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One of our computers suddenly has an issue with booting. The fan on the heatsink revs up as loud as possible and the computer doesnt show a display. I immediately unplug the system. I have reseated the RAM, the heatsink, and the CPU. The system has also been air dusted with detail. The next step i thought to take would be
-connect a different cpu fan
-connect a different power supplyAny other ideas? Thanks!
Did you clean off all of the old thermal paste from the cpu and HS/F and reapply new thermal paste ?
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Could be Ram, graphics card or power supply. If you have two more then 2 banks of ram, try booting with one bank. Reseat graphics card if it isn't built into the motherboard. Ensure monitor is powered on and connected.
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Sorry, not good news. A known fault on the Optiplex is a blown capacitor on the motherboard near the processor heatsink. I have had 4 or 5 like this with exactly the same symptoms. Is it still under warranty? If so phone Dell support. It looks like a new mobo anyway.
Chris
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I did clean off the paste, and then realized I didn't have any to re-apply.
I tested the ram individually and the problem is still happening, i believe the ram is good.
Where can I see if the capacitor is bad, where is it?
Also, I still need attempt connecting a working power supply.
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Well the thermal paste is on now.
If I cannot get the pc to boot with a different power supply, is it the motherboard? Or would it be even better to just replace the entire PC?
Thanks.
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Power button is pressed on.
No display of any kind sent to monitor.
After apx. 10 seconds the cpu fan revs up at max speed.
At it speeds very loud, I power off.
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Wow, what happened between the 13th and now? If you leave the computer run instead of shutting down does it boot and run OK?
Try booting into the BIOS screens (setup) and check system temperatures there. PC Health maybe.
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The computer has been off.
I cannot boot at all. The computer doesn't even show the "DELL" logo (or anything at all). Immediately the fan speeds up.
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I work at a medium sized company and we've had a number of the gx280's blow on us, I have 4 in my "graveyard" right now.
in most cases the same capacitors blow, try looking in between the two expansion slots (PCI/AGP bus', there should be three capacitors in row with 2 more toward the front of the case which are, in most cases, the problem caps on this board.
Look very carefully, lots of times theres some swelling at the top, and maybe some electrolyte excretions which may look like a pin prick of orange
I advise you contact dell again. just keep trying and calling and you should reach someone helpful
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I took a closer look into the motherboard and saw a slight indent to the cap between the slots. This is a very slight indent. Could this be causing the problem?
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I doubt the capacitor is bad from what you describe. In which case a new motherboard may not solve your problem.
If this Dell computer is still under warranty let Dell deal with it.
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A new motherboard would probably cost more than the computer is worth.
Are you with a charitable organization?
If a school district disposed of the compute r it most likely is out of warranty. However, you could go to the Dell site and enter the service number on the case to get more information.
If you have additional computers of the same model you could try temporarily connecting a known good power supply to see if that solves the problem.
It seems that you don't have a good idea where the sound is coming from. You could use a sounding tube to better identify the source. a tube from paper towel or wrapping paper or better still, a short length of garden hose or similar held close to the components should give you a better indication. There are only so many fans in the computer. The power supply would be the first place to listen.
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I've got two of these with the exact same symptoms .. no bad caps .. blank screen .. loud fan .. and steady amber power light. I've read that some people have success removing the battery and then reinserting, which will work until the next re-boot, then you must repeat (didn't work for me). I've tried new RAM and new HD .. both to no avail. I have some similar units in working condition, but I'm afraid to use them for diagnosis purposes for fear I will end up with yet another dead soldier (is it a bad PSU that's frying the CPU?).
BTW - mine is a GX280 Small Form Factor
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You can't post to the thread once a month and hope anyone is still paying attention!
Musky
If the voices inside my head paid rent, I'd be rich!
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Being notified about a post doesn't keep a person from losing interest in it :)
Musky
If the voices inside my head paid rent, I'd be rich!
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jer18
I would guess all that replied to this thread were out of ideas/ suggestions and that is why the thread went dormant.
I would suggest you look at the Dell site to see if they have a FAQ or forum that might be of specialized help. Maybe a Dell owners site.
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