XPS 8910, Not booting

Question

In the last few days, the problem worsened.

Sometines, the back green led and the optical disc lights

flashes once every five seconds.

One time, I pushed the button next to the back led, and the

computer powered up normally. But, after I shut it down, it

went back to the flashing led.

After disconnecting the power cable for 15 hours, this morning,

the computer up normal, but after another shut down, it went back

to the flashing led.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

JPNuser · Accepted Answer

The PSU that I found is Unitec. It was installed, and the computer is booting, without issues. The optical was not installed, because the PSU came with an incompatible cable. I will buy an external optical drive.

Thank you for your help.

Vic384 · Answer

@JPNuser It is possible that your power supply is failing. This article describes how to run the Built-In Self Test (BIST) of the power supply.: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000125179/how-to-run-a-power-supply-unit-self-test-on-a-dell-desktop-or-all-in-one-computer#:~:text=How%20to%20run%20self%2Dtest,also%20turn%20on%20to%20speed.

The article does not describe what a flashing LED means, it only describes the LED as being on or off.

JPNuser · Answer

After waiting several hours without the power cord, the computer started, and a message appeared

from Dell SupportAssist: "The (TOP FAN) fan failed to respond correctly. Error code 2000-0511".

Then, I could enter in my account. After 5 or 10 minutes, the computer shut down, and I could not

make restart.

Vic384 · Answer

@JPNuser It appears that whatever the problem is, the symptoms are inconsistent. If possible you should start by running the Enhanced Pre-Boot Assessment (ePSA) diagnostics. The procedure is on page 52 of the Service Manual. Did you run the BIST of the power supply?

JPNuser · Answer

I appreciate Vic384 suggestions.

Today I started the computer.

Using the CPUID HWMonitor app, I read

a maximum temperature of 67 degrees Celsius in the Core.

After 15 minutes, the computer shut itself.

Is the temperature too high? Someone suggested replacing the heat paste of the CPU chip.

Sometimes, the BIST is OK, but in one case, the leds in the keyboard

started beeping and blinking.

Vic384 · Answer

@JPNuser I believe the max. temperature is the highest temperature that MWMonitor has recorded. The value temperature is the current temperature. My max temp. is 63 degrees Celsius and the value temp. is 54 degrees Celsius. If the normal operating temp. is 67 degrees Celsius it is on the high side but still in the safe operating range. Of course, the temp. varies depending upon what your CPU is doing, but if you are not gaming or rendering video, 67 degrees should not cause your computer to shut down in 15 minutes.

Have you been able to run the ePSA diagnostics? I think you should also consider replacing the coin-cell (CMOS) battery.

JPNuser · Answer

I tried to run the ePSA diagnostics. Again, I got the TOP FAN error code 2000-0511 (“The (TOP FAN) fan failed to respond correctly”).

After this, I let it run to the end, checking the processor and the memory. It reported “One or more errors were detected”, but no details. The screen went black, and the green led in the back blinked every 5 seconds while I heard failed tries to boot.

JPNuser · Answer

A technician came, did a complete cleaning of the interior of the computer, changed the cpu thermal grease,etc. The coin battery is OK. No luck booting. The two fans are working. Then, he switched the power unit chassis, and the computer booted fine. Now we are looking to by a replacement for the power unit chassis.

Vic384 · Answer

@JPNuser It appears you have found the problem. There are only two states of the LED status light on the PSU, green when the PC is on and off when the PC is off. There is no state where the LED status light should be blinking if the PSU is working properly.

There is one thing you should be aware of if you buy a replacement PSU that is not an exact replacement for your Dell PSU. The Dell PSU has the proper power cable for the optical drive, but with a standard PSU, you need a 'Micro SATA Cable 6 Pin Slimline SATA 15 Pin SATA Power Cable' which adapters the standard 15 pin SATA power connector to the power connector on the optical drive.

JPNuser · Answer

We have not found a Dell PSU for my XPS 8910 in my country. The original PSU is model AC460Am-01 (DM1RW). Dell support web page does not show this PSU in the sections "Parts and upgrades for XPS 8910 Tower".

Is Dell no longer selling this PSU? Do I have to buy a refurnished unit? In the international market, where do you recommend to buy this Dell PSU as refurnished?

Vic384 · Answer

@JPNuser If in your country you have access to eBay you can probably find a Dell PSU on that site. Some sellers on U.S.A. eBay do ship to other countries. Otherwise, the XPS 8910 does take a standard power supply, you just have to make sure it will fit. With a standard power supply, you will need the cable I mentioned to power the optical drive.

JPNuser · Answer

Thru Amazon, I find this offer: 'Dell XPS 8500 8700 8300 9000 Desktop Power Supply 460W AC460AM-01 DM1RW 0DM1RW'. Is this PSU good for my XPS 8100?

Vic384 · Answer

@JPNuser I think you have a typo, you mean 'XPS 8910' not 'XPS 8100'. I think you will be OK as long as the model number matches the original PSU. It appears that the XPS 8910 comes with different model PSUs, another model power supply appears to be the AC460AM-03. You should also look on eBay.com.

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XPS 8910, Not booting

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