Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Desktop

So, it's not the battery. I've pulled everything out of the PC - got down to mobo and proc. It beeps appropriately at the lack of memory. I then tried with different memory to see if that changed anything. (It's actually pretty hard to tell given the lack of a consistent response from the machine. See below.) Got a diskette error, so I plugged the card reader back in - no joy. I disabled it in the BIOS - no joy. Hard drive plugged in/unplugged - no joy. Using the onboard VGA after pulling the video card, wireless card, and tv tuner card - no joy.

I'm pretty comfortable saying it is the mobo given the variety of responses and the elimination of so many variables. The first pic is of the screen at POST that asks if you want to enter setup or the boot menu. The second is actually the same, but it is trying to display the Dell logo. I mostly get a black screen - power on, fans turning, but no video out to the monitor, but I thought these were just great fun, so I had to share. I don't think I want to spend $50 on a refurb motherboard to put into this seven year old computer. At least I could listen on the KG-UV8D while I was working. (I even see a red UV-3R reflected in the first picture. It's like ham radio Easter Eggs.)

Decision time... I still think I need a Windows PC and my laptop won't last forever given its problems. So, a cheap laptop or a cheap desktop. My XYL needs something, too. She primarily uses the iPad, but uses the desktop for working from home and occasional tasks related to eBay or consignment sales.



13 comments:

  1. Could be your PSU. Failing power supplies often give weird errors at boot. Borrow one from a friend or swap it from another computer. It's worth a try. Good luck!

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  2. Looks like a corrupted BIOS, find the flash utility for it and re-flash it.

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    1. I've got it downloaded - I just need to get it booted from a recovery disk/drive to run it. Maybe tomorrow... thanks for the suggestion.

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  3. Get a cheap Windows tower and a Chromebook. You won't be disappointed.

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    1. I love my Chromebook. I'd check our the new Chromebox

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    2. If I can't fix it, I think a new desktop or as Hans/Richard suggest a roll my own.

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  4. So I'm not the only one facing the death of a desktop. I assembled one myself for very little money, and made it dual-boot (XP + Linux Mint). Shouldn't be a problem for an IT Pro like you ;)

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    1. Need to make a parts list... ISA cards, 5.25" floppy drive, etc. I assume nothing much has changed since I actually put one together from scratch. My first build was a P60. I think my last was a Celeron 300A - overclocked to 450. After that, I've been buying off the shelf.

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  5. Brick;
    Been through this many times, so I know how you feel.
    Ouch ! Dell built to thin dime.
    Seven years on that PS ,you have been lucky and got your monies worth.
    Remember the PS is putting out more than one voltage.

    I think Hans gives the best answer
    New ATX Motherboard one with video on board ex. Biostar about $50
    I prefer AMD CPUs , use the cheaper ones, upgrade later ex. AMD3=$40
    New PS
    You can salvage the HD , Monitor Keyboard, CD burner and perhaps even the ATX? case ( if Dell didn't build PS into the case).
    If you determine you need a new case, don't go with the cheapest. Sharp edges!!
    Sounds like you have a lot of memory floating around.
    The best part about building is that you can spread the cost over time.
    A lot has changed over the years. USB3 and the like.
    And most important put the XYL's needs first
    YMHO
    Good Luck and 73
    Richard

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    1. At home and at work, I've had really good luck with Dells - except for the servers we bought about 7 years ago. Those were so bad, we went back to HP pretty quickly.

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  6. Don't know if you picked up a replacement or parts yet but i have a spare dell Dimension 4600 small form factor with 2 gigs of ram and a nvidia 6200 in it, If you want it it's yours no charge. Save your money for your radio and guns :) . Email me an address and i will ship it out to you, I can install windows 7 home premium (legit) and whatever else you might need on it.

    Let me know.

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    1. Mike - that is incredibly kind, but this is just a bump in the road.

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