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Dell PC goes straight to "power saving mode"

  • 17-06-2012 9:25pm
    #1
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,316 ✭✭✭✭


    Hello all,
    Trying to fix a neighbours Dell PC that goes straight to "power saving mode" when switched on. Tried it with another monitor that I know works, and get the same thing.

    No logo appears on the screen when the PC is turned on, in fact nothing comes on the screen when the PC is turned on.

    If the "menu" button is pressed on the monitor, the button light will go green Dell "power saving mode" will appear, and then the button light will go amber.

    Have taken out the CMOS battery and booted it, but that didn't do anything. When switched on, the PSU fan goes on, the extract fan on the PC comes on, and the various lights go on, but nothing happens.

    Last worked two days ago, and I'm thinking that the PC is dead, but thought I'd ask here first in case I was wrong. I think the machine is about 4 or 5 years old. It's a small tower Dell Dimension (?) PC.


Comments

  • #2
    unkel
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 66,122 ✭✭✭✭unkel
    Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!


    That's not power saving mode, it means the PC doesn't POST

    Any noises / beeps at all?

    Could be a number of different things, Try re-seating the memory. If that doesn't work, disconnect as many unneccessary devices as you can (hard disks, PCI / PCI-E cards, DVD players etc.). If that doesn't work, try another graphics card

    And if that doesn't work, check that the CPU is being cooled (the heatsink could be loose, you might take it off, clean it, re-apply thermal paste)

    Still no success, chances are the motherboard is dead

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  • #3
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,316 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    unkel wrote: »
    Any noises / beeps at all?
    Correct, no post at all.
    unkel wrote: »
    Try re-seating the memory. If that doesn't work, disconnect as many unneccessary devices as you can (hard disks, PCI / PCI-E cards, DVD players etc.).
    Ah, sure why not.
    unkel wrote: »
    If that doesn't work, try another graphics card
    It's an onboard thing. I don't have a PCI graphics card, so that goes out the window.
    unkel wrote: »
    And if that doesn't work, check that the CPU is being cooled (the heatsink could be loose, you might take it off, clean it, re-apply thermal paste)
    Passive cooling. Can't see it becoming loose, but I suppose I'll try it.
    unkel wrote: »
    Still no success, chances are the motherboard is dead
    Most likely, but would prefer I got it fixed.


  • #4
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,316 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    unkel wrote: »
    Try re-seating the memory.
    Turned out one of the sticks was FUBAR. The other one is fine. Never had RAM cause this for me, but live and learn.

    Replaced the faulty 512MB and the working 256MB DIMMs with two 1GB DIMMS; wouldn't feel right leaving them with only 256MB of RAM.


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