Member Avatar for studly256

Help?
I have a Dell Dimension 9100.
I replaced the hard drive now it wont bootup!
PC lights come on drive lights come on But no screen!
Monitor Power light blinks off and on. like if its not connected but it is!
Can some one help me to get a screen for setup option?
Also, I found my Dell restore disk but its cracked now it don't work .
Anyone know were I can download a copy fast? Takes 5-10 weeks for dell they say!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by hughv

Dani AI

Generated

The symptoms reported by — a blank screen with the monitor amber/blinking and BIOS keys not producing a POST screen — point to a hardware POST failure rather than an OS or recovery-media problem. and suggested sensible checks; the checklist below prioritizes safe, verifiable steps that isolate the failing component before any reinstall or recovery media is useful.

Recommended diagnostic sequence (do in order, power unplugged for any internal changes; use basic ESD precautions):

  1. Verify the monitor and cable on a known-good PC and confirm the monitor input selection. An amber/blinking power LED most often means “no signal,” not necessarily a bad monitor.
  2. Minimal-boot: remove everything non-essential (HDD, optical, USB devices, extra PCI/PCIe cards). Leave PSU, motherboard, CPU + cooler, one RAM stick in the primary slot, and whichever video output is appropriate (onboard or single discrete card).
  3. Clear CMOS (use the motherboard jumper or remove the coin cell for ~30–60 seconds) to restore default BIOS settings that can block POST.
  4. Check power connectors: ensure the 20/24‑pin ATX and the 4/8‑pin CPU power are fully seated; verify any GPU auxiliary 6/8‑pin connectors are attached and that fans spin on power-up. A PSU that powers LEDs but won’t spin fans or provide rails can still be bad.
  5. Attach or confirm a motherboard speaker is present and listen for beep codes; note any diagnostic LEDs or POST-code displays on the board.
  6. If no POST, swap in a known-good single RAM stick and/or a known-good GPU or PSU (borrowing parts is the fastest confirmation). If a spare video card is not available, try the board’s video output if present.

A recovery or Windows disk is not helpful until POST and video are restored. Official restore media or a retail Microsoft install (using the machine’s COA sticker) is recommended; avoid unverified torrents or images. If the minimal-boot steps still produce no POST, the failure is most likely motherboard, CPU power circuitry, or a dying PSU — a shop with a POST card or spare parts swap can confirm which.

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Member Avatar for bobbyraw

set you bios to boot from the CD first. and put a bootable cd in

Member Avatar for hughv

Why did you replace the drive?
If it's still working, you can copy or clone it.
If not, you need a copy of your OS on a bootable CD.
It appears that you have a SATA drive, so don't forget to load the drivers for it.
As I recall, the setup screen is F2, and you should see this option when you first boot the PC.

Member Avatar for studly256

In Reply:
I have a Dell Dimension 9100 .The Hard Drive Locked up .So I couldn't get into the drive to get any information back.
So I bought a new Drive.(I think it is a Sata drive Because,it has 2 small plugins.I don't think its a IDE Drive I think IDE has the 1 Large longer plugin.(It's a "Maxtor hd").

Anyway:
After I inserted the new HD .When starting it up The Computer lights come on.
But,No monitor Screen.Monitor Power light just Blinks off and on Yellow like if the Display card isn't installed or not working.So I can't see to get to the Bios to get into the setup.
Also, this Computer didn't come with a A:/Drive.I'm thinking I need to install a A:/Drive into this computer system in order to get this thing to bootup.
So I have 2 questions I need to ask ?
(1).
Is there a CD that I can use to bootup this system?

Dell told me on the phone that I can use any Dell Disk to bootup the system.Since the system Tag Code is out of Warranty Dell wan'ts me to Buy a Dell Disk Because, Mine is cracked don't work!I have to wait 6 weeks for a disk to come into the mail!
I'm hoping I can save some time.If there's anyone that can help me.

(2).
What can I do to get this to Bootup with the Screen to get into Bios Mode?
I did find a CD online from a Mirror Download don't know how safe it is!But it states it will bootup mostly every dell system at this link http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3587825/Dell_Laptop_WinXP_SP2_Reinstallation_CD. But it says its for lap tops I wonder if it would work for DeskTops as well?
Wondering if this would Help me?

Any help would be Great!Thanks!

Member Avatar for bobbyraw

remove the hard drive, restart the PC, did you get the bios screen?

Member Avatar for hughv

No boot CD is going to help until you can get a BIOS screen.
Bobbyraw's suggestion is a good one. In addition, check carefully inside the PC for loose connections, re-seat the memory and any cards.
You should be able to get to the Setup screen even without a hard drive, so something else is wrong, and it's likely to be related to the installation of the new drive.
Basically, check everything, even if you think you didn't touch it during the HD swap.
Dell is offering PCs with Ubuntu now, and you could download and burn an Ubuntu CD and install it in just a few hours.

Member Avatar for studly256

In reply:
I unpluged the Hard Drive Still no Screen at all.
When Starting I Press F2 Nothen!
When Starting I press F12 Nothen!
When Starting I Press Delete Nothen!
I went to Dell Can't find a Ubuntu CD Download anywhere!
What Verison of Ubuntu CD do I need?(7.10,7.04,1.4)?
Would this Ubuntu CD help me with Display Card if possible?
I took this system into Staples They said they couldn't get into the old HD Said it's"Locked Up".
I took the system to another System repair place they told me they think Mother Board is bad!Or display card! They couldn't tell me what was wrong with it!
My thinking is someone unpluged either the mother board Main plug,Or- the Display Card.
I had this problem before with a older defferent computer yrs ago.That if you unplug the display card the system won't boot Monitor won't show screen at all. Then I had to download the driver for the display card onto a floppy and reboot with floppy using A:/ drive as the first boot in bios setup.
I'm getting to think thats whats wrong is the display card isn't installed is that possible on this Dell 9100 desktop system?
Also, I don't know much about computers but,would this system be linux?
I don't have a floppy drive and I tried booting it with XP Disk,Maxtor HD Disk, and a Dell Disk.Sounds like its booting just no picture screen.Normally when you insert a XP installation CD it automatically loads its Drivers Before coping setup files to the HD.But this system it don't!
Monitor Compaq CV735 Works fine on my other computer!
Wonder if I just need a newer Monitor?
Can anyone help me ?
Thanks!

Member Avatar for hughv

Make sure the video card is properly seated. Remove it and replace it, if necessary. This card may have a tab you have to push aside to remove it, so look at it carefully.
It could be that the card is bad, but that's quite a coincidence. Make sure the fan on this card is turning.

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