PC doesn't boot (?) after power failure during standby mode
 

My Dell Dimension 8300 ([email protected], 512 MB) was in standby mode during a power failure.

when I power it up, it doesn't even show the BIOS stuff and doesn't react to keyboard or mouse inputs. The DVD/CD burner combo has a disk inside which cannot be ejected, although the DVD burner reacts to the eject button.
To power it down, I need to keep the on/off button pressed for some 10 seconds as if Windows was still running.

Thanks in advance for your help

Hi mate!

Looks to me like a power supply failure, otherwise maybe a spike on the power interrupt has goosed the bios chip and / or mobo.

Other more qualified contributors may have perhaps less morbid suggestions.

Tim

Bre901,

Have you used a paper clip to get the disk out? It could be the CD/DVD is causing the computer not to boot.

Take Care,

Richard

Thanks to all

Got the disk out, no changes (had thought of it indeed). The LED keeps on blinking.

The monitor seems to be OK, it just says "power save mode", "activate using PC" (same behaviour wether PC is ON or OFF).

On the PC the power button lights up as do both CD and DVD drives. The keyboard LEDs flash on power-up and the optical mouse is active.

Guess someting IS fried in the PC itself. I'll have to mail the tech support.

Have you checked the connection between the monitor and the PC video output?

A bit basic I know but best to start with the simplest possible explanations.

Just another suggestion, but if the graphics card was fried, could'nt that give these sort of symptoms?

Bre901,

As timmcat says, it could be a bad Vid Card. It could also be one of your PCI/AGP Cards or RAM that has slightly popped out of its slot and just needs to be pushed back down.

I would first try opening the case and pushing them cards back down, if that does not do it, then I would remove the power cord from the power supply and the battery from the motherboard, wait a good 15 to 20 minutes before putting them back, and see what happens.

Take Care,

Richard

Richard

Bingo !

Everything works nice. It's asked to re-install some devices like the scanner, but that's nothing.

Thanks a lot

Bre901

Bre901,

That is great news! :ok:

Take Care,

Richard