For my first attempt at a project, I was going to mod an old PC I had lying around for about five years. The problem is it wont boot up at all and I'm not sure if it's a problem with the mobo, psu, or hdd. What I mean by it not booting, is when I press the power button, nothing happens. No sounds, lights, spinning harddrives, nothing. I'm leaning toward the power supply being the problem, but I didnt want to get a new one before consulting you guys....

I know that this pc is probably not worth restoring, but it is the first pc I used (besides the 5 in. floppy onces) . It has a sentimental value with me, and it would be really great if i could see it alive again. I believe the case has good modding potential, and there wouldnt really be a point to mod it if it didnt work, besides for the practice.

btw, yes i plugged it in the outlet. even checked the voltage

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What other trouble shooting did you do? Did you follow the normal troubleshooting steps?

Congrads on wanting to Mod your first computer and being that it is a special computer to you will make it mean even more.

Well, I acually didnt do much troubleshooting after i found out it didnt turn on. I checked the wire connections and plugs, but thats about it. What troubleshooting should i do?

Try unplugging the PSU from the mobo and jumping it to see if the power supply is indeed dead.

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Well, the first thing I'd do is try your PS on another comptuer and see what happens...if it works then...

-remove your mobo from the case
- reseat your HSF and Processor
- Place 1 stick on ram in it
- Seat your video card
- use a pencil and turn it on

If it does not turn on...let us know

I'm not trying to be an @sshole but you said you pluged it in and all but you didn't say if you made sure the switch on the back of the PSU was turned on. Also, are you sure the connector for the power switch is hooked up to the mobo correctly?

This psu doesnt have a switch at the back, just a voltage option. the power switch is connected properly.

I'll try that jinx. btw fantazmic, what does turn it on with a pencil mean?

Thanks guys.

EDIT - Jinx the power connector doesnt have a green. It has 6 reds, 1 blue, 1 orange, 7 blacks, 1 brown, 1 grey, 1 white, 1 yellow, and 1 purple.

is it a dell? it looks like a dell. dell uses propritary power supplies.

I had a similar problem trying to activate a very old PSU as a secondary.
there is no green because you dont have to jump them.

"with a pencil " would mean using the metal ring at the eraser end to close the circut. Touch the two pins that the power switch connects to. I've done this many times myself but BE CAREFUL! those old PSUs HURT when they zap you!

yeah, it's a dell. propritary power supply? does that mean that it's a different psu than the at/atx ones? what should i do?

thanks for explaining the pencil thing godzilla but im still confused at what to do. can someone please explain in nooby terms?

gorked, if you follow the wires from the back of the power switch to the motherboard you will see where they connect. Just remove the wires (they should be in a plug that looks like a jumper) and then use the pencil trick on the wire connectors on the mobo.

what there actully tellin you to do is jumpstart the board from the front panel, thats where the power and reset etc , hook to , also i have had the lil fuse blow in the power supply. most can be replaced just as you replace the old car fuses , but some are actully soldered in , sounds like you have a atx power supply >>Michaelwolf

Ahhh the Dell Optiplex series, I am modding one too, needs a window and paint.

The PCI / ISA slot tray is an excellent place for a 12" CC as I have a green one in my GX200.

Quote: Originally Posted by michaelwolf59 what there actully tellin you to do is jumpstart the board from the front panel, thats where the power and reset etc , hook to , also i have had the lil fuse blow in the power supply. most can be replaced just as you replace the old car fuses , but some are actully soldered in , sounds like you have a atx power supply >>Michaelwolf

I've solved this problem already, michaelwolf59. Solved it a couple of months ago. Check the thread dates.

I haven't modded it yet though. Not enough time.

I have a few dell PS laying around ,How many watts is yours?

It's an old thread folks....see the year...03...michaelwolf59 is posting to old threads.

Quote: Originally Posted by gorked I've solved this problem already, michaelwolf59. Solved it a couple of months ago. Check the thread dates. I haven't modded it yet though. Not enough time.

yes sorry about that i quess i spend to much time on computing.net and from what i saw , you didnt post back whether the problem was fixed or not so i still thought you needed a bit of help , but i see this place is run a bit diff, have got it figured out i think .

Quote: Originally Posted by michaelwolf59 yes sorry about that i quess i spend to much time on computing.net and from what i saw , you didnt post back whether the problem was fixed or not so i still thought you needed a bit of help , but i see this place is run a bit diff, have got it figured out i think .

Yeah, I totally forgot about this thread. My apologies for not thanking everyone that helped me a year ago.