# low system voltage, NOT CMOS battery



## stslimited84 (Aug 15, 2008)

Hey everybody,

This is my first post, and thankyou for all of the help you'll offer.

I have a Dell C521 with XP SP2.

At startup I receive the warning: low system voltage

Press f1 to continue, f2 to access utility setup (something to that effect).


I have replaced the cmos battery, but it didnt fix it.

My next thought is the power supply has gone bad.

Any thoughts on what the problem is and how to fix it?


Note: the computer was sitting dormant for 4-6 months.


----------



## FreoHeaveho (Aug 22, 2006)

Yes my first suggestion was to replace the CMOS battery. Are you sure the one you replaced it with has the correct charge? Other than that, i would make sure you have the latest bios from Dell.


----------



## Luda (Aug 16, 2008)

does the system boot, if so do you notice any oddities while using it?


----------



## stslimited84 (Aug 15, 2008)

Luda said:


> does the system boot, if so do you notice any oddities while using it?



Yes, some strange things happen. At first, it would boot up like normal, with the exception of the message I mention in the OP. It will run fine, and then at some point it the computer will just randomly shut off.

Then when i try to power it up again, the light on the power button just blinks green at a steady pace, and it wont power up.

Thoughts?


----------



## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

Sounds like the power supply might be tanking on you. Go in to the bios and see what the voltages are and what the temperatures are for your rig. Or, even better yet, download and run SensorviewPro and see what it says about those two issues. Try it as soon as you boot up and check them. Check the temps again after you put the computer under stress so we get a different picture of what is happening.


----------



## stslimited84 (Aug 15, 2008)

i cant even get it to power up now...:4-dontkno


is this def power supply then?

on top of this, its a dell, and I hate dells. The power supply is some one that is made specifically for dell, and to replace it I have to buy the exact same model. Which dell wants $88 for a refurbished one. :4-thatsba

I found a brand new one online @ www.arsenalpc.com for $39, but I've never heard of the site.

1) is it def the power supply? it powers up for about a min or two, and then shuts off

2) is there a diff buying option for the power supply?


----------



## FreoHeaveho (Aug 22, 2006)

Call Dell and get the part number. I am assuming this PC is not under warranty?


----------



## stslimited84 (Aug 15, 2008)

yeah i opened up the pc to get the part number, and they want 90 dollars plus shipping for their crappy PSU. not gonna happen. 

On top of that, i cant even access the parts, they have everything blocked in so I cant remove anything, a major pain in the rear. any thoughts on what to do? i was just going to buy a new psu, and make it fit somehow, but i cant even remove the old one.

on top of that, i cant remove any of the parts to use in a new build b/c of the pieces of metal they have configured in the case to prevent you from accessing the parts.

We own the parts, we should be able to access them easily!!!!!!!!!!


----------

