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PSU distributes power, but computer doesn't boot.

N

nuber101

n00b
Joined
Mar 6, 2006
Messages
10
If anyone could help me out with this problem it would be greatly appreciated:

My power supply automatically turns on when I plug the power cord into it. As soon as it turns on, the fans and LEDs both on the motherboard and on the front computer panel light up. However, the front computer panel lights just STAY ON, they aren't blinking as if they were a result of the Harddrive actually doing anything. I don't hear the harddrive spinning, and I don't see anything on the monitor. So if I hit the power button on the front panel it doesn't do anything. It won't turn off either if I hold it down for 5 seconds like most computers shut off.

I did some trouble shooting and unplugged everything to boil down where the problem was exactly coming from and it seems like it is somewhere between the power-supply and the motherboard because it still does this when I unplug everything (ram, IDE cables, graphics card) except for the power supply's 20pin connector to my motherboard.

I did some research online and it talks about how power supplies automatically shut down to prevent any damage in abrupt changes in the voltage going through the circuit, but it doesn't say anything about why the power automatically turns on.

A few problems I have considered:

Something with the power_good, power_on data in the bios of the motherboard (which would mean I would have to replace my motherboard)

Something on my motherboard telling PSU that the temperature is wrong so it automatically spins the fans (but it doesn't make sense because I can't even turn on or off the computer)

Just a POS PSU that needs to be replaced since it is old.

I have a DELL Dimension P4 2.4 running on windows XP.

This problem occured after I had opened my computer to inspect the wires and ram and took off the heatsink to make sure there was enough thermal compound on the processor.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
More often than not when I see that problem on machines, it's a defective PSU. Voltages too high or low, not enough amperage will make everything spin and blink, but not boot.
 
Here is an update: I just put the PSU from my current computer (you didn't think I visit this website regularly with a dell as my primary computer did you? :)) into the dell (this PSU I know for sure is working fine) and it is doing the same thing, so it looks like it isn't a PSU problem. It looks like it is something wrong with the motherboard. Anyone have any ideas?
 
Is the Dell still under warranty ? If yes, it's simpler to give a call to them and fix the issue.
 
I'm not sure if its still on a warranty, it's not really the pc itself that I really want, I just want to know what is wrong with the system. If I know for sure it is a faulty motherboard I can just let it go, but its really frustrating me that I can't troubleshoot and find what the problem is.
 
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