PSU or Motherboard is dead. Brother needs PC for school asap

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Hillybobilly

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Oct 22, 2016
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Before this was a problem, windows booted up to a spinning circle, without any windows logo. It never finished loading. I reinstalled windows for him after much troubleshooting, and afterwards, it worked at first but ended up having the same problem as before. Since i reinstalled windows cleanly i assumed there had to be a hardware problem. I had to apply some force to unplug the GPU until i realized there was a compartment that could be opened to take it out easily, so I may have scraped the motherboard, but no scratches are visible. This is why i am uncertain of the culprit of the problem.

I have tested the GPUs and RAM for him in my computer, all seems to be working... When all components are in his computer, it doesn't post, but lights and fans go on. When all the ram is taken out, the motherboard doesn't beep, it acts like it did before, no post. I shall try the hard drives soon. I tried to reset the cmos, but i can't tell if i did it successfully or not. I unplugged the ram and gpus and let them sit for a while in case there was a power surge and plugged them in the next day, with no improvements. Please help, not for me, but for my brother, who really needs this fixed. Thanks.
 
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I believe that the light sequence that you see is an error code from the motherboard telling you what is the problem. I did some research to find the error codes since you don't have the manual and I found this...
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ehmkec

ehmkec

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Aug 31, 2017
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What is the PC? Include MB (if home-made), gpu, cpu and power supply. Do you have a reference manual to decipher the MB lights? Make sue power supple cables are plugged into MB firmly and correctly.
 
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Hillybobilly

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It was purchased as a dell dcta 08055
As far as i can tell, the only change we've made is adding a GT 720. We don't have the manual. Now, when powered, the power button turns amber, a light in the MB shows it has power. The front lights, 2, 3, and 4, blink at one second intervals.
 
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seantriplex

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Dec 26, 2017
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I believe that the light sequence that you see is an error code from the motherboard telling you what is the problem. I did some research to find the error codes since you don't have the manual and I found this https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/sln284978/a-reference-guide-to-the-dell-optiplex-diagnostic-indicators?lang=en#2009_to_2012.

The computer was made in 2009.

There are two different codes that show the 2, 3, and 4 lights lit up.

These are:
A possible USB failure has occurred.
BIOS may be corrupt or missing

Suggested resolution for "A possible USB failure has occurred:"
-Reinstall all USB devices and check all cable connections.

Suggested resolution for "BIOS may be corrupt or missing:"
-The computer hardware is operating normally but the BIOS may be corrupt or missing.
 
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seantriplex

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Dec 26, 2017
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No problem bud! Keep us updated and let us know if you were able to fix it with these suggestions. This will help other people experiencing the same issue whenever they google it and come upon this thread. Also be sure to "mark this answer" while you're at it. ;)
 
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seantriplex

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That's no problem, man. By chance, when the light sequences happened with 2,3,4. Was the power button light still on or was it off by chance? I just noticed something.
 
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Hillybobilly

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The power button was amber. Also, after resetting the BIOS, theres a red LED on in the motherboard labeled RESET_LED or PROCHET or something like that, i can't tell. I also got some beep codes, and im trying to decode them now.
 
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seantriplex

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According to the information that I gave you earlier, if the power was still amber then that would mean the problem specifically according to the lights would be the BIOS issue.

Do you remember what the beep codes were? Like one beep followed by two beeps, etc.

Edit: Can you also check one more time about that light on the motherboard whether it is indeed RESET_LED or if it is CPU_LED?
 
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Hillybobilly

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I'm not getting beep codes anymore. I think this has something to do with the power supply. It takes a while for the red light to appear, but when it does, the power supply suddenly gets louder and louder until the pc shuts itself down. I can't find anything on this red LED.
 
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seantriplex

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That does sound very irregular for a PSU (Power supply) to be doing. I would suggest buying a new one and installing it into the computer and seeing if the problem still remains.
 
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Hillybobilly

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I'm not sure. Apparently the red LED is actually Prochot, or Proc-hot, it seems to be a compatibility issue with the CPU and the motherboard, even though the CPU wasn't touched at all.I feel like my brother and i could really just build a new PC with most of the old parts and ditch the Dell stuff. The motherboard is really whack, and the CPU is only compatible with Dell's motherboards, also it was made like 9 years ago. If we can still fix it, that would be great, but I think its time for an upgrade.
 
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seantriplex

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Building your own first computer is a pretty awesome experience, though it can be pretty stressful the first time. I say definitely go for it. Personally I dreaded the days that I had purchased a pre-made computer from like Best Buy and Dell and other places because it's very limited with the technology and what you can do in regards to upgrades. Plus, it'll be a cool bonding experience with your brother.
 
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Hillybobilly

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Proc_hot probably just means the processor was overheating. I re-seated the processor and the light went away. This is weird though, because it means the board has the functionality to tell me the processor was overheating, but still doesn't post. I'm gonna test the hard drive in my computer.
 
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