SERIOUS SERIOUS HELP NEEDED

[The Germanator]

As my expression being in all-caps may tell you, I'm in serious trouble here with my computer. I have a Dell Dimension 8400 (or something similar I guess) which is only about a year old (I got it in Jan. 2004)

Anyway, I got a really weird error message early this morning (2:30 AM) before I went to sleep. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and I wish I could be more descriptive about it, but I was so tired that I just kind of ignored it and I shut down my computer.

So I go to turn on my computer this morning and it DOESN'T TURN ON. All the proper power connections are there, and other things plugged into the same surge protector work, but not my computer.

The main problem here is that I have TWO MID-TERM PAPERS either done or partially completed on that computer and these papers are due Monday and Tuesday respectively. If I cannot get this problem fixed before then I am SCREWED. If anyone has any clue about what the hell I can do, do tell.

Major doubloon and rep awards awaiting of course....

I guess I'll call Dell too, but I know you guys have good experience in this too...

[Null]

does anything happen when you turn it on? any sounds or any text apear on the screen?

[Bond]

Get on aim Germy.

[The Germanator]

Nope, it's like there is no reaction whatsoever. The monitor remains on and everything...but there is no reaction on the part of the tower. THe green light that normally turns on on the tower doesn't do anything.

[The Germanator]

Get on aim Germy.

Well, I'm on a school comp now, I guess I could get on AIM express, what is your AIM name these days?

[Null]

Nope, it's like there is no reaction whatsoever. The monitor remains on and everything...but there is no reaction on the part of the tower. THe green light that normally turns on on the tower doesn't do anything.


and you woudlnt happen to have a spare power supply you can try?

[Bond]

Well, I'm on a school comp now, I guess I could get on AIM express, what is your AIM name these days?
BondNDA

[The Germanator]

and you woudlnt happen to have a spare power supply you can try?

I actually did try another one. No dice still... My only thought was plugging it into a different outlet, but why would everything else work in the outlet, but not that?

[Null]

wouldnt, unless that one outlet is broke.

how many sticks of ram you have in it?

[The Germanator]

To be honest, I don't really know as I don't really know what that means. I assume one or two, maybe one because I probably went with whatever cheaper option at the time...

[Bond]

Germy... I'm IMing you, but I don't think you can see what I'm saying. So, when you turn on the computer nothing at all happens?

[The Germanator]

I'm on insant AIM and it's not working sorry about that.

What I'm saying is that I am pressing the power button to turn on the computer, but absolutely nothing is happening. It doesn't even react for a second...I just push the button and it retracts, but it doesn't turn the computer on...Could it be as simple as the button being broken? I don't know...it's troubling.

[Bond]

Do you have any idea what those error messages looked like?

[Null]

i'd say either the power supply in the computer, or Ram, possibly motherboard.


theres a way you can test to see if its the button by putting a piece of metal, between 2 of the pins inside, but i dont remember which ones anymore

[The Germanator]

So worst case scenario, what am I dealing with here? Do you think there is any way I can get any data off of the computer within two days. Otherwise I'm finished...I'm at a loss for words, I don't really know what to do.

The only thing I remember about the error message was that it turned my screen blue and just had a plethora of white text. I feel like some of the text related to websites I had recently visited, but that doesn't make sense to me...I just know that I hadn't seen it before...

[Null]

well assuming the hd is fine, all you'd need to do would be to plug the HD into another computer as a 2nd hd.


but to fix it you have to be able to know what your doing kinda. and test different things. otherwise dell might just have you send the whole computer to them. and that certainly doesnt help you get your stuff off of it.

[Crash]

i'm guessing that the error message was probably just some advertisement, and your computer took a surge hit of somekind, but yeah like he said, it's easy to get the info off by hooking it up to a working computer as a second harddrive.

[The Germanator]

Alright, update time...

I talked to Dell and they made me open up my computer and first take out my video card and modem card and test it out...Still nothing...

Okay, so then I take out my memory card things and they have me test it...Still nothing, but the light on the main circuit board is lit up when the power cord is plugged in.

So they tell me my power supply is probably failed and that will have to be replaced.

And yeah, I'm just going to take out my HD and it put it in my bro's computer tonight to get my data and I'll hopefully have my computer fixed over the next weekend...Christ what a ****ty day.

Thanks to Null and Bond for support when I needed it...

[Happydude]

i just saw this thread, and as Null said, put HD into another PC...anyway, you said you tried another power supply and it didn't work? might not be the problem with that, might even be your Motherboard, although if the light on it is lit up, there is no reason why it shouldn't work.


as for Null: if it was the RAM, the pc would still turn on and at the bios boot screen would beep a few times saying that there isn't nay RAM or not enough or whatever...but the RAM would have no reason for making the computer not turn on at all.

and sorry i'm late :p...was playing Rose Online...and i didn't see this thread when i did check GT...

[Null]

as for Null: if it was the RAM, the pc would still turn on and at the bios boot screen would beep a few times saying that there isn't nay RAM or not enough or whatever...but the RAM would have no reason for making the computer not turn on at all.

something i always believed myself. untill last year. My friend had a computer that suddenly wouldnt turn on anymore. i mean not a sound came when you pressed the button, but always a light on the motherboard. my first reaction to em was that it was power supply or motherboard. we went out and bought a new powersupply no help. so i told em it was probably the motherboard. so they sent it back. i firmly believed like you it could not of been the ram.

Came back and only the ram had been replaced. It was indeed the fault of the ram. Somtimes ram can cause errors randomly. but other times it can cause a short and the whole system wont run at all.





And for Germ, when you put it in another computer, you gotta change the pin on the back to Slave, and the main HD on his computer has to be on Master With Slave. (theres directions of which pins to put it on ontop of the HD usually) if your running XP on it, and you put it in his computer as the main HD, windows wont start up... unless its the exact same motherboard inside.

[The Germanator]

Another update....

I got the files I needed off of my HD and the HD is still working fine, so yay...

Feeling less pressure. Computer is still broken, but meh, I can live without that for a little while...

[GameMaster]

Glad to hear you're no longer doomed as far as school is concerned. Hope the computer gets fixed and everything works for you again soon. :)

[Hero2]

If you feel like messing with it still try this.

unplug the computer compleatly and take everything off the mobo that isnt nessasary(like sound card, extra usb ports, ect..)

take out the bios battery and let it set for like 5 min.

plug it back in but leave the extra stuff unplugged from the mobo.(put back in the bios battery)

and this is the most important part....

collect 5 rabbits feet 10 4 leaf clovers, and start dancing an irish jig.....Ok you maybe able to skip this step.


I had some trouble with a freinds computer with the sound causing the computer not to boot.

His case comes with sound plugins in the front that just strings cables form the back of the case and if he plugs it in the back of the case before turning on the computer it wont boot.