PC dead?

sham69

Hi,
I bought a pci to usb2 card and installed it over the weekend.
When I tried to power the pc back on it wouldnt boot up?
I thought it was the power button so took the front cover off and hit the button directly but still nothing.
There is a constant green light on the mobo which says (maybe) that its not the power supply.
I had a spare power supply so I tried that, but nothing (the spare power supply was from a compaq and the faulty machine is a dell, the connector was slightly smaller but connected to the mobo ok.
I tried disconnecting the ram, all pci cards etc and still nothing.
I was told by a mate that it could be the motherboard, I am hoping its not..
Is there any way of finding out for sure what the cause is?
Its a dell dimension 5100 desktop.
Any advice very much appreciated.
Sham.

Adder1

check you did not cause a short when you inserted the card (highly unlikely) also try reseat all the remaining cards know you removed them but sometimes they don`t sit in just right

sham69

Cheers for the reply.
How would I know if I caused a short?
It seems also there is no way to power on without the button at the front, it seems to be different to other mobos, I was hoping to be able to short some wires to force the power to come on in case its the switch.
I have a feeling its the motherboard but not sure how to tell.
I tried 3 different psu's yesterday but they were 20 pin and the dell in question is 24 pin, I read somewhere that it shouldnt matter.
I think I just have to give up and look at buying another pc.
Might see if anyone on adverts has a cheap desktop for sale with sata hard drive etc.
Thanks again.
Sham.

docmol

Have you tried removeing the new board, and anything unnecessary like drives/sound board etc (just leave cpu/ram/video if not onboard) to see if it will post then? Some Dells have non standard PSUs though.. You can start it without the button by shorting the jumpers the button is attached to. Just had a quick look at the manual on dell website and they don't give the pinouts for the front panel connector I would just run a screwdriver across it but at your own risk!

sham69

Yeah I took everything out, ram, pci cards etc and still nothing.
So how do I go about shorting the jumpers?
Nothing to lose at this stage so might as well give it a go.
The other thing i was going to try was to remove the battery as someone said the bios could be messed up.
Could do without having to buy a new pc as with everyone money is tight.

blackgold>>

RTCRST (right hand side )is the jumper to reset the cmos so put it over pins 1 and 2 for a few seconds and then put it back to pin 2 and 3(normal)
Try that.

Nalced_irl

Sounds like you might have knocked out the front panel connector for the power switch. They are really small and usually annoying connectors that connect into normally one of the corners of the motherboard. You should be able to see em coming from the front of the case so you can check that they are all connected.

docmol

Shorting the power switch jumper will only work if it is the power switch at fault, if it's a dead mobo it won't do a thing. To short it you have to remove the cable that comes from your pcs front panel and connects to the front panel connector, just below the ram. Dell use their own motherboards/cables so they aren't standard connectors. Examine the motherboard around the connector, to see if there is a guide to which pin does what. All standard motherboards would have a little map to say which jumpers do what. You are looking for the power switch jumpers. If you can find them, bridging them briefly with anything metal (tip of a slothead screwdriver) will complete the circuit and start the pc, just like pressing the power button. If you can't identify them, you can try running the screwdriver, briefly, accross each pair of jumpers. Normally not very safe, but as you say, you have nothing to lose. If this starts your pc at least you will know the problem is the switch. But as above said, try reseating the front panel cable to the motherboard first!

sham69

right think I am getting somewhere.
Its firing up now but seems the motherboard is not?
I have an amber light at the front panel which I didnt have before.

sham69

sorry the amber light only comes on when I switch the jumper on the bios from 2 and 3 to 1 and 2.
Its not looking good for the motherboard is it?

docmol

Have you put the clear cmos jumper back to normal (2-3)?

sham69

when i put it back to 2 and 3 I get nothing.
When I say nothing i mean the psu powers on , the fan spins and the rom drives eject etc. Nothing coming on the monitor as I assume the mobo is fecked?
Thanks for the help all...

sham69

Anyone got any more ideas on this before I splash out on a new pc?
Cheers.

blackgold>>

do the leds on your keyboard flash when you power it up?

sham69

I will have to check but I don't think so...
The first sign of any lights apart from the one on the motherboard was when I took the jumper off the cmos.
The light went out when I put back on pins 2+3.
Thanks for the reply.

sham69

Giving up the ghost with this I think...
Checked the power supply and its fine.
Looks like te mobo is dead.
I can hear everything spinning up, power, hard drive etc but no light on the keyboard or the nic.
Will have to buy a new pc as a replacement mobo is pricey enough.
Thanks for all the replies.