Computer restarts after 5 seconds continuously

[markiemark79]

A few weeks ago my Dell Inspiron 660 was found in a continuous loop of restarting every 5 seconds, and would do so until I unplugged it. It is about of month out of warranty so I am in desperate need of help. I left the machine unplugged for a few days and attempted to turn it on again with it working fine. Then after a few days of having no problem it started the restarting loop again. I bought a new PSU for it which did not fix the problem, it continued to restart over and over. So I returned the new PSU. I have taken the RAM out of it and it starts up and just beeps but doesn't restart.

Dell Inspiron 660, Windows 7, Intel i5 3330, 4G RAM

 

[CaedenV]

well yes, removing the ram will certainly cause issues.

My first guess would be the PSU as well, but as that is not it the next thing to try would be the RAM. The system will not run without RAM, so you will need to go out and pick up a new stick. If you have your RAM removed then bring it with you to the store so that they can match it.

Another thing that can cause it (though this is typically an issue with older machines) is bad capacitors. Google 'Bad Caps' and take a look in your computer and see if you have any that have gone bad. Not likely, but it is easy to check for.

If the RAM does not fix the issue then it is likely a CPU or motherboard issue which, depending on your skill level and patients, may or may not be worth fixing. Hopefully it is the RAM.

 

[markiemark79]

well yes, removing the ram will certainly cause issues.

My first guess would be the PSU as well, but as that is not it the next thing to try would be the RAM. The system will not run without RAM, so you will need to go out and pick up a new stick. If you have your RAM removed then bring it with you to the store so that they can match it.

Another thing that can cause it (though this is typically an issue with older machines) is bad capacitors. Google 'Bad Caps' and take a look in your computer and see if you have any that have gone bad. Not likely, but it is easy to check for.

If the RAM does not fix the issue then it is likely a CPU or motherboard issue which, depending on your skill level and patients, may or may not be worth fixing. Hopefully it is the RAM.

Thank you for the response, what would be the next step checking the CPU or the motherboard?

 

[CaedenV]

Typically if it is a CPU failure the only way to check is by getting a 'spare' CPU to throw in the system. Not many people have a spare CPU floating around. Heck, with all the spare parts I have in my house I don't think I have anything newer than a Core2Duo available as a 'spare'. CPUs do not tend to die, so it is not something you generally keep on hand for repair work.

for the motherboard itself it is mostly a visual inspection. Look for bad caps, scratches, discoloration, buildup of any salts or other compounds, water damage, etc. If everything looks fine, then the next step is to 'bread board' the system. Plug in ONLY the power, CPU, CPU fan, RAM, and video cable (and video card if there is no onboard video). Remove anything and everything else from the system. No other cards, USB device, network, audio, nothing. Find the pin-outs for the front panel header (can be found in the repair manual on Dell's website) and use a screwdriver or paperclip to short the jumpers for the power button to turn it on. If it turns on and you get a keyboard error for fan failure warning then that is a good sign. If it does not turn on, and you know the other parts are good, then your motherboard is bad. Then start pluging in one or two things at a time and try booting it. When you plug something in and the system stops booting then you found the problem.