# dell dimension 2350 no power



## trekkie28001 (Jun 4, 2007)

I'm working on my brothers computer. It was working fine one day then the next he tried to turn it on and it will not power on. I thought PSU so I put a working on in it and still no power. I put the PSU from the dell in another computer and it worked so its not the PSU. I noticed the green led on the board is lit so its getting power. I appreciate any help. Thanks.


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## kev1952 (Dec 2, 2006)

Could be any number of things. Check the mobo for blown/leaking caps like this:










If there is even the slightest sign of bulging (or leakage) on the top then the cap is faulty.

Check for loose connections to the mobo and make sure all cards are plugged in securely (including RAM modules) - lift them slightly and push them back in. Check that the IDE/SATA cables are tight.

Please explain a bit better what actually happens when you turn the power on. Does it give any beeps? Do the fans fire up? Do the lights on the keyboard flash briefly?


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## PanamaGal (Jun 3, 2006)

Even if you don't see bad capacitors, the board may still be bad. Try reseating the processor. If that doesn't work, my best guess would be the board has failed.


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## Kalim (Nov 24, 2006)

The fans spinning are a big indication if the motherboard is able to deliver power and work, in many cases. So I would check for that mainly.


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## trekkie28001 (Jun 4, 2007)

there are no bad capacitors that was the next thing i looked for and the ram works fine i'm actually using it in my computer now. I'll try resetting the cpu but it does nothing when i press the power button like its not plugged up. the only thing it does is light up that green led on the board. no fans spin nothing happens it acts just like a bad psu but like i said i tested it and it works i thought it might be a bad board but i wanted to do more troubleshooting first before i get a replacement


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Hello Trekkie.

It does sound like the board is dead. There are couple of more things to try before you order a replacement though. To verify that the power button is not the culprit remove the leads from motherboard header and use a small screwdriver to jump the to pins on the header. If you still get no power then remove the motherboard and follow the steps the below to bench test the board to make sure you don't have something shorting out against the case.

Bench build: Courtesy of Linderman

A) Place the motherboard on top of the motherboard box with nothing under it but the box >>> anti static bags are only anti static on the INSIDE not outside

B) install the cpu, thermal grease, heat sink & fan plug in the cpu fan wires

C) plug the psu power connectors to the motherboard (should be a 24pin connector and a four pin 12volt cpu power plug needed aslo

D) install one stick of ram (check mobo manual for the proper slot to use with a one stick configuration)

E) install the video card >>> you may have to hang the motherboard over the edge of the mobo box to allow the cards riser to extend beyond the bottom of the mobo >>> this is why I love the mobo box trick

F) connect video card to the monitor

G) connect keyboard and mouse to the motherboard

H) hold the motherboard up to eye level and examine the cpu and heat sink carefully >>> makes sure the heat sink is not bearing any pressure on any of the mobo "guts" several weeks ago I was servicing a sytem, the user installed a cpu cooler that squashed the snot out of a capacitor, all he had to do was rotate the heat sink 180 degrees and this would not have happened >>> it was an offset style heatsink >>>>> the mobo at eye level helps alot !

I) on another note >>> before plugging in the PSU connectors into the mobo connectors >>> check to be sure there are no tiny pcs of plastic shavings in the two mobo plugs 24 pin and 4 pin cpu plug !

J) you can use either a precision screw driver (small blade) place the case real close to the mobo bench build and use the case switch connected to the motherboard jumper for the PWR switch on the mobo

Post back with your results.

Matt


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## trekkie28001 (Jun 4, 2007)

I'm gonna go ahead and replace the board I've tried everything but nothing works. Its a P4 and I took the cpu out to reseat it but its stuck to the heatsink like its glued and I can't put it back in because it has a latch for the cpu and the heatksink is preventing me from putting it back in. How do I get the cpu off the heatsink?


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## PanamaGal (Jun 3, 2006)

Try moving it back and forth, as you will not be able to simply pull it off. If you can get it moving back and forth, you can then get it off. If you are careful, you can try putting a few drops of alcohol on the heatsink and letting it flow beneath the CPU to help loosen the thermal compound.


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## trekkie28001 (Jun 4, 2007)

ok i got it thanks for all the help


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