[GLLUG] dell computer

Fri May 11 00:20:08 EDT 2007

THE FAN IS IN 2 PIECES. I think it's broken. I'm not sure rick... can I see
what happens if I do the same to your head?

 My experience with dell is they ship moderately better parts than there
equivalent competitors such as HP and Emachines. I would buy a dell before I
bought either of those.

But your right you get what you pay for. people buy dell because they're
cheap. If you want to build a computer from expensive parts... do so.
Unfortunately dells don't like to boot if there cpu fans aren't hooked up,
even though this model is using a heat sink with there damn shroud fans. so
it doesn't really matter.

On 5/11/07, Richard Houser <rick at divinesymphony.net> wrote:
>
> When a power supply first fails, the machine typically WILL boot, but
> will be out of spec and slowly damage the rest of the machine as it's
> condition worsens.  Typically, a low end ($10-20) power supply tester
> will flag the really bad stuff before it starts damaging the rest of the
> hardware.  Out of 6 failed ATX supplies I still have around, 4 did POST
> and show video on some boards but had very unstable power levels below
> the rated specifications.
>
> Testing the power supply takes about 60 seconds after either moving the
> case or the power supply to the tester and doesn't really carry a risk.
>   Pretending that it can't have a problem because the machine still
> boots has a very real risk to it.  The type of test you are referring to
> is useless for this type of determination.  The test is useful if you
> are unable to get the machine to power on but otherwise tells you
> nothing about the health of the power supply.
>
> Often, an unstable power supply will get passed up by an inexperienced
> technician.  When you see a system that blows 4 motherboards, or two
> motherboards and a hard disk, it's a very likely bet (>85%) that the
> power supplied in that system is not clean and is actually causing the
> damage.  If you look at the higher end motherboards, you will notice an
> excess of large capacitors when compared to the cheaper boards that Dell
> uses.  That buys those boards a little more leeway when dealing with bad
> power, but eventually even that will cause a problem.
>
> Fans typically don't just die either.  They are relatively simple bits
> of electronics and just wear out over time.  If you have a fan die on
> you, chances are that it wasn't working smoothly for a long time and was
> just neglected.  If the fan is connected via the motherboard, you are
> back to the possibility of a component feeding that power having failed
> (potentially due to damage from unstable power again).
>
> Caleb Cushing wrote:
> > being an ex dell warranty from what she's told me so far it isn't the
> > power supply. but I have to  look further. but generally you don't get
> > anything onscreen if the powersupply is dead. It's either the fan or the
> > mobo. I'm hoping fan. I've seen those die on the job. it worked when I
> > turned it of and wasn't working when I turned it back on.
> >
> > On 5/10/07, *Richard Houser* <rick at divinesymphony.net
> > <mailto:rick at divinesymphony.net>> wrote:
> >
> >     Dell is known for putting a lot of junk components into it's
> systems.
> >     Usually, the motherboard and cases are highly proprietary and not
> worth
> >     buying replacement parts for.  However, before you get to that
> point,
> >     there is probably a lot of other stuff in that case worth salvaging
> even
> >     if the motherboard is trashed.  At a minimum, you are probably
> talking a
> >     CPU + heatsink combo, a P4 processor, a little bit of low-end RAM,
> an
> >     optical drive (probably a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo or a DVD writer), and
> a
> >     hard disk.
> >
> >     Could you bring the power supply tonight? (if you can't remove it
> >     yourself, just bring the whole tower).  I've got a low-cost power
> >     supply
> >     tester we can plug into your machine to test the levels and flag any
> >     obvious problems with it.  Overall, failed power supplies are
> probably
> >     the single most common failure I've seen on low-end systems, and
> they
> >     can cause damage to other electronics in the case.
> >
> >     After you've tested the power supply, your second task needs to be
> >     taking the cover off the case and powering it on where you can see
> the
> >     CPU fan.  If it's spinning quickly and evenly, and the heatsink is
> >     firmly attached to the board, you aren't going to be in any major
> risk
> >     of damaging other components.  From there, you need to run a memory
> >     tester like memtest86 overnight, then try to install an OS on
> it.  You
> >     can download memtest ISO images from the Internet, but some Linux
> >     distros like Mandriva 2006.0 (in 2007, memtest didn't work for me)
> >     contain a copy of memtest86 off the initial cd/dvd boot menu.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >     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.  I know the LCD monitor works that they threw away
> because I
> >      > just plugged it into my other computer.  I talked to Caleb on the
> >     IM and
> >      > that is what he thinks is wrong with it.  I wonder if it was
> >     someone who
> >      > didnt know a whole lot about computers and got mad and just threw
> >     it in
> >      > the dumpster when it mayt be an easy fix?? Well, thanks for any
> >     of your
> >      > input you may have.
> >      >
> >      > Julie
> >      >
> >      >
> >      > _______________________________________________
> >      > linux-user mailing list
> >      > linux-user at egr.msu.edu <mailto:linux-user at egr.msu.edu>
> >      > http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user
> >
> >     _______________________________________________
> >     linux-user mailing list
> >     linux-user at egr.msu.edu <mailto:linux-user at egr.msu.edu>
> >     http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Caleb Cushing
>
>

-- 
Caleb Cushing
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/public/linux-user/attachments/20070511/6070a766/attachment-0001.html