Dead Old Dell XPS410

[David_799]

My 10-year old XPS410 finally died. It doesn't even start the ROM boot on powerup. Nothing on screen whatsoever, just a loud fan-type noise. I have files backed up but not saved games - use the machine primarily for old gaming. I'm thinking a new motherboard would be in order at this point but would need it to be compatible with all old parts, SATA HD, 3.5 FD, ddr2 ram, nvidia 8600, etc., and able to run on the current Windows XP. Bottom-line, basically: swap it out so I can run what's on existing hard drive. I don't need to stick with a Dell motherboard - perhaps even prefer something other than Dell. So, overall: HD, FD and slots compatibility issue.
Assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[imsqam]

First, I advise putting any larger amount of money into a 10 yr build, it is not worth it. A new pentium with only the integrated graphics would be anywhere from 5 to 10 times faster.

Next, you will not be able to use your Windows XP, it won't transfer to the new motherboard and XP is not supported anymore. Use of an unsupported OS while accessing the web to me is a dangerous practice.

And are you sure that the issue is your mobo? Sounds like your PSU is running but it may not be working properly. And you could have other issues as well. Would hate for you to drop 40-60 bucks on a replacement and find it doesn't fix the issue.

Next, your mobo is a non-standard size/shape format, you would likely have to get a new case to get a new mobo.
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19295122

The question I have regarding compatibility is what connectors are on your SATA HDD and FD?

So at the end of all this my statement is that while maybe it is possible to find an aftermarket replacement mobo I would think it highly unlikely, you need a dell replacement. And hope that the OS will accept the new mobo. Here is a used one off ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-XPS410-E210882-Mobo-2GB-DDR2-Intel-Core-2-Duo-1-8GHz-TESTED-FREE-SHIPPING-/302358328193