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Inspiron Motherboard
Inspiron 3881
The motherboard in my 2 year old Inspiron 3881 (Intel Core i3) is no longer recognising my hard drive at startup.
I have tried every Bios-related cure I can find, plus reseated the old drive and tried replacing with a brand new drive & cables. I believe the power supply is good as it starts the CPU fan.
I have concluded that I need a new motherboard and need some advice on what to look out for, specifically on installation, how can I restore all the software that was initially supplied with my PC from Dell? In the past this would have been supplied with CD ROMs but of course these days it is all pre-installed - will a rescue/re-install USB from Dell recognise a third party motherboard or are there certain motherboards or settings that I need to ensure the rescue disk recognises it as a genuine Dell machine?
fireberd
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July 25th, 2022 03:00
Dell's are proprietary so if you replace the motherboard only another Dell 3881 will fit properly.
But before replacing the motherboard, reset the CMOS memory. Use a new 2031 battery. Power off and disconnect the mains (AC) power cable. Open the case and locate the 2031 coin cell battery on the motherboard. Remove the battery and wait 10 minutes before installing new battery. Reconnect mains power cable, power on and see if drive is detected.
fireberd
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July 25th, 2022 08:00
The only thing is any customization in the BIOS. If you have changed a setting it will be lost in the CMOS reset. It won't affect the service tag.
redxps630
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July 25th, 2022 08:00
Re: I believe the power supply is good as it starts the CPU fan.
that is not good enough proof that psu is good, a failing psu can still turn on fan but not motherboard. it may be cheaper to use a spare working psu + 24 to 6 pin adapter adapter to test motherboard.
LarryGT
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July 25th, 2022 08:00
Thanks - first time I have heard that option - I can see that there is a way to reset the CMOS by holding the on button for 30 seconds but I guess replacing the battery also takes care of the case that the battery is weak/dead.
Are there any Dell-critical settings that ought to be recorded before resetting the CMOS? e.g. service tag number)
LarryGT
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July 28th, 2022 12:00
It is a very odd set up. The only connections out of the power supply go straight into the motherboard. There is then a separate cable out of the motherboard that feeds into the other drives and cards. Therefore the power to the HDD is not direct from the PSU but is passing though the motherboard first. All my 'spare' PSUs are from machines where the power supply directly fed the drives.
NOw I'm nt sure whether it is:
- The PSU not supplying the motherboard
- The motherboard not supplying the HDD
- Some software / controller in the motherboard not working
- The cable between motherboard and HDD being defunct