[GLLUG] dell computer

[Mike Rambo]

Julie Code wrote:
> Hi guys,
>        Today when I went to take the trash out, there was a computer 
> sitting in the dumpster.  A dell Demension desktop P4 4500.  I just 
> plugged it in and the fans are moving and it beeps when i turn it on and 
> says processor fan not detected.  I think it may say something about a 
> mboard too but not sure.  I was wondering if anyone had a working 
> motherboard that they'd be willing to sell me that i could put into this 
> machine.

Dell motherboards are frequently pretty proprietary IME. Getting 
anything other than another Dell mobo that'll fit isn't very likely.

For the existing mobo I'd suggest looking at the exact thing it's 
complaining about. The cpu fan (and most fan's in newer computers) are 
three wire affairs so they can monitor it's speed and know when a fan quits.

* Does the cpu fan spin (you said some fans did above but does that 
specifically include the cpu fan)?
* Is the cpu fan plugged into the correct header on the mobo?

There is often more than one fan header on newer mobo's to support case 
fans and whatever. Make sure the cpu fan is plugged into the cpu fan 
header. Some boards will shut down (or refuse to fully start) when the 
cpu fan fails but only warn when other fans fail. Sometimes this can be 
configured in BIOS too. Try checking to see if you can disable fan 
monitoring in BIOS at least for testing purposes.

In the absence of more concrete information to indicate otherwise (like 
evidence it is no longer able to detect fan movement) it does sound like 
this could well be a recoverable problem.


-- 
Mike Rambo
mrambo at lsd.k12.mi.us

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when
your position falls, your ego goes with it.
     -Colin Powell