Computer help

[Anonymous]

I have a dell dimension 1100 desktop, Windows XP...........I shut it down Sunday night and went to bed. Got up Monday, it wouldn't power on. The little light on the motherboard wasn't even on. Power supply unit smelled burnt.

Tuesday I went and bought a new one, hooked it up, worked great. Used it all afternoon/evening.

Shut it down and went to bed, got up this morning, same thing. No power, light on motherboard not on either.

I am on a olddddddddddddd  windows 98 system trying to find something online to help me out.

I know there are computer people here, so any help would be so appreciated.

I will check back from time to time, it takes me awhile on this computer. I really do not want to go buy a new one right now.

[fused]

Timothy, where are you? I would PM him, but he ain't cheap!

[Anonymous]

I'd exchange the power supply for a new one-

Install a UPS- This will prevent spikes, under voltage, surges and clean the power going into the power supply -  

Google "Speed Fan" or PM me for the website- run this to make sure the fans are all running and nothing is over heating-

As this is a dell- i would also run the hardware diagnostics- F10 when powering up the machine-

If none of this works let me know- I have a few extra computers around if you pay the shipping-

[Anonymous]

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Timothy wrote:

I'd exchange the power supply for a new one-

Install a UPS- This will prevent spikes, under voltage, surges and clean the power going into the power supply -  

Google "Speed Fan" or PM me for the website- run this to make sure the fans are all running and nothing is over heating-

As this is a dell- i would also run the hardware diagnostics- F10 when powering up the machine-

If none of this works let me know- I have a few extra computers around if you pay the shipping-

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Thanks for the tips and offer.

I haven't had time to go get a new one yet. I will tomorrow.

It has been suggested to me that my motherboard is going bad. Could this be? I really hope not.

I had my computer in my cubby hole on my desk and just told my spouse the other day I needed to move it up on top of my desk where more air is circulated.

You could really smell the first power supply when I removed it. This one doesn't have much of a "burned" smell.

My warranty expired in February, go figure something would happen to it now.

I have an old compaq presario that needs a hard drive. I ordered a hard drive, but I can't find my XP disk to reload XP. I have a dell XP disk, but have been told that compaq, dell, and others "tattoo" their motherboards so that you can use dell operating system disk to load XP on a compaq and vice versa.

As soon as I put in the new power supply and start it up I will run the steps suggested above.

[Anonymous]

If the power supplies keep going out there could be underlying issues.  The motherboard may have a short where the power supply connects to it.  The chances are slim.

How old was the first one that burned?  Was it connected directly to the wall or to a surge protector?

As Timothy stated, install a UPS and fans.  Overheating is a primary reason for components and power supplies to burn. 

And you are correct.  Dell and Compaq OS are not interchangable.  Each disc would look for information in the BIOS of the respective motherboard.  You can not transfer one OEM to another.

[Anonymous]

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guiness56 wrote:

How old was the first one that burned?  Was it connected directly to the wall or to a surge protector?

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The first one was the one that came with the computer, and I got the computer just over 2 years ago.

I really thought that overheating is what caused it, because it was in my desk. But that wouldn't explain the 2nd one.

Both fans were working when I installed the 2nd.

It is plugged into a surge protector.

I will install another today and check the fan speeds. And I'll get a UPS.

[MattH]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I have a dell dimension 1100 desktop, Windows XP...........I shut it down Sunday night and went to bed. Got up Monday, it wouldn't power on. The little light on the motherboard wasn't even on. Power supply unit smelled burnt.

Tuesday I went and bought a new one, hooked it up, worked great. Used it all afternoon/evening.

Shut it down and went to bed, got up this morning, same thing. No power, light on motherboard not on either.

I am on a olddddddddddddd windows 98 system trying to find something online to help me out.

I know there are computer people here, so any help would be so appreciated.

I will check back from time to time, it takes me awhile on this computer. I really do not want to go buy a new one right now.

---

Somewhere on the motherboard is a little battery, look for it and take the old one to Radio Shack or your local computer shop and get a replacement. Odds are around 75 percent that's your problem.

Do you unplug the computer, or switch off the power strip, when you're not using it? If it's shut down but plugged in the power supply still sends a trickle of power to the motherboard to keep that little battery lasting longer.

Google "motherboard CMOS battery"

[Anonymous]

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MattH wrote:

Somewhere on the motherboard is a little battery, look for it and take the old one to Radio Shack or your local computer shop and get a replacement. Odds are around 75 percent that's your problem.

Do you unplug the computer, or switch off the power strip, when you're not using it? If it's shut down but plugged in the power supply still sends a trickle of power to the motherboard to keep that little battery lasting longer.

Google "motherboard CMOS battery"

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When the first power supply stopped, I changed the battery with another battery I had here. After I realized it wasn't the battery, I didn't swap them back out.

It is possible the battery I put in was no good.

I don't unplug the computer or switch off the power strip.

[MattH]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@MattH wrote:

Somewhere on the motherboard is a little battery, look for it and take the old one to Radio Shack or your local computer shop and get a replacement. Odds are around 75 percent that's your problem.

Do you unplug the computer, or switch off the power strip, when you're not using it? If it's shut down but plugged in the power supply still sends a trickle of power to the motherboard to keep that little battery lasting longer.

Google "motherboard CMOS battery"

---

When the first power supply stopped, I changed the battery with another battery I had here. After I realized it wasn't the battery, I didn't swap them back out.

It is possible the battery I put in was no good.

I don't unplug the computer or switch off the power strip.

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If it's not the battery, then your motherboard may be dead, and nowadays it is difficult to find a technician willing to do component-level repairs. Maybe twenty years ago I knew somebody in graduate school who made some extra income by fixing up dead boards but that's mostly a thing of the past.

Message Edited by MattH on 05-31-2008 11:36 AM

[Anonymous]

You can get a replacement motherboard for $150 or less, depending on where you get it. Just make sure it is an exact replacement. If not, you may have other problems.