Computer Question (I'm probably screwed)

Eaglesfan27 · 07-17-2008, 03:46 PM

My wife was at home playing a game on the computer and the power went out throughout the house for a minute. The computer was plugged into a surge protector. Everything else plugged into that surge protector was/is working once the power came back, but the computer won't turn on. She's tried unplugging/replugging the computer's power cable, turning the power strip on and off, and even switching the circuit breaker for that room in the house. Nothing has worked and she is getting "no response" when she tries to turn on the computer. I'm stuck at work for 2-3 hours and am not looking forward to trying to figure out what is wrong with the computer when I get home. Any suggestions or thoughts?

johnnyshaka · 07-17-2008, 03:49 PM

There is usually another power switch in the back of the computer...usually on the power supply...try turning that guy off and on.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-17-2008, 03:52 PM

Would it be externally located or do I need to open the case?

Edit: Nevermind, I'm assuming you are talking about the big switch. I'm in a bit of panic as I backup my harddrive to an external each week, but happen to be working on a big paper this week and could lose 3 days of work on it (about 10 hours worth of work.)

gstelmack · 07-17-2008, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Edit: Nevermind, I'm assuming you are talking about the big switch. I'm in a bit of panic as I backup my harddrive to an external each week, but happen to be working on a big paper this week and could lose 3 days of work on it (about 10 hours worth of work.)

Use something like Cobian Backup which can run every night and do it automatically for you.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-17-2008, 04:02 PM

My wife "can't find" the power switch on the back. Hopefully, I'll have better luck when I get home. Thanks for the recommendation, Greg. I don't like Maxtor's automated program and have been doing backups manually. If I could automate it, I'd be much more dilligent about doing them every night.

MikeVic · 07-17-2008, 04:03 PM

I don't know how to help, but I hope you didn't lose your data!

flere-imsaho · 07-17-2008, 04:08 PM

The "other power switch" should be near (a part of, actually) the power supply, usually by one of the rear fans. I've had this happen before and I had to turn this off and then on to get the computer moving again.

As for automated backups, try using ntbackup.exe to create a backup job and then Scheduled Tasks to run it automatically in the middle of the night. I do this and it works like a treat.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-17-2008, 04:33 PM

She called me back. She's moved the computer and looked "10-15 minutes for the switch" and can't find it. Is it possible our computer only has an internal switch on the back of the power supply? Shrug. Either way, only 90 minutes until I can leave work and go try to deal with this.

BrianD · 07-17-2008, 04:36 PM

I seem to recall having a few power supplies that didn't have the switch on the back. Anybody know if the power supplies themselves have a breaker?

Schmidty · 07-17-2008, 04:47 PM

Worst case scenario is that you'd have to have to buy a new power supply (unless you also got a fried motherboard. Either way, your harddrive should be fine.

oliegirl · 07-17-2008, 05:03 PM

This happened to me once, even called tech support for Dell and they said it was a "doorstop". In frustration I walked away from the computer and didn't even look at it for the rest of the night. The next day I took a chance and turned it on, it worked fine...never had any problems with it after that.

thesloppy · 07-17-2008, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schmidty

Worst case scenario is that you'd have to have to buy a new power supply (unless you also got a fried motherboard. Either way, your harddrive should be fine.

That's not necessarily the case, as I've lost a couple drives to surges, and anything that is directly plugged into the power supply can get nailed pretty hard by a surge. Likewise, just interrupting the power during heavy disk activity can be enough to push an old/sketchy drive over the edge.

...but it certainly doesn't sound like the current problem is HD related.

RomaGoth · 07-17-2008, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oliegirl

This happened to me once, even called tech support for Dell and they said it was a "doorstop". In frustration I walked away from the computer and didn't even look at it for the rest of the night. The next day I took a chance and turned it on, it worked fine...never had any problems with it after that.

Yeah that sounds about right. Dell customer service is some of the worst I have ever encountered. We bought my wife a Dell a couple of years ago. It runs decent, but their customer service stinks. And that is if you are lucky enough to get someone who speaks english.

Commo_Soldier · 07-17-2008, 05:29 PM

Did she ever try a different plug-in on the surge protector that she knows is working?

Eaglesfan27 · 07-17-2008, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Commo_Soldier

Did she ever try a different plug-in on the surge protector that she knows is working?

No idea, but I'm leaving work in 15 minutes and will definitely try this first when I get home.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-17-2008, 06:41 PM

I tried all different plugs and no response. There is no 2nd power switch on the back of the computer. Also, it is a Dell XPS and it has some odd protective case over the power supply within the main casing. I guess it is time to call Dell Customer Support *shudder*.

Buccaneer · 07-17-2008, 06:51 PM

That's strange but being a Dell, it probably figures. On my custom-built PC, I have 4 related power switches: the protector, the front on-off switch, the on-off switch on the power supply, plus another internally on the motherboard.

If you get no power at all (i.e., power supply won't turn on, regardless what the computer is doing), then you need a new power supply.This is a very common problem. I've had to replace 3 of them on the various PCs we have here, plus my parents had to do the same thing recently. If you are getting power but computer response, then I would check the CMOS and the motherboard battery. But again, being a Dell, it usually means a new assembly-line, low-bid parts PC. Good luck, and don't lose the saved game.

Antmeister · 07-17-2008, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I tried all different plugs and no response. There is no 2nd power switch on the back of the computer. Also, it is a Dell XPS and it has some odd protective case over the power supply within the main casing. I guess it is time to call Dell Customer Support *shudder*.

Have you tried plugging the computer directly into the wall instead of using the power supply? Does you monitor appear to have power through the power supply? When turning on the computer, do you at least hear a fan running or nothing at all? Are there any lights that at least come on when pressing the power button?

Eaglesfan27 · 07-17-2008, 07:37 PM

The monitor has its own power plug which works fine. The technician had me try the monitor's plug on the CPU, but that did nothing. He had me put the plug directly into a wall socket. That did nothing. He had me open it up and try to turn it on and that did nothing. He had me do a bunch of disconnecting of parts and that did nothing. Because it was a premium computer when we got it and we got the added premium customer service, they will be sending out a technician who will be installing a new mother board and a new power supply because they cannot isolate which one is the problem. Glad it is still under warranty. Technician is supposed to get the parts from Dell in 2-3 business days and is supposed to call me at that time to arrange an appointment.

As far as what it is doing: When I press the power button, I hear the power button click as usual. Nothing happens after that. No fans, no lights, no sounds, nothing.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-17-2008, 07:38 PM

Dola -

Bucc, I don't plan on losing that save. My wife will be even more pissed if she loses all of her iPod songs.

Coder · 07-17-2008, 07:40 PM

I'd say you'd be fine just replacing the powersupply.. I've had this happen once (someone turned off the main power for the apartment due to repairs and my computer was turned on at the time.. boom shackalack), and I've also had a powersupply just die on me during regular usage.

Both times all I had to do was to replace the powersupply unit and everything worked fine after that. Sure, it might cost a few bucks, but I've never lost any hard drive stuff due to a powersurge.

Buccaneer · 07-17-2008, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Dola -

Bucc, I don't plan on losing that save. My wife will be even more pissed if she loses all of her iPod songs.

It is my understanding that the PC can sync with the iPod, at least from what I've heard.

flere-imsaho · 07-18-2008, 08:08 AM

Yep, definitely sounds like power supply or, if you're more unlucky, the motherboard.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-21-2008, 10:38 AM

While I understand why there has been a lot of negativity about Dell's Customer Service, I have to say I'm impressed with their premium customer service. I called them Thursday night and today the technician just called me and they will be coming by early this afternoon to replace the power supply and/or motherboard.

johnnyshaka · 07-21-2008, 11:19 AM

Out of curiosity...what did the premium support cost you??

Eaglesfan27 · 07-21-2008, 11:32 AM

It was offered for "free" for 4 years with the XPS 4 (which was their most expensive computer at the time) I bought a few years ago.

johnnyshaka · 07-21-2008, 12:14 PM

Ah...then agreed, the premium service definitely was worth its weight in gold.

CraigSca · 07-21-2008, 01:34 PM

Wow, very nice. Hope this works out for you, EF!

Eaglesfan27 · 07-21-2008, 01:42 PM

The technician was disappointing in his knowledge base, although a fun guy to talk to. I know that there are a ton of different computer types out there, but he took an hour to figure out where to look to find the infomation on how to remove the power supply (which is an odd huge power supply built into the actual case.) Nevermind, he eventually looked in the box and there was an instruction sheet there!

Anyway, after that it took him 30 minutes to replace the power supply. Still, the computer wouldn't turn on. He then replaced the mother board which took about another 30 minutes. Now, the computer will turn on, but there is a steady stream of beeps. He looked at some diagnostic lights and called Dell. They said to remove the graphics card based on the diagnostic code and it stopped beeping. So, they are convinced that is the problem, and are overnighting me a new graphics card (supposed to be the same model as the old one) and a 2nd new motherboard. The technician said I can just replace the graphics card myself if I wanted or I can call him.. I think I'll just replace it myself if that fixes the problem.

Buccaneer · 07-21-2008, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

While I understand why there has been a lot of negativity about Dell's Customer Service,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

The technician was disappointing in his knowledge base,

That's why.

Daimyo · 07-21-2008, 07:01 PM

http://mozy.com/home

Eaglesfan27 · 07-21-2008, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

That's why.

He wasn't a Dell specific guy, he was talking about an HP and a few other computers that he had to go fix after mine. He is an independent contractor they hire. Still, you have a point as I'm sure they could ensure that their technicians that they contract actually know more about their computers.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-24-2008, 07:13 PM

Forget I ever said anything defending Dell or this guy...

Monday afternoon the part was supposed to be mailed next day. According to the technician, it was supposed to be mailed to my house. So, I'm expectiing the part on Tuesday as that is my apparently limited understanding of next day delivery. I figure maybe they missed the deadline for Tuesday, so I wait one more day patiently. When I get home from work Weds, there is still no part. So, I call Dell. It turns out they sent the part to the technician who was supposed to call me Tuesday since they did send him the part overnight. It takes them a few minutes to track down the technician who claims it didn't get to "his central office" until Weds and he is already out on all of his calls and can't come to my place until Thursday to install it.

So, I'm mad at this point, but I'm still rolling with the punches and not complaining too much. Tonight, the technician shows up and says, "you are going to hate me. I picked up the wrong package from the central office today and don't have your part." I thought it was a joke, but alas it was no joke. I call Dell to complain and they tell me that he is the only certified technician in the Baton Rouge area and there is nothing they can do.. they apologize, but don't offer anything else for my trouble when I was supposed to get next day service. Hopefully, the technician actually shows tomorrow and nothing else is wrong with the computer that the technician missed but there shoddy customer service has convinced me that my next computer will not be a Dell.

MJ4H · 07-24-2008, 08:22 PM

standard

Eaglesfan27 · 07-25-2008, 06:25 PM

This has been so frustrating. The same guy comes today (apparently he really is the only tech assigned to the Baton Rouge area) and his laptop is dead (just a drained battery) so he needs to use my laptop to look up a POST code. Shouldn't he know these things?

Anyway, I'm jumping ahead. He replaced the motherboard (for the 2nd time) and the video card (for the 1st time) since the last post code was supposedly indicating a bad video card...

Turns it on and gets the exact same post code. If he removes the video card, the hard drive turns on and a few seconds later there is 2 short beeps which he says is a "normal post code" that indicates it is booting properly. Anyway, he calls Dell again. They have him re-seat a bunch of things. Nothing works.

They are supposed to be sending him a new motherboard (as if 2 new motherboards would be bad?), a new video card (he says he has gotten "new video cards from Dell before that are really refurbs and dead on arrival", new ram, and a new processor to try replacing all of those things next time. He is "supposed" to get the parts "by Monday" and come back then. If he can't fix it, then he says I'll get a refurbished computer from Dell that is "equal or better than" my current computer. Still, a very frustrating process.

Oh yeah, at the end he mentions to me, "some customer called and complained and I was almost fired by my boss today. It would have taken a lot longer to get someone else out here." As if I'm supposed to feel bad for complaining about his incompetence to this point.

RomaGoth · 07-25-2008, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

This has been so frustrating. The same guy comes today (apparently he really is the only tech assigned to the Baton Rouge area) and his laptop is dead (just a drained battery) so he needs to use my laptop to look up a POST code. Shouldn't he know these things?

Anyway, I'm jumping ahead. He replaced the motherboard (for the 2nd time) and the video card (for the 1st time) since the last post code was supposedly indicating a bad video card...

Turns it on and gets the exact same post code. If he removes the video card, the hard drive turns on and a few seconds later there is 2 short beeps which he says is a "normal post code" that indicates it is booting properly. Anyway, he calls Dell again. They have him re-seat a bunch of things. Nothing works.

They are supposed to be sending him a new motherboard (as if 2 new motherboards would be bad?), a new video card (he says he has gotten "new video cards from Dell before that are really refurbs and dead on arrival", new ram, and a new processor to try replacing all of those things next time. He is "supposed" to get the parts "by Monday" and come back then. If he can't fix it, then he says I'll get a refurbished computer from Dell that is "equal or better than" my current computer. Still, a very frustrating process.

Oh yeah, at the end he mentions to me, "some customer called and complained and I was almost fired by my boss today. It would have taken a lot longer to get someone else out here." As if I'm supposed to feel bad for complaining about his incompetence to this point.

So your phone call didn't even get him fired, eh?

Seriously though, he sounds like a complete tool. You should ask him if he actually has any of his certs (A +, Network +, any of the Microsoft ones, etc.). And Dell seriously sucks.

CamEdwards · 07-25-2008, 07:00 PM

Holy cow. I can't believe he said anything to you. My response would've been, "Great... now I get to go back and finish the job."

Tasan · 07-25-2008, 07:16 PM

Here's a bit of info. Look at the video card, and see if it has a power connector. If it does, make sure he plugs the correct power cable into it. My dad had the same problem with a video card I gave him. The system just wouldn't function right, and finally I said, "Dad, did you plug the power into the card?" He had no idea the card had a power connector and as soon as he did that, it worked great.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-25-2008, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tasan

Here's a bit of info. Look at the video card, and see if it has a power connector. If it does, make sure he plugs the correct power cable into it. My dad had the same problem with a video card I gave him. The system just wouldn't function right, and finally I said, "Dad, did you plug the power into the card?" He had no idea the card had a power connector and as soon as he did that, it worked great.

Good idea. I just looked and I don't see one. It is an ATI X850 XT.

EDIT: I just looked and it does have a power connector slot!!! If this is the problem, I'm going to be making another much more forceful call...

I just need to figure out which cord I should plug into it...

Eaglesfan27 · 07-25-2008, 07:25 PM

Dola -

He has a bunch of plugs going into the motherboard including one that looks like it would fit the card perfectly. Any tips on figuring out which one might need to go into the video card?

Edit: Tried unplugging that one, but it doesn't have pins and only fits the motherboard. I don't see any wires that look like they would be a natural fit for the graphics card slots.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-25-2008, 07:52 PM

I can't believe this..

I have the guy's number so I call him and he helps me find the power cord for the video card. If he had remembered to plug this in on Monday, it would have been fixed then. He said, "I don't remember it having a power supply, but maybe it did..." Sure enough with his help, I find it.

Sure enough, I turn it on, but cannot plug in the DVI cable because this dumb ass in his frequent plugging and unplugging of the cord has bent some of the prongs severely (one is 90 degrees bent.) You think this dumbass would be offering to go get me a cord, but he says, "go buy one from Walmart and I'll have them send one to you." So, I'm off to Walmart to make sure that it really is working now. Then, I'm calling Dell telling them to cancel those parts and again complain about this guy's incompetence.. Oh yeah, the fan is now VERY VERY loud. I don't know what he did to make that happen except he didn't put back 1 plastic piece that he couldn't figure out where it went. When he couldn't, he said, "you don't want that in there, it will just restrict airflow."

flere-imsaho · 07-25-2008, 08:34 PM

Wow. If I lived closer, I'd be coming over to help. And I'm generally averse to giving personal tech support help.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-25-2008, 09:17 PM

So, another thing this idiot was wrong about: Walmart does not sell DVI cables or at least the Walmart near me doesn't. So, I run to Circuit City which is about 10-15 minutes more away. I come back and plug in the DVI cable and turn on the computer. The computer still isn't booting

I get the VERY loud fan noise, but I can't hear any other booting sounds and there is no graphical output to my screen. This fan is loud enough that I can hear it 3 rooms away. I've never heard a fan that loud. It may be drowning any post codes, it is so loud.

The whole way to Circuit City I was composing the draft for a long email that I was going to send to Dell emails lambasting their technical support (their guys on the phone didn't think to tell him to check to make sure the power cord was plugged into the graphics card) as well as this idiot. However, now I still need him to come back out Monday so I guess I should wait to send the email in case he really did get fired. I guarantee I will never buy a Dell or any of its subsidiaries again (and I plan on putting so in the email as well as the fact that I was planning on buying a high end Alienware soon - they are owned by Dell now, right?)

This whole situation is infuriating as I can't believe a professional technical support guy should take an hour to figure out how to remove a power supply and then forget to plug in a graphics card not once but twice.

Oh, and I love what he said to me tonight, "I've never worked on that type of Dell before, most of the people around here have much cheaper computers. This has been a great learning experience for me." WTF!?! You should not be learning on the job, dumbass.

Edit to add: I could almost accept the idiosyncries with this dell tower as a good excuse, but I'm sure he has worked on computers where you have to plug in a graphics card before.

flere-imsaho · 07-28-2008, 09:56 AM

Woah. Just... wow.

Do you have any PC Techs where you work who seem nice and reasonable? If so, maybe you could find one, tell them the story and then offer them $50 to just figure out what's wrong with the computer.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-28-2008, 11:59 AM

There are plenty of PC repair shops around here that I could pay to take it in, but I'm not sure if they would be any better or not. I don't know any other techs personally in the area.

Edit: Just re-read your post. Our IT guys at work (there are 2) don't seem that savvy to me, so I really doubt they would be able to solve the problem.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-28-2008, 12:09 PM

Dola -

I really need this computer to get fixed tonight. My tax returns are on there, I think they are backed up to my external but I'm not 100% positive (then again it would have been really stupid for me not to do so...) Anyway, right before I left for work today I got a W2-C due to HR messing up my retirement plan for the last 2 years.. I now have some massive changes and have to file amended returns which were initially done on this computer. Anyone know how medicare and FICA payments affect your tax return?

Eaglesfan27 · 07-28-2008, 11:04 PM

So, the tech didn't show tonight which was the final straw.

I wrote a VERY long scathing letter documenting the entire timeline. I also did something I never do, signed it doctor [my last name]. It might not mean anything, but some of my colleagues seem to throw the title around when it suits them. I sent it to the support address that I have as well as an order address. I got a response within 10 minutes saying that they take my concerns very seriously and will pass my email up the chain of command and they are confident my concerns will all be addressed. I guess we'll see.

Pumpy Tudors · 07-29-2008, 10:23 AM

Good luck getting things worked out. Hopefully your e-mail will kickstart things, not that you should be forced to such lengths.

I think if this kind of thing ever happens to me, I'll get my wife to sign my letters with "Doctor" since the whole "Pumpy" thing I'm doing ain't working out.

Eaglesfan27 · 07-29-2008, 10:35 AM

Hmm, still no further emails from Dell, but I just checked my email and I have a "customer feedback survey" from the guy's company that states, "we understand you've contacted Dell about some issues, please give us feedback so that we can improve our service."

Also, Dell has shipped out a new processor and motherboard this morning that looks like it may be an upgraded processor from what this computer originally had, but it is difficult to say since the specs are in shorthand code.

Tasan · 07-29-2008, 10:50 AM

Ugh, sorry I posted then didn't get back here to chime in again, I'm just not on here very much anymore. Do you have the box from the motherboard? I'd like to know the brand/model, I could possibly help out a little more from that. I've been building computers for about 12 years now, and I've seen just about everything when trying to get one to work. The high revving fan almost sounds like something is getting too much power. Can you isolate which fan is revving high? Unplug system fans (DO NOT UNPLUG THE PROCESSOR FAN) until you figure out which one is revving too high maybe?

How far away from Houston are you? ;- )

07-17-2008, 03:52 PM	#3
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Would it be externally located or do I need to open the case? Edit: Nevermind, I'm assuming you are talking about the big switch. I'm in a bit of panic as I backup my harddrive to an external each week, but happen to be working on a big paper this week and could lose 3 days of work on it (about 10 hours worth of work.) __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-17-2008 at 03:53 PM.

07-17-2008, 04:02 PM	#5
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	My wife "can't find" the power switch on the back. Hopefully, I'll have better luck when I get home. Thanks for the recommendation, Greg. I don't like Maxtor's automated program and have been doing backups manually. If I could automate it, I'd be much more dilligent about doing them every night. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-17-2008 at 04:02 PM.

07-17-2008, 04:33 PM	#8
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	She called me back. She's moved the computer and looked "10-15 minutes for the switch" and can't find it. Is it possible our computer only has an internal switch on the back of the power supply? Shrug. Either way, only 90 minutes until I can leave work and go try to deal with this. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

07-17-2008, 04:47 PM	#10
Schmidty Coordinator Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Early, TX	Worst case scenario is that you'd have to have to buy a new power supply (unless you also got a fried motherboard. Either way, your harddrive should be fine. __________________ Just beat the devil out of it!!! - Bob Ross

07-17-2008, 06:41 PM	#16
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	I tried all different plugs and no response. There is no 2nd power switch on the back of the computer. Also, it is a Dell XPS and it has some odd protective case over the power supply within the main casing. I guess it is time to call Dell Customer Support shudder. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

07-17-2008, 03:49 PM	#2
johnnyshaka College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Edmonton, AB	There is usually another power switch in the back of the computer...usually on the power supply...try turning that guy off and on.

07-17-2008, 04:03 PM	#6
MikeVic Head Coach Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hometown of Canada	I don't know how to help, but I hope you didn't lose your data!

07-17-2008, 04:08 PM	#7
flere-imsaho Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicagoland	The "other power switch" should be near (a part of, actually) the power supply, usually by one of the rear fans. I've had this happen before and I had to turn this off and then on to get the computer moving again. As for automated backups, try using ntbackup.exe to create a backup job and then Scheduled Tasks to run it automatically in the middle of the night. I do this and it works like a treat.

07-17-2008, 04:36 PM	#9
BrianD Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	I seem to recall having a few power supplies that didn't have the switch on the back. Anybody know if the power supplies themselves have a breaker?

07-17-2008, 05:29 PM	#14
Commo_Soldier College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: JBLM, WA	Did she ever try a different plug-in on the surge protector that she knows is working?

07-17-2008, 06:51 PM	#17
Buccaneer Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Colorado	That's strange but being a Dell, it probably figures. On my custom-built PC, I have 4 related power switches: the protector, the front on-off switch, the on-off switch on the power supply, plus another internally on the motherboard. If you get no power at all (i.e., power supply won't turn on, regardless what the computer is doing), then you need a new power supply.This is a very common problem. I've had to replace 3 of them on the various PCs we have here, plus my parents had to do the same thing recently. If you are getting power but computer response, then I would check the CMOS and the motherboard battery. But again, being a Dell, it usually means a new assembly-line, low-bid parts PC. Good luck, and don't lose the saved game.

07-17-2008, 07:37 PM	#19
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	The monitor has its own power plug which works fine. The technician had me try the monitor's plug on the CPU, but that did nothing. He had me put the plug directly into a wall socket. That did nothing. He had me open it up and try to turn it on and that did nothing. He had me do a bunch of disconnecting of parts and that did nothing. Because it was a premium computer when we got it and we got the added premium customer service, they will be sending out a technician who will be installing a new mother board and a new power supply because they cannot isolate which one is the problem. Glad it is still under warranty. Technician is supposed to get the parts from Dell in 2-3 business days and is supposed to call me at that time to arrange an appointment. As far as what it is doing: When I press the power button, I hear the power button click as usual. Nothing happens after that. No fans, no lights, no sounds, nothing. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

07-17-2008, 07:38 PM	#20
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Dola - Bucc, I don't plan on losing that save. My wife will be even more pissed if she loses all of her iPod songs. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

07-17-2008, 07:40 PM	#21
Coder College Prospect Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	I'd say you'd be fine just replacing the powersupply.. I've had this happen once (someone turned off the main power for the apartment due to repairs and my computer was turned on at the time.. boom shackalack), and I've also had a powersupply just die on me during regular usage. Both times all I had to do was to replace the powersupply unit and everything worked fine after that. Sure, it might cost a few bucks, but I've never lost any hard drive stuff due to a powersurge. __________________ IFL - Vermont Mountaineers ~ I am an idiot, walking a tight rope of fortunate things ~

07-18-2008, 08:08 AM	#23
flere-imsaho Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicagoland	Yep, definitely sounds like power supply or, if you're more unlucky, the motherboard.

07-21-2008, 10:38 AM	#24
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	While I understand why there has been a lot of negativity about Dell's Customer Service, I have to say I'm impressed with their premium customer service. I called them Thursday night and today the technician just called me and they will be coming by early this afternoon to replace the power supply and/or motherboard. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

07-21-2008, 11:19 AM	#25
johnnyshaka College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Edmonton, AB	Out of curiosity...what did the premium support cost you??

07-21-2008, 11:32 AM	#26
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	It was offered for "free" for 4 years with the XPS 4 (which was their most expensive computer at the time) I bought a few years ago. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

07-21-2008, 12:14 PM	#27
johnnyshaka College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Edmonton, AB	Ah...then agreed, the premium service definitely was worth its weight in gold.

07-21-2008, 01:34 PM	#28
CraigSca Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Not Delaware - hurray!	Wow, very nice. Hope this works out for you, EF! __________________ She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah! how do you know? how do you know?

07-21-2008, 01:42 PM	#29
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	The technician was disappointing in his knowledge base, although a fun guy to talk to. I know that there are a ton of different computer types out there, but he took an hour to figure out where to look to find the infomation on how to remove the power supply (which is an odd huge power supply built into the actual case.) Nevermind, he eventually looked in the box and there was an instruction sheet there! Anyway, after that it took him 30 minutes to replace the power supply. Still, the computer wouldn't turn on. He then replaced the mother board which took about another 30 minutes. Now, the computer will turn on, but there is a steady stream of beeps. He looked at some diagnostic lights and called Dell. They said to remove the graphics card based on the diagnostic code and it stopped beeping. So, they are convinced that is the problem, and are overnighting me a new graphics card (supposed to be the same model as the old one) and a 2nd new motherboard. The technician said I can just replace the graphics card myself if I wanted or I can call him.. I think I'll just replace it myself if that fixes the problem. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-21-2008 at 01:44 PM.

07-21-2008, 07:01 PM	#31
Daimyo College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Berkeley	http://mozy.com/home

07-24-2008, 07:13 PM	#33
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Forget I ever said anything defending Dell or this guy... Monday afternoon the part was supposed to be mailed next day. According to the technician, it was supposed to be mailed to my house. So, I'm expectiing the part on Tuesday as that is my apparently limited understanding of next day delivery. I figure maybe they missed the deadline for Tuesday, so I wait one more day patiently. When I get home from work Weds, there is still no part. So, I call Dell. It turns out they sent the part to the technician who was supposed to call me Tuesday since they did send him the part overnight. It takes them a few minutes to track down the technician who claims it didn't get to "his central office" until Weds and he is already out on all of his calls and can't come to my place until Thursday to install it. So, I'm mad at this point, but I'm still rolling with the punches and not complaining too much. Tonight, the technician shows up and says, "you are going to hate me. I picked up the wrong package from the central office today and don't have your part." I thought it was a joke, but alas it was no joke. I call Dell to complain and they tell me that he is the only certified technician in the Baton Rouge area and there is nothing they can do.. they apologize, but don't offer anything else for my trouble when I was supposed to get next day service. Hopefully, the technician actually shows tomorrow and nothing else is wrong with the computer that the technician missed but there shoddy customer service has convinced me that my next computer will not be a Dell. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-24-2008 at 07:14 PM.

07-24-2008, 08:22 PM	#34
MJ4H Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hog Country	standard __________________ My YouTube channel My Twitch channel My Sharona

07-25-2008, 06:25 PM	#35
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	This has been so frustrating. The same guy comes today (apparently he really is the only tech assigned to the Baton Rouge area) and his laptop is dead (just a drained battery) so he needs to use my laptop to look up a POST code. Shouldn't he know these things? Anyway, I'm jumping ahead. He replaced the motherboard (for the 2nd time) and the video card (for the 1st time) since the last post code was supposedly indicating a bad video card... Turns it on and gets the exact same post code. If he removes the video card, the hard drive turns on and a few seconds later there is 2 short beeps which he says is a "normal post code" that indicates it is booting properly. Anyway, he calls Dell again. They have him re-seat a bunch of things. Nothing works. They are supposed to be sending him a new motherboard (as if 2 new motherboards would be bad?), a new video card (he says he has gotten "new video cards from Dell before that are really refurbs and dead on arrival", new ram, and a new processor to try replacing all of those things next time. He is "supposed" to get the parts "by Monday" and come back then. If he can't fix it, then he says I'll get a refurbished computer from Dell that is "equal or better than" my current computer. Still, a very frustrating process. Oh yeah, at the end he mentions to me, "some customer called and complained and I was almost fired by my boss today. It would have taken a lot longer to get someone else out here." As if I'm supposed to feel bad for complaining about his incompetence to this point. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-25-2008 at 06:25 PM.

07-25-2008, 07:00 PM	#37
CamEdwards Stadium Announcer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Burke, VA	Holy cow. I can't believe he said anything to you. My response would've been, "Great... now I get to go back and finish the job." __________________ I don't want the world. I just want your half.

07-25-2008, 07:16 PM	#38
Tasan College Starter Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Houston, or there about	Here's a bit of info. Look at the video card, and see if it has a power connector. If it does, make sure he plugs the correct power cable into it. My dad had the same problem with a video card I gave him. The system just wouldn't function right, and finally I said, "Dad, did you plug the power into the card?" He had no idea the card had a power connector and as soon as he did that, it worked great. __________________ 2011 Golden Scribes winner for best Interactive Dynasty

07-25-2008, 07:25 PM	#40
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Dola - He has a bunch of plugs going into the motherboard including one that looks like it would fit the card perfectly. Any tips on figuring out which one might need to go into the video card? Edit: Tried unplugging that one, but it doesn't have pins and only fits the motherboard. I don't see any wires that look like they would be a natural fit for the graphics card slots. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-25-2008 at 07:31 PM.

07-25-2008, 07:52 PM	#41
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	I can't believe this.. I have the guy's number so I call him and he helps me find the power cord for the video card. If he had remembered to plug this in on Monday, it would have been fixed then. He said, "I don't remember it having a power supply, but maybe it did..." Sure enough with his help, I find it. Sure enough, I turn it on, but cannot plug in the DVI cable because this dumb ass in his frequent plugging and unplugging of the cord has bent some of the prongs severely (one is 90 degrees bent.) You think this dumbass would be offering to go get me a cord, but he says, "go buy one from Walmart and I'll have them send one to you." So, I'm off to Walmart to make sure that it really is working now. Then, I'm calling Dell telling them to cancel those parts and again complain about this guy's incompetence.. Oh yeah, the fan is now VERY VERY loud. I don't know what he did to make that happen except he didn't put back 1 plastic piece that he couldn't figure out where it went. When he couldn't, he said, "you don't want that in there, it will just restrict airflow." __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-25-2008 at 07:52 PM.

07-25-2008, 08:34 PM	#42
flere-imsaho Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicagoland	Wow. If I lived closer, I'd be coming over to help. And I'm generally averse to giving personal tech support help.

07-25-2008, 09:17 PM	#43
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	So, another thing this idiot was wrong about: Walmart does not sell DVI cables or at least the Walmart near me doesn't. So, I run to Circuit City which is about 10-15 minutes more away. I come back and plug in the DVI cable and turn on the computer. The computer still isn't booting I get the VERY loud fan noise, but I can't hear any other booting sounds and there is no graphical output to my screen. This fan is loud enough that I can hear it 3 rooms away. I've never heard a fan that loud. It may be drowning any post codes, it is so loud. The whole way to Circuit City I was composing the draft for a long email that I was going to send to Dell emails lambasting their technical support (their guys on the phone didn't think to tell him to check to make sure the power cord was plugged into the graphics card) as well as this idiot. However, now I still need him to come back out Monday so I guess I should wait to send the email in case he really did get fired. I guarantee I will never buy a Dell or any of its subsidiaries again (and I plan on putting so in the email as well as the fact that I was planning on buying a high end Alienware soon - they are owned by Dell now, right?) This whole situation is infuriating as I can't believe a professional technical support guy should take an hour to figure out how to remove a power supply and then forget to plug in a graphics card not once but twice. Oh, and I love what he said to me tonight, "I've never worked on that type of Dell before, most of the people around here have much cheaper computers. This has been a great learning experience for me." WTF!?! You should not be learning on the job, dumbass. Edit to add: I could almost accept the idiosyncries with this dell tower as a good excuse, but I'm sure he has worked on computers where you have to plug in a graphics card before. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-25-2008 at 09:19 PM.

07-28-2008, 09:56 AM	#44
flere-imsaho Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicagoland	Woah. Just... wow. Do you have any PC Techs where you work who seem nice and reasonable? If so, maybe you could find one, tell them the story and then offer them $50 to just figure out what's wrong with the computer.

07-28-2008, 11:59 AM	#45
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	There are plenty of PC repair shops around here that I could pay to take it in, but I'm not sure if they would be any better or not. I don't know any other techs personally in the area. Edit: Just re-read your post. Our IT guys at work (there are 2) don't seem that savvy to me, so I really doubt they would be able to solve the problem. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen. Last edited by Eaglesfan27 : 07-28-2008 at 12:00 PM.

07-28-2008, 12:09 PM	#46
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	Dola - I really need this computer to get fixed tonight. My tax returns are on there, I think they are backed up to my external but I'm not 100% positive (then again it would have been really stupid for me not to do so...) Anyway, right before I left for work today I got a W2-C due to HR messing up my retirement plan for the last 2 years.. I now have some massive changes and have to file amended returns which were initially done on this computer. Anyone know how medicare and FICA payments affect your tax return? __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.

07-28-2008, 11:04 PM	#47
Eaglesfan27 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey	So, the tech didn't show tonight which was the final straw. I wrote a VERY long scathing letter documenting the entire timeline. I also did something I never do, signed it doctor [my last name]. It might not mean anything, but some of my colleagues seem to throw the title around when it suits them. I sent it to the support address that I have as well as an order address. I got a response within 10 minutes saying that they take my concerns very seriously and will pass my email up the chain of command and they are confident my concerns will all be addressed. I guess we'll see. __________________ Retired GM of the eNFL 2007 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles (19-0 record.) GM of the WOOF 2006 Doggie Bowl Champion Atlantic City Gamblers. GM of the IHOF 2019 and 2022 IHOF Bowl Champion Asheville Axemen.