Dell Freezing (Surprise)

Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
edited December 2007 in Hardware
Hey guys it's been a little while but I'm back:p

My dad has a Dell machine at work that we use to run cad. Machine specs are:
Windows XP PRO
Dell Motherboard
Dell 350W Power supply
3 GB assorted memory
3.0 GHz P4 HT
60GB Seagate SATA Drive
Some kind of ATi PCI Express Video Card.

This machine was working for a good 2 months until recently when my coworker went to turn the PC on and it showed him the screen that says windows was mistakenly shutdown...blah blah blah would you like to restart in safe mode, safe mode w/ netowrking, last known good config, or start windows normally. It allows you to select an option then no matter what option is selected freezes.

I figured hmm must be the windows installation. So I took a windows xp CD and put it in the cd drive and went into the bios to change the boot order. CD spins up ... I get the press any key to boot from CD... I press a key. Next up is the setup is inspecting your hardware configuration and then that screen disappears and then nothing complete darkness.. cd stops spinning.

So I thought huh weird. Maybe it's the Hard drive? So the next day we buy this Seagate SATA 320GB 16mb mondo drive and plug it in. I put in the windows cd and boot off the CD and the same thing happens. It gets to setup is inspecting your current hardware config then goes blank. Now I'm starting to get annoyed. So I say hell if this computer won't let me install windows on this drive then I'll stick it in the other computer and do it. I get windows installed on the sATA drive and make sure the SATA drivers are installed and everything then stick it back in the dead computer and boot up and it posts, dell screen logo, then darkness... nothing.

So I say wtf... might as well try a PATA IDE drive in there and take this 100GB Western Digital drive and install windows on it from my computer then stick it in the computer. Dell screen logo, then nothing. Sweeet.

I then swapped out the power supply with a working power supply, and the video card with a working video card, remove several sticks of ram, swap out the ram.

I took the original 60GB seagate drive and put it into my working computer and it's recognized and all the files seem to be intact so I know it's not the HD. I know it's not the video card. I know it's not the RAM. I know it's not the Power Supply. I know it's not the SATA controller. So what the hell is it?

To me this sounds like a software issue because I can pretty much get it to the windows "last known good configuration" screen and get it to post but for some reason I can't reinstall windows on this pc and if I take a Hard drive that I know is good and try to install it into this sucker nothing happens.

This is driving me crazy. I used some windows floppy utility and it mentioned that the hdd was missing hal.dll. I dunno if that has anything to do with it. But this is really a pretty good pc and I'd hate to see my dad have to throw away money on buying a new pc for his company and would really like to salvage this one.

Any Ideas Are Appreciated,
Nick
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Comments

  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    It sounds like the northbridge or the processor may be getting too hot. How nasty was it inside the case when you were in it?
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2007
    The case wasn't really that bad. I'd say very minimal dust.
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited December 2007
    I'm kinda thinking like YAD- it's something in the mobo. You have a Dell- 3 years parts and labor? They have many diagnostic tools- like maybe already installed or on a CD that came with the system- they have diags in the BIOS and a few other tricks-

    Honestly- I'd contact them. If it's what I think it is, it might not take long to get an RMA.
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    Might also be the caps are in poor condition, I didn't think of that until just now...
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2007
    Update: just ordered a new motherboard for a lovely price of $179 for a refurbished board... ridiculous. Anyways the board should be here tomorrow. Wish me luck.
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    Why didn't you just hit newegg.com and pick up a matching board...?
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    Probably due to form factor.
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    I was gonna ask what Model of Dell... Let us know how the replacement MB works for you.
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2007
    Replacement board appears to have made no difference. Still have the same issue. Really the last thing I know to do is remove the thermal pad and apply a layer of arctic silver on it. The PC doesn't seem to be running real hot though. I just don't get it.

    I'm gonna do some more troubleshooting and get back with you guys.
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    Well, it could be the power supply, or the processor it self. Last things I got.
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited December 2007
    This may sound kind of obvious but I didn't see it listed anywhere above--did you try disconnecting the CD drive? It is very unlikely that the CPU has gone belly up, one of the last things I can think of.
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2007
    I've replaced the Power supply with one that is known to work in fact I'm using it right now on the machine I am typing with. When I put a working power supply into the computer I still had the same issue. I've replaced every part in this PC with working or new parts except for the CPU... so I'm kind of at a loss. I'll give disconnecting the cd drive a try. I'm not sure why that's obvious but I'll give it a shot.

    Thanks for the help guys,
    Nick
  • DogSoldierDogSoldier The heart of radical Amish country..
    edited December 2007
    hey Al_Capown... Welcome back buddy!
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    OK, what model of Dell?
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2007
    Dell Dimension 8400 Series. I unplugged the molex connector and the ata cable. Booted up... I saw the Dell bios screen then nothing.


    The way I see it my only two options left are to:
    1) reseat the heatsink and reapply thermal paste
    or
    2) switch out the cpu...

    But I suspect that won't do anything to change this problem... This sucks.
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    For how long can you stay in the bios? Indefinitely? If you can, then heat isn't the issue. In fact, i dont think heat is the issue at all. Unless the cooler is totally fallen of the cpu. I think it is the cpu itself.
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited December 2007
    I remember saying that....
  • deadlock-777deadlock-777 britain
    edited December 2007
    £179-00???id of got the asus commando or blitze extreme and a decent card like an evga 320mb 8800gts..gpu set to588mhz and the ram to 920mhz...which is 1.84ghz effective,.thats about 18% faster than the nvidea 8800gts bfg???big frendly giant?..get your ram not allsorted.buy a decent kitcrucial ballistix is a good un ,say 2gb.o sorry an athlon.asus crosshair £141-00 inc vat from scan....you get me drift dig?
  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    179 quid ain 179 usd innnit?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    deadlock-777 wrote:
    £179-00???id of got the asus commando or blitze extreme and a decent card like an evga 320mb 8800gts..gpu set to588mhz and the ram to 920mhz...which is 1.84ghz effective,.thats about 18% faster than the nvidea 8800gts bfg???big frendly giant?..get your ram not allsorted.buy a decent kitcrucial ballistix is a good un ,say 2gb.o sorry an athlon.asus crosshair £141-00 inc vat from scan....you get me drift dig?

    This forum can not parse hieroglyphics; please try again.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    wicked!
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2007
    deadlock-777 wrote:
    £179-00???id of got the asus commando or blitze extreme and a decent card like an evga 320mb 8800gts..gpu set to588mhz and the ram to 920mhz...which is 1.84ghz effective,.thats about 18% faster than the nvidea 8800gts bfg???big frendly giant?..get your ram not allsorted.buy a decent kitcrucial ballistix is a good un ,say 2gb.o sorry an athlon.asus crosshair £141-00 inc vat from scan....you get me drift dig?

    WHAT THE HELL. $179. And I doubt non-dell motherboards mount properly in a dell case... and I don't need to go buying a new case. I'm not overclocking a video card on a computer that's property of my dad's company.

    Anyways, yes I can leave the computer in BIOS for a long period of time and it does not lock up. So hmmm good to know that heat isn't an issue. Interesting I'm going to have to grab an old pentium 4 from a computer at home and see if it will boot with one of them. If this is a 64 bit 3.2GhZ p4 in a socket 775 can I put a P4B in it?

    Nick
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    He said £179, not $179.

    £179 = $362
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    OK... Go to Dell's Dimension 8400 Diagnostic Download page HERE. Download CD125700.exe to make 5 floppies. I know, a pain but the Dell Diagnostics might be able to find the problem for you. I've used Dell diagnostics many time to troubleshoot weird Dell problems.

    Also... swamp out all your IDE and floppy cables, I had a Dell Dimension 3500 have a bad IDE cable.
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2007
    Tried the Dell Diagnostic Disks and I put in the first disk and the computer booted up, dell bios, then rebooted, dell bios, rebooted, etc. until I turned it off.

    So is this a given that it's the CPU that's dead?
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    QCH2002 wrote:
    Also... swamp out all your IDE and floppy cables, I had a Dell Dimension 3500 have a bad IDE cable.
    This happened to SM25, same symptoms and I never caught it.

    -drasnor :fold:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    Also... swamp out all your IDE and floppy cables
    So, that means to fill the case with brackish water?
  • Al_CapownAl_Capown Indiana
    edited December 2007
    drasnor wrote:
    This happened to SM25, same symptoms and I never caught it.

    -drasnor :fold:

    Drasnor does this mean the computer is deceased? Or did you finally get it to work?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    That'll be the day, When Dell Freezes Over!
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited December 2007
    Al_Capown wrote:
    Drasnor does this mean the computer is deceased? Or did you finally get it to work?
    I couldn't ever figure out the problem and sent it back to the now Icrontic Folding Committee. They correctly diagnosed the problem as a bad IDE cable.

    -drasnor :fold:
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