CherylB Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 Hi Guys! I'll try and describe my problem as briefly as I can. I have a dell dimension xps pII 933 that if I move it to do any work on it or just simply move it from my old desk to it's new desk it won't boot up. The power light stays amber and there are no lights on the back and no response. I have taken it down to just the mom board. kb and monitor..removed every card, every hard drive and nothing changes. I have put it on my counter top to work on it..THEN I can put everything back in and it will turn on and run just fine for a week.. so I moved it to the desk..powered it up and it ran an hour and died..I have tried a new power supply, different ram Simms, taken out the modem..took the power-button out once and pushed it and it turned on just fine.. do I have a short somewhere? it has always given me this trouble whenever I would move it to add anything to it but it usually came back to life if I fiddled with it and stayed fine until the next time I had to open it to add anything...but this time it won't come back to life for long. any ideas on where to look or something to try? I'll buy a new mom board if I have to. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dragon Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 Hi and welcome to Besttechie.It sounds like you need to check to make sure your cables are securely attached. it almost sounds like one of your IDE cables are not secure. when it comes to changing the PS did you use the new power cable that came with it or the original power cable you had? if it is the original power cable you had then it might be a short in that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheTerrorist_75 Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 I would check to see if the motherboard is shifting within the case causing it to short out. Also a flexible motherboard can cause the cards/memory sticks to loosen up when moving so reseat them after moving. Another thing to check is the power outlet. If this occurs at the same outlet either in the wall, power strip or UPS device this may be bad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CherylB Posted February 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 Hi and thank you. I used the new power cable when I tried the new power supply. The ac outlets I used numbered 3 so that wasn't it. I reseated every cable, card, screw and even dusted while I had it open. The mom board appears snug as does the ram chips. is there anything I can look for under the mom board? something that might point to a short or problem? is there a way to check the components? I have a hammer but will use it as last resort Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheTerrorist_75 Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 Sometimes the new power cords on new power supplies don't fit correctly and will loosen. I had one that I needed to tape in a certain position because it would sag down and lose it's connection. Try reseating it and see if it's snug. Does that Dell require a specific power supply that works with Dells only and did you replace it with a Dell PSU if that's the case? Continual moving of a PC can loosen many items. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martymas Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 (edited) have you checked to see if the video connection has any bent or broken pins.tho as anothe poster stated it may be a short.marty Edited February 16, 2006 by martymas Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CherylB Posted February 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 Sometimes the new power cords on new power supplies don't fit correctly and will loosen. I had one that I needed to tape in a certain position because it would sag down and lose it's connection. Try reseating it and see if it's snug. Does that Dell require a specific power supply that works with Dells only and did you replace it with a Dell PSU if that's the case? Continual moving of a PC can loosen many items. Yes it was an exact match and it fit very tight. When I say move my computer, I mean maybe 3 times..I moved it to a temp desk when my desk desk area was being built, and I moved it to add a new modem and I moved it to add new ram..I don't mean to imply I'm carrying it all over the place ..all 3 times this same happened but it recovered until this last time.I think I'll start all over from the ground up and see if I can isolate anything..but it does seem it's a "hardware" issue am I correct? I may also replace the ide cables. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheTerrorist_75 Posted February 16, 2006 Report Share Posted February 16, 2006 I seen some Dells reset themselves by unplugging the power supply then holding in the power button on the case for a short while then plug the power supply back in and start the computer up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chappy Posted February 17, 2006 Report Share Posted February 17, 2006 ..but it does seem it's a "hardware" issue am I correct? I may also replace the ide cables.Yes, it would seem that way. It sounds like something just isn't making a full connection and moving it just aggravates it enough to cause this.Replacing the IDE cables is a good start, but that would normally just cause any device on that chain to not function, and you'ld still get some reaction when it's turned on.It could be a small flaw in the MoBo somewhere that is making it lose connectivity at times, or something like that, so it could be a very tough one to track down.Keep us posted on what you try and any results. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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