My Dell Inspiron 530 will not turn on.

[jnkwink]

The green light on the back is on when plugged in and the orange light on the motherboard is lit but there is no response of any sort when I press the power button on the front. the led on the power button does not light and there is no beeping. Is there anything that I can check to try and isolate the problem? What I have tried is shorting the PSU with a paper clip from the green wire to the adjacent black wire in the 24 pin plug and the PSU fan turned on. I am not a computer guy at all, does this mean that the PSU is ok and the motherboard is bad or is there other things I can check?

 

[Engima]

The paper clip test for a PSU is to check it the PSU can put out power to the rest of the components although its a good sign the PSU fan is spinning. What green light are you referring to?

 

[jnkwink]

The paper clip test for a PSU is to check it the PSU can put out power to the rest of the components although its a good sign the PSU fan is spinning. What green light are you referring to?

There is a small green light on the back of the PSU. It turns on when the psu is plugged in and then stays lit for a few seconds after it is unplugged then it goes out.

 

[Engima]

That light is normal then, I imagine the orange light is not normal for the motherboard but can't be sure without knowing your motherboard.

 

[jnkwink]

That light is normal then, I imagine the orange light is not normal for the motherboard but can't be sure without knowing your motherboard.

This is what I bought from DELL.
Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor E5200 (2MB L2, 2.5GHz, 800FSB)
1 3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs
1 Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
1 20 inch S2009WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor
1 Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
1 320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™

I am not sure if that tells you anything about the motherboard that it has.

 

[italianmonti]

I believe dell makes aftermarket mobo's...if I remember correctly, are they still on the opposite side as a normal atx mobo?

 

[verstings]

It turns on when the psu is plugged in and then stays lit for a few seconds after it is unplugged then it goes out.

 

[kygoff]

I have this exact same problem.

I was using the computer yesterday and it just turned off. Now it doesn't turn on at all. I also have the green light on the back of the PS, and the orange light on the motherboard.

I cleaned everything perfectly, and sometimes when I push the power button, my CPU fan will start to spin for just a faction of a second, and then NOTHING!!!!!

No PS fan running, no other fans running, no beeps, nothing. Just those two lights.

I can push the power button or push and hold and nothing happens. Is it for sure the motherboard, or PS and how do I troubleshoot?

Thanks in advance, and any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[jnkwink]

I have this exact same problem.

I was using the computer yesterday and it just turned off. Now it doesn't turn on at all. I also have the green light on the back of the PS, and the orange light on the motherboard.

I cleaned everything perfectly, and sometimes when I push the power button, my CPU fan will start to spin for just a faction of a second, and then NOTHING!!!!!

No PS fan running, no other fans running, no beeps, nothing. Just those two lights.

I can push the power button or push and hold and nothing happens. Is it for sure the motherboard, or PS and how do I troubleshoot?

Thanks in advance, and any help will be greatly appreciated.

I actually have not fixed mine yet. I have a lap top that I use and have been too busy to really mess with it anymore. Sorry

 

[87ninefiveone]

The orange light on the motherboard just means that you've got the system plugged in, it's always on when plugged in.

Check the Dell's user forums for more info (and for a second opinion), but from what I recall of my Dell experiences it sounds like a dead power supply which is fairly common on PC's of that vintage.

 

[sherman123]

I have the same problem but it's not the PSU i bought a new PSU an ULTRA LS 400w the computer still has the solid orange light but still doesn't start also the fan turns on then stops so it's defiantly not the PSU i went to dell forums and made a post about the problem. This is what they responded

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19450109/20110791.aspx

 

[MissTyler]

** Idk if y'all solved your power problem, (I realise this thread was started over a yr ago) but the same thing was happening to me. I found a bizarre solution that absolutely worked and continues to- still.
You have to heat up the power source to the computer, i.e. heat the cord where it goes into the back of the tower. It's kind of a pain so I leave my computer on all the time to avoid having to do it but if the power goes out this is what I've been doing (ever since I read this online somewhere a couple yrs ago):
** Get a blow dryer, turn it on high/hot setting, and aim it at the back of your computer tower where the power cord plugs into it. Hold the blow dryer ~3 inches away, or however far u need to so the blow dryer doesn't overheat from hot air blowing back at it (which, if this happens, u hafta let the dryer cool off for a while- I speed things up by blowing hard into the mouth of it 5 or 6 times till it comes back on).
- Sometimes it takes 1 minute of heating the power source b4 my computer will power on and sometimes it takes 4 min. Since I hate having to stand there holding the blow dryer and pressing the power button every 20 secs to see if it will turn on, I turn on the blow dryer and set it on a pillow I put behind the tower. I arrange the pillow so that when I set the blow dryer on it, it's is at the right height, positioned so that the hot air is blowing out a few inches from where the power cord goes into the back of the tower, and then I leave it alone for a few minutes. When I come back in and press the power button, it lights up and my computer starts every time. Yes, it sounds retarded, I know.
So that's it. When I read this solution I was 99% doubtful myself, but since nothing else worked to get the dang thing to power up, I figured I had nothing to lose. It was crazy great when I pressed the power button and it stayed lit, and I said "Thank-you Lord!" when my monitor lit up a second later. :-D

 

[dsofrank]

I know it sounds nuts, but the hair dryer thing worked for me too.

I usually leave this PC on 24/7 and had only shut it down to do a bit of air dusting. When I hooked it back up, orange light. All fans were spinning though and I could hear the hard drive spinning up. Figured I had nothing to loose with the hair dryer. Can't believe it worked. Thanks so much for sharing that solution!

 

[Helen_1]

So I plug in the power cord and heat the whole input area? Or just heat up the socket and then plug it in?

 

[Helen_1]

So I plug in the power cord and heat the whole input area? Or just heat up the socket and then plug it in?

 

[Helen_1]

OMG IT WORKED

 

[compunerd_71]

This is unbelievable. It actually worked. Thanks. Do we have a reason why?

 

[COMPFUNK2]

** Idk if y'all solved your power problem, (I realise this thread was started over a yr ago) but the same thing was happening to me. I found a bizarre solution that absolutely worked and continues to- still.
You have to heat up the power source to the computer, i.e. heat the cord where it goes into the back of the tower. It's kind of a pain so I leave my computer on all the time to avoid having to do it but if the power goes out this is what I've been doing (ever since I read this online somewhere a couple yrs ago):
** Get a blow dryer, turn it on high/hot setting, and aim it at the back of your computer tower where the power cord plugs into it. Hold the blow dryer ~3 inches away, or however far u need to so the blow dryer doesn't overheat from hot air blowing back at it (which, if this happens, u hafta let the dryer cool off for a while- I speed things up by blowing hard into the mouth of it 5 or 6 times till it comes back on).
- Sometimes it takes 1 minute of heating the power source b4 my computer will power on and sometimes it takes 4 min. Since I hate having to stand there holding the blow dryer and pressing the power button every 20 secs to see if it will turn on, I turn on the blow dryer and set it on a pillow I put behind the tower. I arrange the pillow so that when I set the blow dryer on it, it's is at the right height, positioned so that the hot air is blowing out a few inches from where the power cord goes into the back of the tower, and then I leave it alone for a few minutes. When I come back in and press the power button, it lights up and my computer starts every time. Yes, it sounds retarded, I know.
So that's it. When I read this solution I was 99% doubtful myself, but since nothing else worked to get the dang thing to power up, I figured I had nothing to lose. It was crazy great when I pressed the power button and it stayed lit, and I said "Thank-you Lord!" when my monitor lit up a second later. :-D

Well, I'll be damned. It worked. It actually worked.

Apparently there was a power outage when I was sleeping, and when I woke up, the computer wouldn't come on. I spent about four hours looking online for answers, to even calling tech support. (Incidentally, I'm a single guy with short hair, so I don't own a hair dryer; I just set the "outlet" area in the back of the PC a few inches away from my tower heater for four minutes.)

 

[Sherron50]

** Idk if y'all solved your power problem, (I realise this thread was started over a yr ago) but the same thing was happening to me. I found a bizarre solution that absolutely worked and continues to- still.
You have to heat up the power source to the computer, i.e. heat the cord where it goes into the back of the tower. It's kind of a pain so I leave my computer on all the time to avoid having to do it but if the power goes out this is what I've been doing (ever since I read this online somewhere a couple yrs ago):
** Get a blow dryer, turn it on high/hot setting, and aim it at the back of your computer tower where the power cord plugs into it. Hold the blow dryer ~3 inches away, or however far u need to so the blow dryer doesn't overheat from hot air blowing back at it (which, if this happens, u hafta let the dryer cool off for a while- I speed things up by blowing hard into the mouth of it 5 or 6 times till it comes back on).
- Sometimes it takes 1 minute of heating the power source b4 my computer will power on and sometimes it takes 4 min. Since I hate having to stand there holding the blow dryer and pressing the power button every 20 secs to see if it will turn on, I turn on the blow dryer and set it on a pillow I put behind the tower. I arrange the pillow so that when I set the blow dryer on it, it's is at the right height, positioned so that the hot air is blowing out a few inches from where the power cord goes into the back of the tower, and then I leave it alone for a few minutes. When I come back in and press the power button, it lights up and my computer starts every time. Yes, it sounds retarded, I know.
So that's it. When I read this solution I was 99% doubtful myself, but since nothing else worked to get the dang thing to power up, I figured I had nothing to lose. It was crazy great when I pressed the power button and it stayed lit, and I said "Thank-you Lord!" when my monitor lit up a second later. :-D

Well, I'll be damned. It worked. It actually worked.

Apparently there was a power outage when I was sleeping, and when I woke up, the computer wouldn't come on. I spent about four hours looking online for answers, to even calling tech support. (Incidentally, I'm a single guy with short hair, so I don't own a hair dryer; I just set the "outlet" area in the back of the PC a few inches away from my tower heater for four minutes.)

 

[Sherron50]

I can't believe it worked either. But I am one happy camper. Thank you Thank you Thank you!

 

[Pankaj_21]

** Idk if y'all solved your power problem, (I realise this thread was started over a yr ago) but the same thing was happening to me. I found a bizarre solution that absolutely worked and continues to- still.
You have to heat up the power source to the computer, i.e. heat the cord where it goes into the back of the tower. It's kind of a pain so I leave my computer on all the time to avoid having to do it but if the power goes out this is what I've been doing (ever since I read this online somewhere a couple yrs ago):
** Get a blow dryer, turn it on high/hot setting, and aim it at the back of your computer tower where the power cord plugs into it. Hold the blow dryer ~3 inches away, or however far u need to so the blow dryer doesn't overheat from hot air blowing back at it (which, if this happens, u hafta let the dryer cool off for a while- I speed things up by blowing hard into the mouth of it 5 or 6 times till it comes back on).
- Sometimes it takes 1 minute of heating the power source b4 my computer will power on and sometimes it takes 4 min. Since I hate having to stand there holding the blow dryer and pressing the power button every 20 secs to see if it will turn on, I turn on the blow dryer and set it on a pillow I put behind the tower. I arrange the pillow so that when I set the blow dryer on it, it's is at the right height, positioned so that the hot air is blowing out a few inches from where the power cord goes into the back of the tower, and then I leave it alone for a few minutes. When I come back in and press the power button, it lights up and my computer starts every time. Yes, it sounds retarded, I know.
So that's it. When I read this solution I was 99% doubtful myself, but since nothing else worked to get the dang thing to power up, I figured I had nothing to lose. It was crazy great when I pressed the power button and it stayed lit, and I said "Thank-you Lord!" when my monitor lit up a second later. :-D

I can't believe it worked either. But I am one happy camper. Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Thank you! OMG! It worked!

 

[dmcritchie45]

Incredible but true! Thanks so much. I've ordered a replacement power supply anyway because I figure at some point this trick will no longer work, but it's bailed me out for now. Thanks so much!!

 

[JustCloud]

Incredible but true! Thanks so much. I've ordered a replacement power supply anyway because I figure at wome point this trick will no longer work, but it's bailed me out for now. Thanks so much!!

My computer is Dell Inspiron 580, but this seemingly improbable (to put politely) method actually worked for it as well. The computer failed to respond after a power outage (severe thunderstorm). After enough heat, it came back to life. At that time all I could think of was -- you just can't make this stuff up!

Thank you for the person who figured this out!

 

[Mikedyer74]

My Dad has a 2 year old Dell 660s desktop, for about a year whenever its turned off its been difficult to turn it back on…usually takes 8-10 times in hitting the power button before it fires up. the solution was to just leave it on and let it hibernate, and restart
it rather than doing a full shutdown. Last week the power went out and the pc won’t come back on. So I think the button has finally taken a dump…we order a replacement power button, and swap it out, that doesn't resolve the issue…so now Im thinking it has to be a power supply or the mother board.

I have a dell 530s desktop that is a couple years older, but working with a similar power supply… The power supply won’t fit in his box, but the cords are long enough to reach, so I hook it up outside of his pc and try to power it on, still nothing…Now
I put the power supply back in my pc and it also won’t fire up…. I jumper the power supply green wire to ground, on the 26 pin connector, and the fan in the power supply comes on…I check voltage on all the outputs and all show good on both pc’s. So now Im thinking its some weird coincidence but the MB on both have to be bad…I ordered a MB for the 530 and swapped the MB in my old one with one I ordered, and it still won’t power up.

Then I stumble across this thread…and I am so skeptical, but I have nothing to lose…so I try the hair dryer on the 660 and Im back in business…

 

[Juliet_4]

+1 to using the hairdryer. Got home to a house without power. Woke up and computer wouldn't turn on. 1 minute of a hairdryer on the power source (cord unplugged) and it booted up normally.

Thanks!