My PC is buggered

[Valve Bounce]

I went away for 9 days and switched everything off. When I returned today, I turned everything back on, but all I get from my DELL PC is a yellow blinking light where I press the button to switch it on. After numerous attempts to switch it off, then switch it back on, all I get is this blinking yellow light - no green light. Even switching the power source off at the socket doesn't make any difference.

Can anyone help, please! :(

[AAReagles]

I went away for 9 days and switched everything off. When I returned today, I turned everything back on, but all I get from my DELL PC is a yellow blinking light where I press the button to switch it on. After numerous attempts to switch it off, then switch it back on, all I get is this blinking yellow light - no green light. Even switching the power source off at the socket doesn't make any difference.

Can anyone help, please! :(

You live in Hong Kong right?... must be the extension of the Great (internet) Fire Wall of China.

[Valve Bounce]

You live in Hong Kong right?... must be the extension of the Great (internet) Fire Wall of China.

I live in Melbourne, and the only access I now have to the internet is my wife's lap top. :(

[AAReagles]

Thank goodness for the back-up system. :)

Best of luck navigating thru the computer problem btw.

[Valve Bounce]

Thank goodness for the back-up system. :)

Best of luck navigating thru the computer problem btw.

I suspect I will have to buy a DELL new PC. I suspect the power source is buggered, or maybe a virus has killed it. Fixing it will probably cost more than it's worth as it is more than 7 years old.

[Daniel]

It won't be a virus. Dead PSU is my guess.

[Dave B]

What he said. After that long your battery has probably discharged, so if the PSU's gone then it won't even try to power up. A virus wouldn't manifest itself until the PC had at least attempted to boot.

Can you beg borrow or steal another compatible PSU? If that solves the problem you know what to do. Despite Dell's dire warnings, a third party equivalent won't damage your computer so long as it's the right voltage, wattage and polarity.

[Daniel]

What he said. After that long your battery has probably discharged, so if the PSU's gone then it won't even try to power up. A virus wouldn't manifest itself until the PC had at least attempted to boot.

Can you beg borrow or steal another compatible PSU? If that solves the problem you know what to do. Despite Dell's dire warnings, a third party equivalent won't damage your computer so long as it's the right voltage, wattage and polarity.
Depending on how old the PC is it may not even be worth trying to fix it. Plus being a Dell, if the PSU works it probably still won't fit in.

Basically what happens with power supplies is the capacitors dry out over time and you switch the PC off and then it don't come on again. It's common for servers which have been on 24/7 for years and years to be powered down and then when you try to power them up again they just don't power up.

[Valve Bounce]

Thanks a lot guys. I'll take my PC down to GlenHuntly Rd tomorrow, and see if they can fit a new one in. My PC is one of those bloody narrow DELL ones and if I cannot replace it, then I'll go for a new DELL, the one with the touchscreen which will set me back around AUD$1200. :(

[AAReagles]

Depending on how old the PC is it may not even be worth trying to fix it. Plus being a Dell, if the PSU works it probably still won't fit in.

Basically what happens with power supplies is the capacitors dry out over time and you switch the PC off and then it don't come on again. It's common for servers which have been on 24/7 for years and years to be powered down and then when you try to power them up again they just don't power up.

That's an excellent diagnosis, as for a while there I was beginning to suspect that it might have been the MPU 35 thermo-modulator coupling device.

[Jag_Warrior]

Thanks a lot guys. I'll take my PC down to GlenHuntly Rd tomorrow, and see if they can fit a new one in. My PC is one of those bloody narrow DELL ones and if I cannot replace it, then I'll go for a new DELL, the one with the touchscreen which will set me back around AUD$1200. :(

When my IBM Thinkpad (which I REALLY liked) developed a motherboard problem, the computer shop suggested I look for a broken Thinkpad of the same model on Ebay and use it for parts. A new motherboard was easily worth more than the machine... and it was only about 3 years old at the time. Maybe you could find a broken Dell cheap on Ebay and rob the PSU from it.

[Daniel]

Thanks a lot guys. I'll take my PC down to GlenHuntly Rd tomorrow, and see if they can fit a new one in. My PC is one of those bloody narrow DELL ones and if I cannot replace it, then I'll go for a new DELL, the one with the touchscreen which will set me back around AUD$1200. :(
How old is the PC VB?

[Valve Bounce]

How old is the PC VB?
December 2003. That makes it six and a half years. How much does a PSU cost?

[Daniel]

December 2003. That makes it six and a half years. How much does a PSU cost?
Bin the PC and get a new one for sure.

[wedge]

December 2003. That makes it six and a half years. How much does a PSU cost?

About US$30

I paid about £20 a couple of years ago. Dunno the Aussie conversion!

I'm sure if you took it down your local independent computer shop they can sort you out.

[Daniel]

About US$30

I paid about £20 a couple of years ago. Dunno the Aussie conversion!

I'm sure if you took it down your local independent computer shop they can sort you out.
£20 is £19 too much to fix a 6 and a half year old PC.

[christophulus]

Yep, definitely sounds like the PSU or motherboard: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ws450/en/ug/advanced.htm

(might not be the right system but I think the error lights are universal)

[dunes]

Even though you turn everything off If you had a electrical storm while you were away or if workers made a mistake on your power supporter it could have traveled intio your bpoard and fried something. This happened to a friend of mine once,However unlike you he only switched his system off and left it plugged in the wall unprotected by a power strip or anything.

[wedge]

£20 is £19 too much to fix a 6 and a half year old PC.

Why's that? It's not as if VB needs a new motherboard (or does he?)

[Valve Bounce]

£20 is £19 too much to fix a 6 and a half year old PC.

Hi Daniel. While I would dearly love to get a new PC next week, my old DELL has been working OK. And if I can fix it for $30, then I think that I will. The damn thing was working really well on Windows XP, and my use for it is rather limited at this stage.

[wedge]

My PC has similar spec to netbooks. I'm happy with it being the minimum spec. If I want HD films, games then I've got my Xbox.

[Daniel]

At this stage in the PC's life it's just not worth fixing tbh. A 6 and a half year old machine is now basically obselete. A blown PSU has the potential to take everything in the PC out as well. If it were maybe 2 years younger I'd say get it fixed but really it aint worth it. My parents PC is a year or 2 younger and I'll probably be sending my current PC with my brother when he moves back to Australia to take over duties.

Don't get a touchscreen pc, VB. Anything new and cheap will more than do for you.

[Valve Bounce]

At this stage in the PC's life it's just not worth fixing tbh. A 6 and a half year old machine is now basically obselete. A blown PSU has the potential to take everything in the PC out as well. If it were maybe 2 years younger I'd say get it fixed but really it aint worth it. My parents PC is a year or 2 younger and I'll probably be sending my current PC with my brother when he moves back to Australia to take over duties.

Don't get a touchscreen pc, VB. Anything new and cheap will more than do for you.

What's wrong with a touchscreen? :confused:
I was looking forward to playing with it. :(

What I will do today is to take the PC down to Glenferrie Rd and if a replacement PSU will get it going, I intend to rescue all my pictures, documents and music before anything else.
Then the next time anything plays up, I'll get a new PC. I just priced ACER and HP computers yesterday at Costco, and they are bloody expensive.

By the way, will Windows XP games work on Windows 7?

[Valve Bounce]

The shop wanted $75 to diagnose the problem, then order the parts from DELL and install said parts - estimate after the $75 diagnoses. So, I have decided to get a new PC.

[Daniel]

Pretty much as I would have thought. Don't go for a touchscreen PC. It'll be a big waste of money.

[Valve Bounce]

Pretty much as I would have thought. Don't go for a touchscreen PC. It'll be a big waste of money.

Was guided through by the manager from Dell and got a good deal for an XPS8100, with 3 year warranty and Gizmo set-up. I guess it was time to accept that my old PC is dead, and I think that the hard drive, motherboard and disc drive were all pretty buggered also.

[Daniel]

please tell me you haven't actually ordered that. Firstly it's waaaaaaaaaay overpowered for what you need and secondly it's most likely 64 bit which is bound to cause issues with thing you were running on xp :facepalm:

[Valve Bounce]

please tell me you haven't actually ordered that. Firstly it's waaaaaaaaaay overpowered for what you need and secondly it's most likely 64 bit which is bound to cause issues with thing you were running on xp :facepalm:

The Devil made me do it. :(

Besides, my wife's laptop is 64 bit and I can play MechWarrior4Mercs MekTek on it. :)

Also, I can watch TV on it - I intend to set up two monitors so that I can watch F1 on it and chat with the guys on the other as well as watch F1.com's split sector times.

I don't know - maybe I just went overboard. :(

[veeten]

The Devil made me do it. :(

Besides, my wife's laptop is 64 bit and I can play MechWarrior4Mercs MekTek on it. :)

Also, I can watch TV on it - I intend to set up two monitors so that I can watch F1 on it and chat with the guys on the other as well as watch F1.com's split sector times.

I don't know - maybe I just went overboard. :(

I think you just got a good deal :) , as I checked the system you bought on Dell's own site. The specs look pretty nice, and with room for future upgrades there's no real loss. :up:

[Valve Bounce]

I think you just got a good deal :) , as I checked the system you bought on Dell's own site. The specs look pretty nice, and with room for future upgrades there's no real loss. :up:

Well, the good part here is that I have three years' warranty, and help and whatever repairs I need.

I'd like to follow a course on graphics and/or animation. Does anyone have any ideas on this? Can't spend too much more tho'.