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Random Computer Problem |
Kaganader
Vice Admiral
Lethal Assault Group
Joined: January 28, 2004
Posts: 38
From: In a Black Hole
|  Posted: 2007-12-12 02:33
ok my friend has a Dell Dimension E510, he said it goes into "standby" and you can't get out.
I thought it was a virus till i look at it. the computer won't start.
I checked the power supply it sending power to the motherboard since the LED light is strong green. But the power button blinks Amber on an off. I changed the CMOS battery but that had no effect on it.
I check all the wires to make sure there in properly and not fried, there good.
next my other firend said to jump the CLR CMOS pins but I don't know how.
that just leaves me with changing the Power Supply and jumping the CLR CMOS pins.
does anyone else have any idea this is happening to this hunk of junk. it was running fine all last night but now it wont start as he says "it goes into standby."
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kenetiks
Admiral
Galactic Navy
Joined: November 21, 2001
Posts: 1130
From: Bandcamp
| Posted: 2007-12-12 03:35
I'm not incredibly familiar with store bought systems, so I'll run down a list of possibilities.
1. Bad power supply.
Computers used to use toggle switches to supply power from the PSU to the mother board. It was all hard wired. You flipped the switch and the power supply came on. This no longer occurs. PSUs and MBs stay in a sort of "hibernation" until you press the power-on button. But this doesn't readily explain the blinking amber light.
2. Bad motherboard.
As I said before, computers stay in a sort of hibernation until the power-on button is pushed. If the motherboard is malfunctioning, the comp won't start. It might even explain the blinking amber light.
3. Bad video/modem/sound/ethernet card and/or hard drive, cd/dvd drive.
If you have a bad card in the machine. That would also account for the lack of booting and the flashing light. Try removing all the peripheral cards. Remove everything but the video card. Disconnect the cd/dvd and hard drives. Then try to boot the machine with only the video card installed and see if you get anything. If you do, hook each drive back up one at a time, booting after you hook each card/drive up. If the comp wont boot after you hook something back up, then replace it. If you get nothing, try a different video card.
after a little research on the dell site, it would seem that particular computer gives error codes via blinking lights and most replies from the support forums suggest a bad video card for a "blinking amber light".
Hope this helps, good luck.
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LAG
Marshal
Lethal Assault Group
Joined: September 19, 2004
Posts: 323
From: Margaritaville
| Posted: 2007-12-12 03:49
The dreaded orange blinking light! Good luck.
Just had an issue similar like this at work. Replaced power supply and corrected the problem. Check Motherboard also.
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BackSlash
Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 23, 2003
Posts: 11183
From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2007-12-12 04:08
Taking the CMOS battery out and turning on the machine clears CMOS.
Just an FYI.
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Leviatan
Cadet
Joined: April 22, 2005
Posts: 186
| Posted: 2007-12-12 06:22
Don't even try to jump any pins if you don't have any idea how to insert and adjust jumpers, more likely to break everything than achieve anything.
Like the others said, if the light is orange/amber/insert similar colour, and it blinks in a pattern, then it's most likely the video card being either badly inserted, or hogging too much power for boot, or simply not compatible with the PSU.
If you're going to buy a new PSU, make sure the voltages and amps are suitable, or it might not work.
If there is any doubt with what it is or replacing the PSU and the power cables, best to take it to a dedicated PC repair store and let them handle it, to avoid breaking anything.
EDIT: I just looked myself, and for me, if the casing power button light has a steady, orangeish glow as opposed to blue, it's hibernating, if the light is blinking, then something is not working properly. Then again I have a customized computer, but the casing and motherboard is from a prebuilt.
[ This Message was edited by: Nuclear Bomb on 2007-12-12 06:26 ]
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Eledore Massis [R33]
Grand Admiral
Templar Knights
Joined: May 26, 2002
Posts: 2694
From: tsohlacoLocalhost
| Posted: 2007-12-12 06:45
Fist: i'm still not yet awake, i might say something already said above.
Quote:
| On 2007-12-12 02:33, Kaganader wrote:
ok my friend has a Dell Dimension E510, he said it goes into "standby" and you can't get out. |
|
can't get out, uugh, if i recall the E510 doesn't support standby from the motherboard so that must be a OS functions.Quote:
| I thought it was a virus till i look at it. the computer won't start. |
|
do you see the Dell logo or anny other part of the bios before windows boots?Quote:
| I checked the power supply it sending power to the motherboard since the LED light is strong green. But the power button blinks Amber on an off. I changed the CMOS battery but that had no effect on it. |
|
Checking power supply is always a smart move, might want to check Graphics card as well and memory is possible.
In addition; do you hear beeps and if so how many, more than one is usually the motherboard telling you something is wrong with me or any of the plugged in devices.Quote:
| I check all the wires to make sure there in properly and not fried, there good. |
|
That reminds me check the Reset button. if its jammed and always on, the computer won't start as well.Quote:
| next my other firend said to jump the CLR CMOS pins but I don't know how.
that just leaves me with changing the Power Supply and jumping the CLR CMOS pins. |
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I don't know that mutch about dell's consumer computers but for the business since 2005 they no longer have a CMOS CLeaR jumper.Quote:
| does anyone else have any idea this is happening to this hunk of junk. it was running fine all last night but now it wont start as he says "it goes into standby." |
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let me think of something else.
If you get the bios but just won't start your OS (i'm thinking of XP in hibernation for the moment) Press F8 before you so-called boot the OS. there should be some option of discard hibernation and boot normaly.
next up, you see the bios? and somthimes you hear a little tick inside the computer. might be a broken HDD.
uugh whats next. ... ... try to boot the computer without the ram, if the mobo suports error beeps, it should beep more than once, e.g. two long or four short beeps.
For the rest. got anny more specific information; e.g. i can see the bios boot up. the monitor control light stays on orange. the cpu fan dousn't start. can't open the cd-drive even when the computer is on.
stuff like that.
O and finaly if your are trying to find these kinds of errors. always test a computer with the minimal of devices attached. Power, Keyboard, Monitor, maby a mouse. (K&M preferred PS/2).
well thats my three solid euro cents.
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Chubba
Grand Admiral
Joined: April 29, 2003
Posts: 293
From: Australia
| Posted: 2007-12-12 07:01
Its a Dell full stop 
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Fattierob
Vice Admiral
Joined: April 25, 2003
Posts: 4059
| Posted: 2007-12-12 07:02
If you want to clear the CMOS, take the CMOS battery out, disconnect the power supply (as always you do before touching hardware), take out the CMOS battery, wait 5-10 minutes, and reinsert the battery.
However, you need to set a jumper specifcally designed for this purpose, you should check the motherboard manual. It's just moving a small plastic piece from two pins to two pins next door. Nothing serious
Also, like everybody could be saying, a blinking light can mean anything. Does the computer POST (Ie: run through the ram check, hardware check, etc)? Does it make any number/pattern of beeps when you turn it on? Those are also vitally important to solving a boot up problem. Make sure every wire is snug (ie: none of the IDE/RAID cables are loose, the RAM is properly fitted, the CPU-fan and GPU fan is spinning, et cetra).
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BackSlash
Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 23, 2003
Posts: 11183
From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2007-12-12 12:41
You just need to boot the machine without a battery to clear CMOS.
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Kaganader
Vice Admiral
Lethal Assault Group
Joined: January 28, 2004
Posts: 38
From: In a Black Hole
| Posted: 2007-12-12 23:31
Nuclear Bomb:
The graphic card is built into the motherboard, its one of those crappy accelorator Graphics card.
the casing power is the light thats blinking on an off on an off as if its in hibernation, even if I unplug the power cord for 10 minutes and plug it back in.
Eledore[NL]: It won't boot, even if I click the Casing power button which is blinking on an off. so it doesn't even get to show the bios or components thats in it.
I looked for the Reset button but I couldn't find one on the Motherboard.
moniter light stays orange, nothing works whatsoever.
thanks for your 3 solid euro cents
Fattierob (x2 3x 11"/52 SK C/28): everything is hooked up securely and solid. RAMs in tight, no fans spin, nothing goes.
The only time I hear a beep is when I put in the Power Cord and it beeps just once like its about to run but instantly the casing power button starts blinking Amber.
Power Supply seems to be functional since the motherboard LED light goes on when I plug in the power cord and so does the blinking of the internet. I tried running it with just the basics, keyboard, moniter, mouse, HDD but to no avail its still PMSing
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DubStep Santa
Marshal
Joined: July 23, 2004
Posts: 80
From: Atlanta GA
| Posted: 2007-12-13 00:06
on dells the blinking yellow light means a Motherbored problem rest cmos and try agean if not you need to replace the mobo
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Fattierob
Vice Admiral
Joined: April 25, 2003
Posts: 4059
| Posted: 2007-12-13 00:41
if it doesn't even POST, then your motherboard is fried, as October has stated. It could be the Power Supply, buy I highly doubt that at this point in time.
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Coeus
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: March 22, 2006
Posts: 2815
From: Philly
| Posted: 2007-12-13 07:18
This actually sounds a lot like the problem I'm having with my Dell Dimension ... 4500 I believe is the number?
No boot up or anything, but not even a hibernation glow in the power button, only way I knew it wasn't the power supply is because the ethernet activity light is working when I connect it to the router. Tried resetting the cmos, but you think the whole board is fried? I couldn't find any shorts in a short check of the pathways from the power supply to the processor...
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