Video Problems
davidacord
Humboldt CA
I found an old Dell Dimension 8100 with a free sign on it around the corner. I got it home and turned it on...it worked fine. I turned it off, unplugged everything, and opened it up to clean it. I checked the RAM which looks odd.
I turned it on again and the monitor won't come on. There is a "standby" LED lit on the mobo. I'm not sure if it was on before or not.
What Gives? I took the GPU out and put it back. No Change.
10:30 AM PST - I woke up and gave it another shot. It works!?
I'm putting XP on it now, but I am concerned that it might happen again.
I read another post by Harudath. I also did not receive a signal from the monitor. My caps lock light was not coming on either making me think its my CPU.
I turned it on again and the monitor won't come on. There is a "standby" LED lit on the mobo. I'm not sure if it was on before or not.
What Gives? I took the GPU out and put it back. No Change.
10:30 AM PST - I woke up and gave it another shot. It works!?
I'm putting XP on it now, but I am concerned that it might happen again.
I read another post by Harudath. I also did not receive a signal from the monitor. My caps lock light was not coming on either making me think its my CPU.
0
Comments
It's likely a hardware issue. I have to be honest here: If it goes beyond a PSU, system battery or similar simple fix others may think of- it's not worth it ... except maybe for the experience and spare parts.
This system is pretty old, probably in the 5-10 years ballpark. System battery is a good guess. But it's also old enough to have a sagging, leaking or burst capcitor or few on the motherboard or other component (I'd give up on it here). The power supply could be a special form factor that may not fit a off-the-shelf PSU, but you could at least try one outside of the holder. Also look at all your connectors and cards- disonnect/remove them and inspect them for damage/discoloration. If the memory "looks odd", you'll have to tell us what "odd" is or better still- post a picture.
EDIT: Did they say WHY it was free to take?