Member Avatar for dell 3000

After 2 weeks of 90 degree heat and being left on, I came home to my computer shut off and now it wont turn on. It is not the hard drive, I tried a new one in it and still nothing. When I press power the computer turns on but doesn't even get to the BIOS. I can hear the harddrive spinning up and the CD drive will open. I get an orange light on the 1/0 on off light. Monitor says No Signal. Its almost as if its stuck in standby or something.

Any advice would be apreciated.

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Following 's CMOS-reset suggestion, these next checks focus on power, video, and the motherboard itself. Work top-to-bottom so you only replace parts when a test clearly points to them. If any step feels unsafe, stop and get a technician to avoid shock or further damage.

  • Test the power supply first. Verify the standby rail (5VSB) and the main rails with a multimeter or a PSU tester, or swap in a known-good PSU. A PSU that supplies steady voltages but still fails under load can still be bad, so try a replacement if available. Always unplug mains before swapping connectors.
  • Do a minimal "bench" POST: motherboard on an insulated surface, CPU and cooler, one known-good RAM stick in the primary slot, and video (onboard or a tested card). Remove all drives, USB devices and expansion cards. If it POSTS with minimal parts, add components back one at a time to find the culprit.
  • Memory and video isolation: test each RAM stick in each slot. Reseat or swap the GPU; try the onboard video if the board supports it. Use a simple, known-good monitor and cable to rule out display issues.
  • Front-panel and signaling: the power switch or front-panel wiring can fail. Momentarily short the two power pins on the front-panel header to rule out a faulty switch. Fit a system speaker (or check onboard LEDs) and note any beep patterns or diagnostic LEDs; cross-reference with the motherboard manual.
  • Visual inspection for heat damage: look for bulging/leaking capacitors, discolored components, cracked solder or burned areas around the VRMs and CPU socket. Sustained heat commonly damages caps and the PSU.

Safety notes: discharge capacitors, ground yourself, and never probe live circuits with the case open unless you know what you’re doing. If PSU and bench tests don’t produce POST, the motherboard or CPU is the likely failure and replacing or testing with known-good parts is the next step.

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Member Avatar for ramjo

Have you tried to set the BIOS settings of the laptop to reset the computer

Member Avatar for dell 3000

Its a desktop and I can't get into the BIOS. I've pulled out the battery on it and left it out for a few minutes but that didn't do anything either.

Member Avatar for ramjo

Open the cpu and look for Jumper 4 it is the CMOS BIOS reset for the motherboard so whatever memory will be erased

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