Studio 540 - no power

Hi M.D.Evans,

Welcome to Dell community!

Refer the following link for Studio 540 service manual: http://bit.ly/14owB2O

Please follow the below mentioned steps to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Disconnect the power cable from the rear end of the computer
2. Press and hold the power button for at least 15 seconds to remove the residual power
3. Open the computer cover
4. Remove and reconnect the 24-pin power connector on the motherboard
5. Remove and reconnect the 4-pin power connector (2 black & 2 brown wires) on the motherboard
6. Replace the computer cover and connect the power cable

If issue persists, try to bypass the power button:

1. Disconnect the power cable from the rear end of the computer
2. Press and hold the power button for at least 15 seconds to remove the residual power
3. Open the computer cover
4. Disconnect the CMOS battery and the cable from the power button to the motherboard
5. Connect the power cable at the rear end of the computer
6. Turn on the main power from the wall socket

Do let me know the results.

Thanks for your response Kalyan. Unfortunately it was a no go.  

I had already tried option 1, tried again and tried option 2, no luck.

I checked the power button and it seems to be functioning correctly, which leaves the power supply or possibly the mother board.

Thanks,

M.D.

mdevans

Try the following, if you are comfortable working around computers:

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's fan 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 for several 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 processor rarely fails and the only method I know of checking a processor, is to install it a compatible working PC, or use a known working processor.

Bev.

Hi M.D.Evans,

You're welcome!

Please try the steps suggested by Bev and post the results.