dead dell power supply?

Hi,

A few months ago my old Dell Dimension 4100 started playing up, at the time I put it down to drawing too much power from the PSU (after i added some USB hardware).

Well i've just moved and now the PC is dead, it wont start up at all. However if i unplug the power cable from the back of the pc to the electrical supply, wait about 5 secs then plug it back in th following happens. First there is a large clunk/thud noise coming from the PSU, if I then try the power button, the front power LED lights up briefly but nothing else happens, no other component start up.

Would this be a fault of the PSU or something else?

I only ask becuase the PSU is a Dell proprity one and will cost almost £100 to replace in the UK. I'd hate to buy a new PSU only to find the motherboard is dead or something.

I've tried removing memory, removing all internal devices and unplugging the power from the CD, DVD and floppy drives to no avial.

Are you sure it's proprietary? Most Dell P4 supplies are standard now, proprietary supplies are usually limitted to their older systems. Double check, you might be getting ripped off!

There shouldn't be a thunk comming from a power supply, I can't think of any parts to make that noise. Perhaps you have a locked up HARD DRIVE causing the system to overpower the supply.

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<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

Wow. I have some of those Dell proprietary power supplies here, too bad it cost so much to ship overseas!

I'd try unhooking a few things inside the case to see if it will power up.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

No, it uses a proprietary form factor case with a standard ATX power supply.

As I recall the only fitment issue with any off-the-shelf power supply is the location of the plug: If the plug on the new power supply is in a different location than Dell used, you'll have to notch out the hole in the back.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>