Dell Dimension 8400 wont boot up

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just spent most of the afternoon trying to fix one of these.. first power light was flashing amber then completely dead. What seemed to do the trick in the end was holding the power button and moving the CMOS reset jumper & password reset jumper around (sorry can't be more precise but I was just about throwing everything at it so difficult to tell what actually got it going.. including prodding the CPU from the part of the super sized heatsink that covers it).

sorry if this doesn't solve anyone else's problem but I thought it would be worth putting it in as there is no definitive solution as yet.
 
Mine had a constant amber switch light without the often reported high speed CPU fan. I opened the case, blew out dust and tried power up; no change. Then I re-opened the case and pressed the on button while watching and listening to the “interior” to see what fans powered up. I noticed the heatsink fan did not power on while the CPU fan did come on.
I wiggled the green plastic fan shroud on the heatsink while the amber light was on…...the heatsink fan came on and the system went green (powered up as normal)!
I’m suspecting heatsink was not properly seated due to overheating? I’m considering adding an additional cooling fan and will no longer leave system running 24 x 7, other than that, I’m guessing I’m lucky. Oh yeah, and clean it for interior dust once every 3 months.



 
A slightly different problem with my 8400 if anyone can help. Ive checked out quite a few forums and tried different fixes. No luck.

Two weeks ago I tried to boot up and got the flashing amber light. No boot at all.No fan, nothing. Contacted Dell CS / India and they walked me through opening the case, step 2- unplug 24 pin plug to the motherboard and replug.Green light was on and still is. Tried to boot ...nothing. Step 3 remove both memory sticks and replace. At this point I got frustrated trying to understand the Indian accent and ended the call. Tried to boot up and everything came up fine. No more issues. Everything normal.

Two weeks later the same flashing amber light and no boot, tried pulling the memory sticks with no luck. As I stated before, I have checked for bent USB pins that might be shorting out, pulled out each plug to each piece of hardware and repluged, looked for MB corrosion, pulled all cards and replaced. All of these I got from different forums. Dell says the flashing light indicates a hardware problem and I think that I'm down to my power supply. I found a test with a multimeter but I'm not an electronics guy. The readings that I got seem really off from what I should be getting but Im not sure if I'm reading it correctly. My multimeter has a "auto range" selector mode so I don't know if I can mess up the readings or not.

Thanks for any help from anyone !!
 
ive been having the exact same problem all of you are having, except mine would only have when i moved my computer even a little bit. it would take forever to finally get it to reboot. it started about 6 months ago and last week i finally had enough of it, so i dissasembled my computer (except for the cpu) and cleaned it, then with compressed air cleaned every connector including power connectors. there was actually dust stuck in between the 4pin power connector just to the left of the cpu. i also pushed down the heatsink a little to make sure its properly placed cuz on another site two people said it was caused due to the heatsink (http://www.fixya.com/support/t488241-dimension_8400_will_not_boot_very_loud).
so i cleaned all that and put it back together and so far its been working fine. now that i think of it, about 2 years ago a bought a new graphics card from bestbuy and put it in, everytime i started up the computer when it was cold, i had the exact same thing happen, i returned the card and got a different one instead and that fixed that problem.......... so idk whats causing this problem because if you read this whole forum, some pople said they replaced their mobo and it worked and other said they replaced their cpu and it worked and others said they tried both and nothing. so maybe its possible just one of our pci cards are messed up (maybe like my old graphics card) im not expert, so for those of you who are, i hope this helps you.....
 
i forgot to also mention that not everytime did my computer want to take off... about half the time it was a black screen... bios wouldnt load or anything.. mobo problem?? now that i think about it, my problem all started when i bought my linksys wireless card. i took it out today and noticed it was bowed a little.... wtf how does that happen? defect i guess. well its all still working now, so if i get the same problem ill try taking my card out and see what happens
 
I just had the same problem with my wife's Dell Dimension 8400... she went to turn it on yesterday morning and got the dreaded "flashing amber light" (looks orange to me) Bought in Sept04 and it doesnt get much use, but it has a 3g Intel Pentium4 w/HT so I didn't want to trash it. After reading several boards and opening up case to check for mobo damage or loose wires/bent pins I decided to try the cheapest route and replace the Power Source. Inside mine was a Dell 350W Model No L350N-00. I bought an Antec Basiq 350W power source for $39.99 at Frys. I just finished putting it in and the computer is working fine. Let me say that other than adding a firewire port I have no experience with computer hardware. If I can do it, anyone with a screwdriver can. Will keep you posted if problems resurface.
 
One more note: The Antec Basiq has an ON/OFF switch and the panel on the back of my Dell Dimension 8400 did not have a hole for that so I took some wire cutters and “modified” it. Not pretty looking but effective and easy to do.
 
I seem to have the same problem with my dimension 8400, but having to deal with the internal power supply. After troubleshooting, I found that the P2 connector from the power supply connecting to the motherboard is fried and when I move the P2 connector the motherboard socket the computer sounds like it's starting up like normal but goes back to a solid yellow light in the front and a quiet powersupply fan. I looked online and the cheapest replacement for a powersupply was around 36.00 and I called dell and they are charging 65.00. Is there an alternative for the dimension 8400 power supply or a cheaper power supply from a direct company. Any comments will help, thanks!
 
Found this thread in a search for 'dimension yellow power light', and glad I did. My situation is different in that my almost 6 yr old dell is a 4300 model (P-IV @ 1.7GHz), but I recently started experiencing the no boot problem with the steady amber power light. In my case, the fans don't do anything weird. The DVD & CDRW drives spin up but there's no post (or video signal at least) and no keyboard or mouse power. Trying to boot from a XP CD does not work.

A few days ago, when I returned from vacation, I was greeted by this no boot condition. Took several attempts using the power switch built into the power supply to power off & on to get a successful boot and green power light. I've just decided to leave the pc on for now.

In my 4300, only the processor and MB are stock. The power supply, memory & AGP card and HDD's have all been upgraded. Guess I'll have to check for swollen capacitors, but if they look good, I'll try another power supply and/or will have to bite the bullet and get a new machine. (Was trying to avoid that since I had this desktop set up to run so well.)

Thanks to all who have posted suggestions.



 
Got a dead Dimension 8400 and have just read most of the posts and was down to the last measue of deciding to buy a new mobo or cpu or both.
Decided just for the hell of it to put the cpu back in, paste it up and hey presto it's up and going again !!!!
Just goes to show, sometimes it's major and then sometimes it's a bit of luck.
No idea why it went in the first place, perfect running order on shutdown and then cpu fan like a jet turbo on the next boot up.
Thanks to all for the excellent threads in the post.
 
I have a dell dimension 8400 and was told the mother board is bad. Where can I get a new or used one as Dell does not have one. I have tried to order it from there.
 
:) SOLUTION
I had the same problem with my Dell 8400; orange light on the power button and no boot up.
I fixed it and so far it is working fine. So let me tell you how I fixed it. Open the case and
at the bottom of the MOBO find the CMOS jumper. It's right there at the edge.
Remove the jumper and restart your computer.
That's it.
Good luck
 
Wow, there are a lot of Dell bashers out there! I work with many types of computers in a University setting and I can tell you that Dells are great machines. I have an 8400 at home and it works well. There is a small problem with the SATA ports but as a transitional type machine it is great...runs super fast.

I see motherboard/processor replacements on Dells, Apples, HPs, IBMs and Toshibas.

From reading a lot of these issues, it seems the culprit was many different unrelated hardware issues. However, it seems this machine runs hot (I can attest).

We've been plugging in 4GB RAM and 256 Graphics cards etc and you should expect for it to run hot.
Do some calculations...check how many watts each device will put out and how much of a strain it is putting on your power supply. You may need to upgrade your power supply and/or plug in some additional fans.

Don't forget when your machine is running well, preventative maintenance is the key.

--Josh--
 
Hi all... good thread.
My little problem was a bit different and required less drastic action than any replacement.
I disconnected the audio connection to the front of the case and tried to start up. It worked no problem.
I then reattached the connection on both sides and now my machine boots up no problem. This is worth trying first as I can imagine the audio connection becoming fiddly due to the USB connectors beside it.

Matt
 
I am a church music director and got a Dell Dimension 8400 in the fall of 2004. I did have the fan or whatever make a loud noise on boot up a time or two in the past, now that I see it in print. I had to replace the DVD drive on it I think, but it was in warranty at that time.

A couple of weeks ago I started it up and it jammed up. I had to hold the power button down to shut it off. When I rebooted it said something like Windows/system32 config file is missing or corrupt. Use the repair panel to fix. I tried and it didn't work. I transferred data off of the HD and tried to use my secondary as the primary. I could get it seen in BIOS and with disk management, but the Windows CD wouldn't see it and the Western Digital disk couldn't see it either. Same with the new replacement I had bought for the secondary. I finally took it to the repair shop. They found bulging and one leaking capacitors. A MOB would be close to $400 installed. I didn't want to have a repeat nor put that much money into it. They had a new one I could buy, but I decided I was soured on Dell and couldn't get it approved for purchase quickly anyhow since the computer was around $1000-$1100.

So, I went to get the computer back. Then the owner said he could try a Raid card to bypass the mobo for the HD operation. So far that has worked, but I haven't used the computer a lot since then.

With this being a known issue with so many computers and apparently faulty design and parts from Dell, I doubt I ever buy a Dell again.
 
Well, I wouldn't call the parts Dell put into the Dimension 8400 necessarily faulty, it's just that the increased case temperatures (caused in large part by the Prescott Pentium 4 processors, and to some extent the graphics cards found in these 8400s) led to accelerated component wear. The good news is, Dell stopped using those high power consumption CPUs quite a while ago. Today, the CPUs found in your entry to mid-level Dell are power efficient and run cool, and Dell now uses a more conventional heatsink and fan to cool the processor, meaning the overall system temperatures are much lower, and with lower overall system power consumption comes quiet operation and increased component life. Personally, I would not hesitate to buy a Dell today, but I guess I would be a bit leery of those studio hybrid designs. Anytime you go proprietary like that, you take the risk of a high price tag for component replacement if something should fail when out of warranty. While the Studio hybrid is visually appealing and compact, there's certainly a trade off to consider.
 
Ok, similar problem as the rest with Dell Dimension 8400 but found resolution for this one….that I offered to look at for a friend:

Started with errors like “Amount of system memory has changed” , “Memory write read failure at ….”, “Diskette drive 0 seek failure” “Press F1 to continue F2 setup utility”…..sometimes it would go onto windows and other times it would not and give me file corrupt errors…very sporadic.

Amount of system memory has changed led me to believe it was RAM related so started there. Had two modules so took out one, same issue, took it out and put in the second one and the computer would not boot, began beeping with error code 1-3-2, which from the manual is memory related. Also the diagnostic lights had AB-Green and CD-Amber, which again memory detected but memory failure occurred according to manual. Took out all memory modules and restarted expecting to get a different diagnostic lights, but received the same. Inspected the mother board and found a domed Capacitor next to memory modules. Bought new one and replaced the blown one. Installed new memory and still received the same beep pattern and lights. Getting really frustrated at this point, I removed the CMOS battery to clear, replaced it after about 30 seconds. Turned on again and WOW back to booting and able to get to bios settings.

Now that I am back to bios and with new RAM the Amount of system memory has changed error is gone but still getting drive 0 seek failure, but after getting the correct bios settings all is good again.

Hope that helps someone.
BTW, bios version is A02….which I plan to update. I do repair for friends and family and never seen a bad CPU, rarely bad motherboard which is typically bad capacitors. Usually see power supply, bad hard drives, or memory related issues.

 
I bought my 8400 a couple of months ago off of Craigslist, I love it, but, of course, if things were rosy, I wouldn't be here...
I left the room for about 15 minutes (I'm always in here usually) and when I came back, I noticed a burning smell, like plastic wires or something, and then I saw that the computer which was on, was now completely off no nothing.
I tried to restart it, but nothing, with the exception of the front Power Light, it's blinking, and I don't have the ABCDE lights at all on the back, they are not lit...
I know, it's probably the Power Supply, since I can tell that the smell seems to come from there, even when it's off, (lingering) and it's not present in the (non-running) fans below it, or anywhere else.
I only post here and ask because I have not seen any mention of smells, and usually, even my (lack of) common sense tells me a burning smell means something's fried, and in this case, I am 'pretty sure' it's the PSU.

So, can someone PLEASE enlighten me some, I don't have the money (who does now?) to be doing any of the hit and miss replacements, and I guess a trip to Frys is in order, I HATE going there, but it's either that or order online, which will take a few days at best.

I recently added 4 gigs of RAM in it, it had 2 when I bought it, and I replaced the two sticks that were in there, and it's got an upgraded 256 NVidea Card in it, (I didn't put that in) so to me, and a Dell 24" monitor the added stuff 'might be' the culprit, plus, it is old, so what do y'all think?
(I know some about working on PC's, but possibly only enough to be dangerous, so please consider that... heheh)

Thank You!, I REALLY appreciate all of this stuff I have read, VERY helpful, and (kind'a) nice to know I'm not the only one in the same boat, well, you know what I mean... :)

Randy
 
If the front power light is blinking then you are getting some power from your power supply. Check the P2 (4-pin) connector, been lots of reports of those frying. Its located just below and left of the CPU shroud. The smell should be strong at that point and it should be obvious if it burned judging from your report. If you end up replacing your power supply get at least 500W, I believe the 8400 ships with a 350W, but with the added components you should upgrade.

 
I checked the P2 connector, it's fine looking, I can't really get close enough to smell it, but it doesn't looked burned, swelled, deformed, or nothing.
There is no sign at all of anything that is a strange color, burnt, bloated, scratched, bent, or anything I can see or think of.
I spent a good amount of time with the case wide open (it still is actually) and with a flashlight checking out capacitors, (leakage, etc.) the front USB ports, and anything else I could think of after reading a lot of on this subject.
I read a different story about how people's started back up after hitting it, or, they had to replace either, the MOBO, the USB ports, the PS, or just unplug everything, all cards, plugs, etc., and hope that it comes back on.

Anyway, so far, even though I don't have proof, it still seems to be the Power Supply, I mean, it does smell burnt there, pretty strong too, and I'm wondering if 'maybe' the PS just doesn't have enough 'juice' to power up, but,'just enough' to make the lights come on in the Power Button.
I know nothing else makes sense after reading all that I have here, and other places too.
I hear absolutely nothing when I plug in the power cord either, even before, when it was running, and and it had been unplugged, it would make a slight 'whirring sound' when the cord was plugged back in, not even nothing there anymore.
Would that make any sense at all?

Thanks Boiker, I do appreciate the reply, and just try and remember, I don't know what I'm talking about, so I'm not saying you are wrong, but I'm just going on a 'gut feeling', and my nose... :)
If a PS is 'around' $36.00 (USD) as I have read in these threads, I will probably try that first, and, if that doesn't turn out to be the culprit, that means I'll more than likely build a PC from my existing components, which could use that same PS you mentioned.
(I'm going to price out the cases, MOBOs, and CPU's today at FRYs, in case I have to go that route)

Randy
 
If the power supply smells pretty strong then its more than likely the power supply. The only other thing to do is to make sure the 24 pin connector is in tight and good......might want to inspect that too just to make sure nothing fried but problem is probably internal to the power supply. If the 24 pin is good, then get ya a new power supply and hopefully once replaced all will be good again.
 


Thank you for help, I honestly do appreciate the time to help others.

I made a tube from paper to make it to where I could 'smell' the P2 connector better, it didn't smell burnt at all, but since it was directly underneath the PS, I had to check it like you said.
I hope that you're right about the PS, I would sure be happy, I'm online right now trying to figure out an alternative plan, should this new PS not work, I definitely don't have the brains, time, or money to be messin' around with all that it 'could be'. heh
I don't want to go to Frys, they have not impressed me before as knowing what they are doing, so I'm looking at CompUSA's site to see what they have to offer in a good barebones kit, but so far, nothing in the 3.0 Ghz range.
(If anyone's got any ideas on that, I'm all ears, I like Intel, and it has to be 'at least' 3.0 Ghz, with 'at least' 4 gigs of Ram)

I'll check that 24 pin connector though, I have already went through most all of it, but it doesn't hurt to do stuff again, plus, maybe I didn't do it anyway. heheh

Thanks again Boiker!

Randy
 
I had an issue 2-3 months ago with my 8400 where the power supply smelled hot and unhappy. It turned out that the power supply's internal fan was dying; this accounted for the smell (fan motor straining and burning out) and heat (poorly cooled power supply). I ordered a replacement fan from Mouser Electronics (mfr part #AD0812HS-A70GL-LF) and, with the help of a screwdriver and soldering gun, replaced the fan. Fan + shipping was about $15.

A caveat: I believe that the fan change was successful - the fan runs as it should, and the warm/burning smell is gone - though I just today started having the "orange light" problem. After reading through this forum, I checked the PS connection to the mobo (labelled P2), and found when I disconnected it that it was alarmingly dark & slightly charred. I suspect that's due to adding a second SATA drive a few weeks ago along with cumulative damage over time as described throughout this thread.

Now I just need to decide what to do about the orange light issue - computer boots again, but one wonders for how long? Perhaps the joefriday's excellent cheap LGA replacement suggestion, w/ a higher-rated power supply...

-crispy
 
I just wanted to update my situation, I actually forgot where this post was, so I couldn't say what happened...

Anyway, it turned out my problem WAS my Power Supply, which was a nightmare getting it from the company I ordered it from, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone anyway.
The PS was replaced, it is easy to do, and I went by my diagrams that matched the ir instructions, BUT, as soon as I plugged it in, it blew up!
Yeah, that's what I thought too... heh
I still to this day have no earthly idea what happened, it actually sparked, smoke came out, and I just KNEW that it fried it all!
I quickly unplugged it of course, checked the installation, re-checked it, and it was correct as far as I could see, so I checked again, plugged it back in, and smoke poured from it again, but no sparks this time.
No cables were touching anything, I was really careful to make sure.
I was feeling kind'a sick at this point, I had to wait a week for a two day shipment, and now, I was going to probably wait until God knows when to get another, plus, it cost me $100., plus my computer was probably fried...
I checked it all out again, and plugged it back in, and magically, it worked, no sparks, no smoke, and my computer booted up normally, and that's been a few weeks now, and so far, so good.
I had such a bad dealing with that company, I didn't want to risk anything again, so I am hoping that it'll all work out like a little computer fairy tale.
The Power Supply either blew out, or it was already like this, but it has a piece of 'wrapping' that goes around the coils, it was flopping around in there, I tried to remove it, but couldn't, so I pushed it into a corner, and it's stuck pretty well, so I just can't push my luck I guess.

I know stupid stuff, from either me, or I got a piece of junk as a Power Supply, and I honestly don't think I did a thing wrong, I mean, it was a few cables and that was it, and if I plugged something in wrong, I kind'a doubt I'd be typing this success story. heh

Anyway, that's that, at least for now, it was definitely the Power Supply in my case, I didn't have the exact problem(s) that others here were having, but maybe this will help someone like others stories here helped me..

Thanks for all of the help, especially from "Boiker", he spent a lot of time helping, and he doesn't have to.

Randy



 
Hi that must be all the Dell 8400 owners out there all experiencing basically the same problem !! Mine too has the solid amber light at boot up and Jet engine CPU fan. My P2 connector was charred on the two yellow wire pins (3 & 4?). No diagnostic lights on the back. My wiggling the socket (reseating it) on startup allowed me to get away with the problem for a couple of weeks but a couple of days ago I attempted to clean the pins with a very small screwdriver and now it will not get to full boot up, loud fan and amber light on front only. I replaced the P2 plug (off another cactus power supply) so I know those pins are fine but cannot say for certain how good the ones are in the socket on the MOB.
Have tried all the combinations of start up - no RAM no ISA cards, disconnected front I/O connector, cleared BIOS, reseated all plugs, checked for bulging capacitors (there were none). I have no reason to suspect faulty power supply but I now, having read some of your earlier comments good people, that my CPU may be dodgy and or the MOB may be dodgy. Two things I shall do next, take out the mother board and test the connectivity on the P2 pins that are heat scorched. I shall also take off the heat sink and take out the CPU to inspect for any pin or heat issues..... failing that, I shall take it to my local PC repair man to conduct his diagnosis on all the possible component points of failure and let him try to isolate the issue. Incidentally, I bought mine early 2005 and I have to say for most of the time it has been pretty good other than the Seagate hard drive partial failure I had very early on but it was not that bad that I couldn't keep using it. Thanks for all your input folks, hope my bit has helped someone out there.
rgdz John T
 
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