Refueb Dell PC - Powers Up fans go crazy but no display

[ocelot07]

Hey.

 

I know my way around a PC. I know how to build and basic trouble shooting but I have come into a problem I can't seem to solve. So a friend bought a cheap £200 PC from eBay. Turns out it was a old Dell PC slapped into a new case. The specs of the PC is:

 

i5 3470

16GB DDR3 1600mhz RAM

Stock cooler

GTX 1050

Corsair 500w PSU

Crucial SSD

1TB Toshiba HDD

 

So I can get the PC to actually power on and boot to windows and play games. I have updated all drivers and the bios for the motherboard. If I was to turn the PC off and turn it back on within a minute of turning it off. The PC will power on and the fans will spin. But the CPU fan will spin at full speed and noting will display on the screen. The only way I can get back into windows is if I was to turn it off for 20-30 minutes. Or take out the cmos battery for about 5 minutes.

 

I have taken the PC apart and gave every component a clean. I have taken out all 4 RAM sticks and just slotting one in at a time in each slot. But I keep having the same issue. So right now I am out of ideas. What could this be. I am thinking maybe the CMOS battery is dead? This I can replace but can't until Monday. So in the mean time anything else I can try. Oh and I did take the CPU out and reapply new artic silver paste.

 

Edit: My friend bought this from a ebay seller about 4 months ago. It has been working fine until yesterday. Seller has not been helpful as the 30 day warranty is over and eBay have been no help.

[Radium_Angel]

2 minutes ago, ocelot07 said:

Oh and I did take the CPU out and reapply new artic silver paste.

Failing power supply.

Typical on older Dells that if they can't get enough power, they'll full spin the fans and that's it.

I've seen this on a number of old dells (granted, C2D era) so I'd start with a known good PSU and see what you can get.

[ocelot07]

Just now, Radium_Angel said:

Failing power supply.

Typical on older Dells that if they can't get enough power, they'll full spin the fans and that's it.

I've seen this on a number of old dells (granted, C2D era) so I'd start with a known good PSU and see what you can get.

 

I see so the Corsair PSU could be bad? We don't know how old the PSU is in this system.

[Radium_Angel]

Just now, ocelot07 said:

 

I see so the Corsair PSU could be bad? We don't know how old the PSU is in this system.

It's certainly possible.

If you have a lightweight GPU hanging about, swap that out, which would lighten the power draw, and I'll bet you dollars to donuts it'll boot without issues.

[ocelot07]

1 minute ago, Radium_Angel said:

It's certainly possible.

If you have a lightweight GPU hanging about, swap that out, which would lighten the power draw, and I'll bet you dollars to donuts it'll boot without issues.

 

Only GPU I have access to is my 2070 Super in my own build and the GTX 1050 in this PC I am trying to fix. This PC does have a in built HDMI port on the mortherboard so I assume it has it's own built in graphics? I could take the 1050 out and give that ago.

[Radium_Angel]

12 minutes ago, ocelot07 said:

i5 3470

That does have a built-in GPU chip, so yes, you can do that. Bear in mind you can't game very well on the built-in GPU, but you can test the system for booting.

[ocelot07]

58 minutes ago, Radium_Angel said:

That does have a built-in GPU chip, so yes, you can do that. Bear in mind you can't game very well on the built-in GPU, but you can test the system for booting.

 

Hey tried it without the GPU and same issue. Powers up the fans and the CPU fan goes into overdrive but noting on screen. If it helps the PSU is a corsair cx500m.

[Radium_Angel]

Just now, ocelot07 said:

 

Hey tried it without the GPU and same issue. Powers up the fans and the CPU fan goes into overdrive but noting on screen. If it helps the PSU is a corsair cx500m.

Ok, well then, that's worse news.

Then we start suspecting a bad mobo. (or really messed up RAM)

 

[Guest]

Beep codes. Does it beep??

 

That could head you in the right direction. 

[ocelot07]

2 hours ago, Radium_Angel said:

Ok, well then, that's worse news.

Then we start suspecting a bad mobo. (or really messed up RAM)

 

 

1 hour ago, ShrimpBrime said:

Beep codes. Does it beep??

 

That could head you in the right direction. 

 

No beeps or anything. It's a odd one I just don't understand how leaving it off for 20-30 minutes fixes it. It's currently on now and has been for almost 2 hours. Destiny 2 has been running fine. 

 

Restarting windows is also fine. It's just turning it off and turning it back on soon after is what causes this issue. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, ocelot07 said:

 

 

No beeps or anything. It's a odd one I just don't understand how leaving it off for 20-30 minutes fixes it. It's currently on now and has been for almost 2 hours. Destiny 2 has been running fine. 

 

Restarting windows is also fine. It's just turning it off and turning it back on soon after is what causes this issue. 

While I don't have a definitive answer, I have some ideas. May lead us onto something??

 

So one idea was that the board may just not like partially drained capacitors. You could look on the board for any that may be swollen or leaking.

 

In your list, you did not include the motherboard make and model. What is it?

 

And if there isn't a speaker soldered to the board, you'll have to plug one in at the FP pins designated by the owners manual.  

[demonix00]

2 hours ago, ShrimpBrime said:

Beep codes. Does it beep??

 

That could head you in the right direction. 

This is a DELL motherboard we're talking about here as the only way to diagnose the issue is through the 4 diagnostic indicators that would be on the front of the system, but as the board has been transplanted into another case then there is little chance of finding out what the issue is unless there is a way to jury rig some kind of setup that can connect to the header that runs the diagnostic LEDs.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, demonix00 said:

This is a DELL motherboard we're talking about here as the only way to diagnose the issue is through the 4 diagnostic indicators that would be on the front of the system, but as the board has been transplanted into another case then there is little chance of finding out what the issue is unless there is a way to jury rig some kind of setup that can connect to the header that runs the diagnostic LEDs.

What are you talking about?

 

ALL Dell motherboards have beep codes....

 

 

[demonix00]

6 minutes ago, ShrimpBrime said:

What are you talking about?

 

ALL Dell motherboards have beep codes....

 

 

That would depend on the motherboard actually having a speaker and considering that the OP stated that there isn't any beeps when this happens meaning that there isn't a speaker attached (unlikely as even the boards in the DELL optiplex 3010 have a speaker near the PCI-e 1x slots) or it doesn't work as it would on a normal motherboard or maybe it won't work without the diagnostic indicators being connected (but I am guessing here, but you never know with dell)

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, demonix00 said:

That would depend on the motherboard actually having a speaker and considering that the OP stated that there isn't any beeps when this happens meaning that there isn't a speaker attached (unlikely as even the boards in the DELL optiplex 3010 have a speaker near the PCI-e 1x slots) or it doesn't work as it would on a normal motherboard or maybe it won't work without the diagnostic indicators being connected (but I am guessing here, but you never know with dell)

No idea what Dell it came from so cant confirm much. But all Dell motherboards will beep with errors unless the board has an issue.

 

The clenched here is the board posts after pulling the battery for 5 minutes, I would figure the board is on its last legs or maybe a bios flash reflash or recovery could help. 

 

But most of these boards when they dont beep are usually done for.

[ocelot07]

Not much of a update. But I tried everything I could think of even tried another PSU I found in my draw. Right now my friends just going to use it as it is and when they get paid again next month and getting a ryzen 3100 and a b450 motherboard and 16GB RAM and sell the intel CPU and 16GB DDR3 RAM.

 

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, ocelot07 said:

Not much of a update. But I tried everything I could think of even tried another PSU I found in my draw. Right now my friends just going to use it as it is and when they get paid again next month and getting a ryzen 3100 and a b450 motherboard and 16GB RAM and sell the intel CPU and 16GB DDR3 RAM.

 

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.

Well sounds like a good game plan. Sorry that old dell board bricked on you guys, but that's the chances of buying used hardwares. 

[ocelot07]

16 minutes ago, ShrimpBrime said:

Well sounds like a good game plan. Sorry that old dell board bricked on you guys, but that's the chances of buying used hardwares. 

 

Yer lucky enough not all is bad. Only paid £200 for it and the likes of the GTX 1050 and the hard drives and the ssd and case and psu can be used for when they get a new mobo ram and cpu. Plus they can sell the intel cpu and ram and claw some money back.