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5533
January 20th, 2022 02:00
Optiplex 3020 fan spin no boot
So I got this PC for my little brother and ever since it arrived I could never get it to boot properly. the specs are :
Dell Optiplex 3020 MT
I5 4570t 2c/4t, 2x4gb ram 1600mhz sk hynix, Asus Cerberus gtx1050ti, 500gb Toshiba hdd
So the first time I booted it it turned on as soon as I turned on the power strip (didn't press the power button) power button turned amber for a moment then back to white and it did that three times (reset itself 3 times) before it actually posted and I got a bios settings reset error and I had 3 options
So I pressed f2 to go into bios but then it just reset and I had no display and no post and only fan spin with amber light on motherboard (which I know it just means power on) and white power switch.
After that everytime I try to boot it it just stays on fan spin and no post. I teared it down and tested gpu/ram/hdd/sata cables and everything works, I also noticed the CMOS battery was disconnected and was at the bottom of the case so I just put a new one that I had instead but when CMOS battery is in the pc wont boot at all and the psu green light stays off.
After sitting for 2 days I turned it on and it posted again but this time I pressed f5 to do a fPSA test or whatever that was and it passed everything and I pressed exit so it reset and it went into the same no post situation.
So I'm guessing it only boots when psu is completely drained? but then once it boots once it wont boot again unless I drain it again? and have no way to drain it since somehow my power button is useless so I have to just leave it for a couple of days?
I went through all the troubleshooting process and I took gpu/hdd/sata cables/cmos battery out so I don't run into problems but it just keeps behaving the same way and it's driving me crazy. Is there any tricks or something to get it to run properly?
That's all I have sorry it was this long English is not my first language.
redxps630
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January 26th, 2022 13:00
it sounds like bios settings is corrupted (which prevents post) when the cmos battery is present and the only time this pc boots is when battery is absent and cmos reverts to factory default. have you already tried clearing cmos settings by jumper reset? in my experience this procedure is not identical to taking the battery out.
redxps630
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January 20th, 2022 11:00
after replacing cmos battery with a new one like you did, try clear cmos settings by jumper reset on motherboard. your report sounds like a corrupted cmos issue.
bradthetechnut
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January 20th, 2022 16:00
Some BIOS checks:
What do you see in the F12 Boot Menu? Does it show the HDD?
Screengrabs below to make it easier to find some things in BIOS.
d1versa
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January 20th, 2022 23:00
Okay so I got it to work after trying for 3 hours, it would only boot 1. without bios battery so settings are always reset when its out of power 2. the psu has to either be drained of power or i have to force it turn the pc on in order to post 3. After the bios settings are reset due to the bios battery being out it has to test boot twice before it actually posts 4. As I mentioned before it only posts if psu is drained and if it's not drained the way I get it to post is (when psu is not drained) : After the 2 test boots it boots for the 3rd time and doesn't post, (while it's on the 3rd boot fans spin no post) I unplug the psu cable and plug it back in asap so it turns off then it turns back on immediately then it actually posts and I get the time of date not set error with f1,f2,f5 options. I got these pics
These are the default bios settings, I don't tinker with them since it's getting reset anyways as we don't have stable power when I live, I just press f1 to continue the press f12 to get into boot options
from here I got my ssd and installed win10 on it and I boot from it by selecting "Windows Boot Manager" in UEFI BOOT section. From here you can also see the hdd is also showing.
My only problem now is with it not working with the cmos battery, The psu green light just turns off after putting it in. If it's a corrupt cmos like @redxps630 said it would've worked after it self reset many times since theres no bios battery. I can use it fine now my only problem is that it's a pain in the butt to turn on.
bradthetechnut
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January 21st, 2022 10:00
Thanks for all the info.
"plug it back in asap so it turns off then it turns back on immediately then it actually posts and I get the time of date not set error with f1,f2,f5 options. I got these pics"
Yah, first, it's normal for it turn on for a few seconds for a self test after plugging it in. PC boots up after plugging it in because in BIOS Power Management settings, it's set to turn on when power is introduced or after power loss.
Constant time date error means bad battery and hopefully not because CMOS isn't working.
"My only problem now is with it not working with the cmos battery, The psu green light just turns off after putting it in."
PC should be powered off and unplugged when inserting battery.
d1versa
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January 26th, 2022 11:00
The pc boots upon plugging in because cmos settings get reset everytime it turns off, and by default the "turn on pc once power is introduced" is off so it's not that.
I Already mentioned that I tried putting a new battery in but it still wont boot with it in. And yes I put it when the pc was off and unplugged so that's not the problem. I've also noticed that putting the cmos battery gets rid of all the weird stuff it did before like the power button not working and being powered on upon plugging it in but then it won't post while the cmos battery is in place...
We've used the pc for days now but it's still a pain in the butt turning it on so if theres any trick to get it to work with cmos battery that'd be great))
d1versa
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January 27th, 2022 04:00
Okay so I got it fixed now! I think there was 2 sets of jumper pins one for cmos password and the other said CCLR so I tried it with that and it works now! I still have a slight issue with the pc test booting once when it receives power but I can live with that. My old 9020 used to do this cause it had an old cmos battery but this one is new so idk, anyways thanks for the help))
bradthetechnut
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January 27th, 2022 14:00
A little self test Dell's do when power is introduced is normal. Glad you got it working.