Won't boot

You didn't say what OS you have, but have you tried booting with a boot disk or booting to the safe mode? Try that if you haven't. You can also open the cover and reseat the data cables to hd and any other ide device and see if that resolves the problem.
Dave

dbramlet wrote:
- You didn't say what OS you have, but have you tried
- booting with a boot disk or booting to the safe
- mode? Try that if you haven't. You can also open the
- cover and reseat the data cables to hd and any other
- ide device and see if that resolves the problem.
- Dave
-
-

Hey Dave,

I'm running Win98 SE. The boot disk option or safe mode won't work because my computer won't even get to the point where it accesses the floppy. I tried reseating the cables but that had no effect.

Ok. Are you saying that when you push the power switch nothing happens? Do you get any kind of post at all? Can you get to bios setup? If you get a post and can get to setup make sure that the boot sequence is set to floppy first so it will read the boot disk. If you get a post at all have you tapped the F8 key to see if you can get to the safe mode? If just nothing happens then post what you see when you turn the system on.
Dave

Hey Dave,

dbramlet wrote:
- Ok. Are you saying that when you push the power
- switch nothing happens? Do you get any kind of

Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying. It sounds like the hard drive is reading but I get no display at all. It's just like the monitor is in the energy saving mode.

post
- at all? Can you get to bios setup? If you get a post
- and can get to setup make sure that the boot
- sequence is set to floppy first so it will read the
- boot disk. If you get a post at all have you tapped
- the F8 key to see if you can get to the safe mode?

Nope. Nothing works at all. After I power up, my hard drive reads for about two seconds and that's about it besides the fans running.

- If just nothing happens then post what you see when
- you turn the system on.

Ok, I'll show you what I see when I turn the system on starting now:




Saw it? Neither did I. It's like the monitor doesn't even turn on. That's why I thought it was the video card.

Thanks,
Chanse

I had a similar problem a while back, and it turned out that the monitor was bad. Frist, make sure the cables to the monitor are tightly secured and plugged in. If this isn't the problem, do you have another monitor you can plug in to check to see if it is a bad monitor. Alternatively do you have access to another computer that you can plug the monitor into to check it?

Steve

volcano11 wrote:
- I had a similar problem a while back, and it turned
- out that the monitor was bad. Frist, make sure the
- cables to the monitor are tightly secured and
- plugged in. If this isn't the problem, do you have
- another monitor you can plug in to check to see if
- it is a bad monitor. Alternatively do you have
- access to another computer that you can plug the
- monitor into to check it?
-
- Steve

Hey Steve,

I'm still using my monitor with my old Compaq so I know it's not the monitor. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Chanse

Chanse,
I know what I would do but don't know how comfortable you are with opening the system up and removing and reseating things. If it were my system I would reseat the video card, reseat the memory. Then I would pull the data ribbon cable from the hd and any other ide device like a burner, cd-rom, DVD player or zip drive. With those cables pulled I would try to get a post. This is basically a process of elimination. You need a post in order to trouble shoot the system. We need to find the problem using the above method. So if you can do the above and then let us know if you get a post. If you get a post then we can add them back one at a time until the problem shows up.
Also, make sure the power supply is running. Make sure there are no CDs in the cd-rom or DVD, or burner if you have one. My best guess here is if you pull the hd data cable you will get a post. Try this and let us know.
Dave



Message Edited on 04/19/01 06:35AM by dbramlet

With a T600, it is likely that you are still under warranty. I would call Dell Tech Support, let them walk you through some troubleshooting steps (don't let them talk you into reformating or reinstalling Windows - you probably can't anyway, since you have no video). If it is a problem with the CPU or motherboard, they can send a replacement.

Steve



Message Edited on 04/19/01 09:44AM by volcano11

volcano11 wrote:
- With a T600, it is likely that you are still under
- warranty. I would call Dell Tech Support, let them
- walk you through some troubleshooting steps (don't
- let them talk you into reformating or reinstalling
- Windows - you probably can't anyway, since you have
- no video). If it is a problem with the CPU or
- motherboard, they can send a replacement.
-
- Steve

Alright, thanks Steve.

Hi Chanse,
please let me know what the tech support
did to fix this problem. I have the same
problem with my T500 (without warranty).
I've changed the power supply but the problem
already exists. I've reinstalled and installed all
hardware components but no success.

Thanks
Markus

Yeah, if possible, I would like to know also what was done to resolve it.

Mine does post to the Dell logo in the top right, then I hear the pc activate the USB port for a second, since it makes the speakers pop, then the hard drive reads for 2-3 seconds. The HD light then turns off, and nothing else happens. It's at such an early stage that you can't put in a floppy or cd-rom to try and boot the machine. Reset does nothing of course.

this just happened to my girlfriend 3 days after receiving a p4 1.3 ghz 256mb ram etc $2100 computer...i can't figure it out...i've tried resetting every cable, booting with nothing attached, etc. i hate calling tech support because i'm stubborn as a mule and they all 'aren't good' (it filters..what's that about) anyway. if anyone can figure this out, i'd be much obliged.