg.
There is one on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/331806751696?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
It shows revision number Aoo just like mine. Am I looking at the right number where I should look for one revsion number B3?