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July 28th, 2026 18:03
Alienware R13 desktop not powering up
My son’s computer we purchased in 2021 will no longer power up after a small issue. My sons keyboard was plugged in the front of his computer and the cable attached to the chair and when he moved away from the computer it broke the cable from the plug which was left in the computer.
He powered down the computer and tried to remove the metal piece from the computer but he said he got a shock when doing this.
after the piece was removed we tried to power on the computer again with a new keyboard and it lights up but it’s not booting? Like no fans spinning no sound at all just the lights on the tower turning on.
could the shock my son felt been the psi going? No close computer repair shops in my town so I am left to try and figure this out or send it away which isn’t a great option.
any help is appreciated!
redxps630
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July 28th, 2026 19:31
I would try a RTC reset to see if pc can power on more than just the LED. Press power button for 30 sec then release
turn off the computer, disconnect the power cable, press and hold the power button for 30 to 60 seconds, reconnect the power cable, and turn the system back on.
the shock he felt was due to 5V on usb pin having a short circuit to Gnd. He could have unplugged the power cord and drained all flea power by pressing power button before attempting repair using a plastic tweezer to remove stuck usb connector.
The psu is still able to supply 5V to pc now to turn on led. Not booting could be due to a disruption of power on logic.
(edited)
Mrock15
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July 28th, 2026 19:37
Sadly we tried that and it does not power on anything but the lights on the pc. We had it unplugged for about a week and tried again holding down the power button and again lights up but no one’s home.
redxps630
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July 28th, 2026 19:57
Have you tried removing the CMOs battery from motherboard for 30 min with the power cord unplugged. Then replace with a new CMOS battery CR2032.
redxps630
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July 28th, 2026 22:11
Sending pc to Dell repair depot to get a repair estimate is one option. If you end up deciding not paying for out of warranty repair, you would only need to pay for shipping.
If you are comfortable with DIY service, you could also buy a refurbished R13 motherboard to replace the current board. It is $159 USD return accepted . If you send to Dell repair depot they may very likely use a refurbished board too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/198439979682?
(edited)
redxps630
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July 28th, 2026 22:35
Before you consider replacing the board, try the new CMOs battery replacement first. Then try reset a jumper on motherboard. There are 3 sets of jumper on lower side of board south of PCIe slot.
you need to uninstall the video card to view and access the jumper pins.
a blue jumper is by default on 34. Move the jumper to pin 56 (the middle pins) for 10 sec then move back. This is supposed to clear CMOs.
Default jumper pin assignment
pins 56: clr CMOs
pins 34: clr password
pins 12: service mode
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