PC WON'T TURN ON

Question

My PC won't start up when I try the power button flashes amber then nothing. I've changed motherboard and psu. The only way the pc turns on to recovery mode is to use the bist at the back which I'm currently doing with a screwdriver. Does anybody know what else I can do?

Thanks

Mary G · Answer

Please post your exact version--MT, SFF, etc, and model # and operating system when asking a question. Mention the exact hardware changes you have made. The upgrades might not be compatible or caused damage. The Optiplex model is for business use not suitable for gaming or upgrading.

Try reinstalling the original parts to see that works.

savvy2 · Answer

what TO do is ask a real shop to fix it, 99.9% do that or buy new.

NO pc STATED, NO CASE SIZES. mATTERS !

I dont need your OS, at all after all PCs turn on with no hDD at all, BIOS F2 key works always or its POWER FAILURE PC, (fails before POST)

My PC won't start up when I try the power button flashes amber then nothing.

did you do the hard cold reset yet? (this is on every PC makers web site world wide, same thing)

I've changed motherboard and psu. (wow that is amazing.) and the wrong way,! and $$$ max way is wrong.

you have something in the PC that is shorted, and we never just throw say $200 worth of parts at PC guessing.

we strip it down. like this.

The test is easy. I all assume dead means fans all dead too and DVD will not button try eject.

NO usb devices, now., (all pulled) first even cable USB can short VBUS.
No GPU cards. no PCI cards in ANY slots.
No DVD cables (pull them)
nO hdd, SSD, NO SATA DEVICES AT ALL OR THERE POWER CABLES. ALL PULLED.
ALL RAM PULLED, BUT ONE IN BANK0-CHANNEL A. THEN IF FAILS test them all 1 by one same way.
The mobo is just now populated with only, CPU and iGPU running to VGA, fail now? 1 stick or RAM. this is called a minimum system and that is what all techs do on all power failures, if fails now to the PSU bench test next (ask )
ALL PCS shut off or fail to turn on if ANY RAIL in the PC shorts, or as we say OVERLOADED to stop FIRE. stops the burn and for sure not blowing up $300 on up CPU's and MORE.
did you not bend CPU pins on the mobo as most do as noobs? , yah common this....sorry if true.!
PC never beeps even with all RAM out? some dells have no beeper, sure. No PC truly told. so.,.......

The only way the pc turns on to recovery mode is to use the bist at the back which I'm currently doing with a screwdriver.

Does anybody know what else I can do?sure LOTS< a huge list of things that can be done, just like the guy in the shop does, it does not guess. he tests. and tests. or goes BROKE.

what you learned, I think is what you put back on to mobo 2, is bad.(ram or even rare CPU bad)

or power button even bad. mine has 5 wires, all 5 need to work (6pin header)

did you know we can hot wire the pins there and prove power button 1 pin works , jumper it to ground.

no pc stated, no way to be specific. (not all cases use the same mobo, dig?)

the BIST override button only shows the PSU can be forced on, but does not prove much,

the power button cable might be 1/2 loose? reseat it.

savvy2 · Answer

so the PC is silent (for get BIST) what does the PC do

dead silent ,

no fans spin, 2 or 3 fans must spin, for sure CPU.

DVD tray dead.

no beeps.

no text to the screen ever, is this VGA? do you have GPU card?

no DELL LOGO (the one with the moving bar for POST progress not the unstated monitor splash.

all this is evidence even the LACK OF.

hdd slient, never spins. (rust drives must spin)

MOBO has LED dead center, for standby power, if out the PSU rails are shorted. (PSU is new you said)

all evidences matters, ok.?

bradthetechnut · Answer

'The Optiplex model is for business use not suitable for gaming or upgrading.' Mary G also said in a post 'no video.' Not true.  The current Optiplex's may be hardly upgradable, but can still take a GT 1030 and may be a few others.  Video can still be played on them.  In this day and age, it would be pretty stupid if video couldn't be played on them. As for Optiplex's 1-3 generations back - Cheap gaming rigs are all over YouTube.  Anybody with hardware experience, and looks at a tech guide and/or owner's manual, know they're upgradeable with different CPU and RAM options, and a few different GPU's with the GT 1030 highly recommended by one of our Rockstar's for certain Optiplex's (USFF can't take any add-on cards). By the way, my 755 has no trouble instantly running full HD video. One of my favorite mods:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj67S-ufYhU  https://m.youtube.com/results?search_query=Optiplex+gaming+rig&oq=Optiplex+gaming+rig&gs_l=youtube-reduced.3..0j0i333k1l2.5136.11295.0.12667.20.18.0.2.2.0.416.2750.2-2j4j2.9.0....0...1ac.1j4.64.youtube-reduced..9.10.2805.0..0i3k1j0i131k1j0i22i30k1.463.811atRuBBNY&oq=Optiplex+gaming+rig&gs_l=youtube-reduced.3..0j0i333k1l2.5136.11295.0.12667.20.18.0.2.2.0.416.2750.2-2j4j2.9.0....0...1ac.1j4.64.youtube-reduced..9.10.2805.0..0i3k1j0i131k1j0i22i30k1.463.811atRuBBNY Other favorite mod:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8dfiMGZ0wzA  Woops, look at what I found:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2E1z6HwbVPY  Those business use Optiplex's have more power behind them than many home PC's.  No need to feel bad for having an Optiplex. Disclaimer:  This is not to say Optiplex's are all out gaming rigs, but some gaming can be done on them.

bradthetechnut · Answer

Hi @Officialkmrs, Since you replaced the PSU and MB, are you sure the power button switch isn't somehow defective?

speedstep · Answer

Flashing amber power button means bad power supply and or hardware failure with blink code.

Light Pattern ProblemDescription Suggested ResolutionDiagnostic LEDs PowerButton LED

Blinking

A possible system board, power supply, or peripheral failure has occurred.

Power off computer, leaving the computer plugged in. Press and hold the power supply test button on the rear of the power supply unit. If the LED next to the switch illuminates, the problem may be with your system board.
If the LED next to the switch does not illuminate, disconnect all internal and external peripherals, and press and hold the power supply test button. If it illuminates, there could be a problem with a peripheral.
If the LED still does not illuminate, remove the PSU connections from the system board, then press and hold the power supply button. If it illuminates, there could be a problem with the system board.
If the LED still does not illuminate, the problem is probably with the power supply

With the latest series, the diagnostics indicator LEDs have been removed. Instead, the Power Button state now gives a blink and colour shift pattern to indicate where it had a problem. You can identify these systems by the fact that there is no Diagnostics LED block on the front of the unit.

Power Button LEDs

Diagnostic Indicator Table

Note: On any OptiPlex built since 2012 (i.e. 7010/9010/9010 AIO), Dell has stopped using every beep code - except for the Memory Failure code (1,3,2 or 1 beep, then 3 beeps, then 2 beeps). If your system was built after 2012 and is making any other beep code, please contact technical support for further hel

https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/sln284978/a-reference-guide-to-the-dell-optiplex-diagnostic-indicators?lang=en

power button Description

Off	Power is Off. LED is blank.
Blinking Amber	The Initial State of LED at power-up. Refer to the table below for Blinking Amber pattern diagnostic suggestions and possible failures.
Solid Amber	The second state of the LED at power-up indicates that the POWER_GOOD signal is active and it is probable that the power supply is fine.
Blinking White	The system is in a low power state, either S1 or S3. This does not indicate a fault condition.
Solid White	The system is in S0 state. This is the normal power states of a functioning machine. The BIOS will turn the LED to these states to indicate it has started fetching op-codes.

Optiplex Desktops

PC WON'T TURN ON

Power Button LEDs

Diagnostic Indicator Table

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