Inspiron does not start

Question

I last posted about my Dell Inspiron 546 in May this year. At that time I was able to find a solution, and the computer has been running satisfactorily for the past six months.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19580971

However, now it's dead again. And when it was kind of dead last time, it's mostly dead this time.

Symptoms: The PSU indicator LED and the LED indicator on the system board both light. I think that means the PSU is getting power, and the system board is getting power.

However, nothing happens when I press the start button on the front of the system. If I unplug the power the indicator LEDs eventually turn off, and plugging the power back in turns them back on.

I have checked the system board battery (only six months old), and it's good. Taking it out and replacing it after a minute or so does not change how the computer won't start.

I have tried clearing the CMOS using the documented procedure (remove the password jumper, and move the CMOS jumper from pins 2-3 to pins 1-2, plug in power and wait, unplug, replace jumpers), but the computer still won't start.

I'm figuring that I have to at this point denude the system board to a minimum hardware population and see if it will start then. Is that about right? Is there a simpler thing I should try first? The current keyboard is a wireless model. Should I replace it with a wired model when I do this? (I have printed out the instructions for trouble shooting this, and at this point they seem to boil down to "unplug and remove everything, except the CPU and HD," or something like that.

--

Helge

shesagordie · Accepted Answer

hmoulding

Helge,

Looks like either a power supply or motherboard issue.

The LED on the motherboard is the 'Stand By Power Light' [aka 'flea power'], indicates the motherboard has +5VFP power is reaching it and not an indication that the power supply has not failed, or has no issues.

As you need a 'known' working power supply to check the motherboard, first replace the power supply with a known working unit, to see if this makes a difference.

The Inspiron 546 Mini Tower can use most generic ATX power supply units, with either a 24-pin or 20+4-pin main motherboard power connector, with or without the on/off switch.

You should be able to buy a compatible power supply from either a local or online computer store.

Note: You require a power supply with four SATA power connectors.

If you are comfortable working around computers, you could also, try the following:

Note: The only 100% method of testing a PSU, is to install a known working power supply.

Unplug the cord from the power supply, hold the power button in for about 15/20 seconds, open the case, unplug the 24-pin power connector from the motherboard and jump the Green wire to one of the Black wires, reconnect the power cord and power the system, if power supply and case fans and the hard drive run, then the PSU should be good.

Note: Do not remove any wires from the plug, use a small piece of wire or a paper clip as a jumper.

Power supply checks out, again disconnect the power cord, hold the power button in again for 15/20 seconds to discharge the residue power, reconnect the 24-pin connector to the motherboard.

Remove all PCI cards from the system, take out the video card [if applicable], disconnect all peripherals, except the monitor, mouse and keyboard and disconnect the power & data cables from all drives.

Reconnect the power cord and power system on, see if you get a different LED indication on the power button, or 'Beeps'.

No difference, remove the memory from the system and try again.

Still shows no signs of life then you are looking at a motherboard replacement & maybe a processor.

Note: The good news is, processors rarely fail, as the only method I know of checking a processor, is to install it a compatible working PC, or use a known working processor.

Bev.

shesagordie · Answer

hmoulding

Is the power button LED, Solid White, Solid Amber, Blinking Amber or is it Off?

Are there any 'Beeps', or error messages, if there are, please post the exact text of the message and the number of 'Beeps'?

Have you made any changes to the 535/545/546/537 recently?

The Dell Inspiron 535/545/546/537 Troubleshooter and Diagnostic Guide, can be found in the Setup Guide here:

http://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_inspiron_desktop/inspiron-537_Setup%20Guide_en-us.pdf

Bev.

hmoulding · Answer

Bev,

The only LEDs that are on on the entire computer are the green LED on the power supply (on the back of the computer), and the tiny amber LED on the system board (you can only see it if you open the case), which is on solid when the power is plugged in.

When I push the power button on the front panel, *nothing* happens. There are no clicks. The fans don't turn. There are no lights on the front panel. There are no beeps. Only the green LED on the back and the amber LED on the system board inside the case remain on, as if they are mocking me.

I have not made any recent changes to the computer.

--

Helge

hmoulding · Answer

Bev,

Thanks for that. I'll give it a try.

So the green LED on the back of the PSU doesn't mean the PSU is good? I figured the little amber LED and the green LED have to do with the PSU, because when I unplug the power cable, both LEDs go out at the same time - presumably when a cap in the PSU finishes draining.

I'll let you know what happens.

--

Helge

shesagordie · Answer

Bev,

Thanks for that. I'll give it a try.

So the green LED on the back of the PSU doesn't mean the PSU is good? I figured the little amber LED and the green LED have to do with the PSU, because when I unplug the power cable, both LEDs go out at the same time - presumably when a cap in the PSU finishes draining.

I'll let you know what happens.

--

Helge

hmoulding

Helge,

No, it only means that the power supply is connected to an power source.

To turn the stand by light off, power the computer off, remove the power cord from the power supply and hold the power button in for about 15/20 seconds, but when the computer is booted up, the light will again be lite.

Bev.

hmoulding · Answer

Based on the troubleshooting that you suggested it seems that either the system board or the CPU is bad.

I guess I'll have to find out where I can get the system fixed for the best price...

Thank you for your help!

--

Helge

shesagordie · Answer

hmoulding Helge, Sorry to hear that, it's a bummer. Bev.

Locked Topics – Desktops General

Inspiron does not start

Was this post helpful?