is this computer dead or is this an XP issue?

D

desmed

New Member
If so, let me know and I'm chucking this thing out the window. It's an old Dell Pentium III running XP

This morning, I woke up and the "XP" logo was staring at me, no screen saver like usual, and I don't recall ever seeing this particular logo before. I thought is was odd but I shut it down anyway at that point and went to school.

Now, it won't start up. The computer turns on, power light, etc...but the monitor never turns on or shows any signs of life and the keyboard does nothing. I can't even get it into "safe" mode (which is about the extent of my computer skills). When I put a disk into it, it doesn't even sound like it's trying to read it.

Is this something major? Should I toss it? It's not my main computer but I have old files on the hard drive.
 
No picture, could be a video card error. Really it sounds more like a power supply error, if the power light comes on but it won't read disks or display anything.

If there are fans in your computer (which there should be) do they spin up when you power on the computer? Also, do you get any beeping from the case?

No need to throw it away with an error like this, hell I'll take it if you don't want it.
 
4W4K3 said:
No picture, could be a video card error. Really it sounds more like a power supply error, if the power light comes on but it won't read disks or display anything.

If there are fans in your computer (which there should be) do they spin up when you power on the computer? Also, do you get any beeping from the case?

No need to throw it away with an error like this, hell I'll take it if you don't want it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking the time to try and help me...more info..

The fans turn on, it sounds like it's running. When you first turn it on, there is a single beep, followed by the lights flicking on for a second on the keyboard (numb lock/cap lock/scroll lock lights), then nada. I'm not sure if it matters, but the lights on the back of the case are lit. When you insert a disk, it begins to read it (light on the front of the case begins to blink) then nothing, it stops blinking and there is nothing on the monitor. It doesn't sound like it is continuing to "read" the disk after that.

Would that be a power supply problem? Is there any way to check for that simply, or do you just replace it and see if it helps?

Sorry for the simplistic terms but computers are not really my thing.
 
Well, to see if it's a power supply issue you can try swapping out the power supply with another one that you know works. Possibly from another computer if you have one.

Because there are more problems than just no video display (such as not reading disks and beeping) I think your video card and monitor are fine.

You might try unplugging unnecessary hardware jsut to see fi you can get it to boot properly. Things like sound cards, USB devices, etc that aren't needed to boot the PC. If the PSU is damaged, it might just lack power to run everything. If this is the case, you'll need to get a new one.

Also, if you haven't done this in a while, you should clean out the computer case of dust and such. Sometimes dust can REALLY make an impact on your computer, from overheating it and killing it, to getting inbetween components and blocking connections that are necessary for your computer to operate properly. A good cleaning can solve many problems and prevent potential problems.
 
Well, the new computer is a shared one and I don't trust myself to start pulling things out of it. You are right on the money with the dust thing...I have never opened it up before and I just blasted it with compressed air....dust bunnies everywhere.

Currently nothing is plugged into the computer except monitor, keyboard, and mouse...not even cheap little speakers :)

What I may end up doing is buying a new PS and see if that fixes it if they are not too expensive. **dumb question alert** are PS specific to each computer...I am betting not, so how do I find one for my computer? I guess I could just remove it and take it to the nerdiest looking guy at CompUSA...
 
PSU's are somewhat specific to ceratin types of computers. If your computer is very old, it may need an AT power supply. If it's somewhat newer, an ATX powersupply will be required.

From looking at your current power supply, you can see fi its AT or ATX. It should say right on the sticker/surface of the PSU if its AT or ATX, how many watts it is, and what brand it is. It might be somethign like "Antex TruePower 330watt ATX Switching Power Supply Unit".

If you are totally clueless, just take the power supply out and take it to BestBuy or CompUSA and tell them you need a power supply just like this one. But make sure it's the same, by seeing if it's AT or ATX (whichever you need) and if it has the same amount of wattage (or more) than your existing one. Any computer person should know the terms "AT" and "ATX" and know which PSU's are similiar. If they seem clueless, or try to sell you a $160 PSU that you don't need, walk out and come back here. I can tell you what to buy with a little Q&A, but it's probably more convenient for you to go to the store if the help is good.
 
Thanks for all of your help so far. I looked on the PS and didn't see any AT or ATX on the sticker. What I found is:

Dell
model # PS 5141-3D 145 W DC output
input 100-127 v/ 5A
200-240 V/ 12.5 A
output + 5 V
-5 V

Is this enough to figure out which new PS I should get?
 
Ack, it's a Dell PSU.

Withh Dell's sometimes they match their motherboard and powersupply's ONLY to work with Dell products. So, if you try to plug in another brand, it might harm your computer.

What you need to do is call Dell up and tell them you need a new PSU. Is your computer still under warranty? If so it should be free. If not you'll have to pay for it I imagine.
 
take it in with you..or contact dell and get one....you need to know the size of the connection (that plugs into your lappy) cause they are all different sizes for different models
 
No way this thing is under warranty....I bought it back in...2001? It's an old, slow Dimension 2100. What I am going to do is contact Dell and see if they think it is a PS problem as well, then order one.

One other Dell PS question: I did a bit of searching and found companys that make ATX PS with "Dell adaptors" they list as replacing the OEM Dell PS...is this a safe option or do I have to by from Dell (and probably spend more $$$)?
 
I've never heard of a Dell adapter, I'd ask around a bit before you depend on it. Dell certainly won't encourage you to buy it if it means you don't have top buy from them anymore, but that might not be such a bad thing lol.
 
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