Dell Dimension 4400 yellow (amber) light NO POWER

I have A Dell Dimension 4400. It's been a pain in the butt to power on lately. Mainly I keep it on. Every now and then my video display screen goes wacky and the resolution changes by itself and the icons get BIGGER.. So I reboot..

It takes 15 - 20 tries to get started (thats just why I leave it on).. Nevertheless, the power light seems to stay yellow and I simply walk away. 15 -20 min later it just boots up. No idea why it takes so long..

Well about 2hrs ago the display went nuts. Lost all the color. I took apart the PC and not surprised, The video card was very LOOSE (almost out) I took EVERY connection inside the PC apart and cleaned them. I reseated every cable & card in the system. Everything's nice and tight.

I go to reboot (power up) and the Yellow (amber) light comes on the power botton. No beeps, No green lights, all 4 lights on the back of the PC are Out, No fans run, no CD light, No CD power. Just a Yellow (amber) solid light on the power button.

At this point I open back up the box and take put the button cell battery (waite 10 min) then put back. I took ALL the connections off for the second time, and all is tight. I power up, same thing. Yellow (amber) light. No beeps no nothing.. I even changed out power cords and different outlets..

The Power Supply fan is about 1yr old (i'm sure that means nothing) About the only thing I dident do is the Jumper test for Power Supply..

Any thoughts?
Thanks
Superlost :cry

 

PSU or motherboard issues. Sound to me like dead PSU but the fact that you have the amber light on the front says that you are getting some sort of powerfrom your PSU.

1. Test your PSU with a multi meter. A good guide can be found here

2. Look on your motherboard for the green power LED that identified that your MB is getting power (Note: it usually a small rectangular LED not a big traditional round one).

If your PSU has power on the 24pin ATX connector and the power LED on your MB is out you have a dead MB

3. It could simply be that the power push button has become disconnected, is broken or is on the wron connector. Consult your motherboard manual to find out what pins it should be connected to. make sure it is connected properly. If it is connected properly remove the connecter and short the two pins with a paper clip (This has the same effect as pushing the push button) and it should boot your PC.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: I you dont have you MB manual post you make and model and we will do the rest!!

 

Thanks for the reply,

The on/off power button feels good (not loose & seems to make contact) The "Green" LED light on motherboard "IS ON", The "Four Lights" on the back of the PC are "NOT" lighting up at all when power is on.

The power button on/off switch is still yellow (amber) Looked all over for my multi meter and cant find it ("Murphy's Law")

I have another Dell around here someplace, maybe the parts are compatible. I'll check that. I personally feel it's the Power Supply. However, I am not ruling out Video Card issue yet not sure if the VC was bad there would be Power Issues???

 

Try shorting the pins for the power swithch with a conector to rule the switch out.

 

I have had bad PCU's before, The fact that the light comes on never rules out the PCU as good, it can be bad yet the low draw an LED light gets could be why its on.. I cant find my darn multi meeter. I looked every place. I did fine my ac meeter.. The 3V button cell battirey reads 299.1 so it's as good as new. Once more for kicks I toop everything out and reseated them and nothing.

I would love to test the switch (power button) to rule it out. How do I test it?
Thanks
Superlost

 

Your power switch is just a simple push button that shorts to pins inside the switch when it is depressed. Follow the cables from the switch to the motherboard (you probably have two pairs of cables as your switch is also your power on light). they will terminate on the motherboard at a set of pins that have the HD light, the PC Speaker etc all connected too. Remove the plug from the motherboard connector that has the power switch attached to it and short the pins with either a paper clip or screw driver. Shorting the pins acts like depressing the push button and should start the PC.

 

Thanks for all your assistance. I am unclear on "TESTING POWER BUTTON" from your last post, not your fought (I'm simply a retard).. I will "explain" were I'm LOST in detail in my NEXT Post.... First, let's see what I have done so far and you tell me if I'm doing anything correct...

I started looking for exact or similar problems that I have on the forums. I found this post below as a solution for testing the Power Supply"

*****************************************
(there post for a start on troubleshooting)
If you are comfortable working around computers, you could try the following:

Note: The only 100% method of testing a PSU, is to install a known working power supply.

Unplug the cord from the power supply, hold the power button in for about 15/20 seconds, open the case, unplug the 20-pin power connector from the motherboard and jump the Green wire to one of the Black wires, reconnect the power cord and power the system on, if power supply's fan and the hard drive run, then the PSU should be good.

Note: Do not remove any wires from the plug, use a small piece of wire or a paper clip as a jumper.

Power supply checks out and the system still does not work, again remove the power cord, hold the power button in for several seconds to discharge the residue power, reconnect the 20-pin connector to the motherboard.

Remove all the PCI cards, the video card [if applicable], memory, all peripherals, disconnect the data and power cables to all the drives, check that the front panel cable is connected to motherboard, with nothing else connected to the system, reconnect the power cable and power the system on.

If you do not get any beep codes and/or there is no change in the diagnostic lights, it would appear that the motherboard has died.

end there post
**********************************************

Ok, so as per there instructions, I jumped the green & black "prongs" on the main mother board power supply connector. I jumped pin #14 Green labeled "signal Name" PS ON to Pin # 3 Black labeled "signal Name" COM..

I then plugged in the power cord. The "Power Supply FAN" Came On Fine. That's It..

From there post above. (QUOTE) if power supply's fan and the hard drive run, then the PSU should be good. (end QUOTE)

Please note, I did not hear the hard drive do anything. So I cant say that the HD came on or not.. All I felt was the fan running...

Ok, that was part 1 of there 2 part troubleshooting solution..

Part 2 I am LOST on this.. Since I am not 100% in understanding I did not do part 2 yet..

They say (quote) Remove all the PCI cards, the video card [if applicable], memory, all peripherals, disconnect the data and power cables to all the drives, check that the front panel cable is connected to motherboard, with nothing else connected to the system, reconnect the power cable and power the system on. (end quote)

Now, before I try this STEP 2 I have made a diagram on what I think I should be taking off (disconnecting)from the motherboard. Please review it and tell me if I'm correct, incorrect, or what I missed..

Please note that this diagram is what "I THINK" I should be leaving on & taking off (by there instructions) I'm sure I'm wrong.....

Looking at the diagram what I Circled in "RED" MEANS TAKE OFF OR DISCONNECT (from my understanding)
Circled in "BLUE" MEANS LEAVE CONNECTED TO MOTHERBOARD (from my understanding)

 

I understand this, yet I am lost because I have no idea what to jump.. see the first image. This is what I assume is the Power Button Spot on the Mother Board. What pin connector I assume your referring to is the Its "FRONT PANEL SWITCH" on motherboard. (see image circle in red)

Ok, Assuming I'm correct your talking about the "FRONT PANEL SWITCH" then I'm superlost as to where or how to jump it.. Is it jumped from the pins on the Motherboard or the connector holes on the "Ribbon Cable" Please see my other diagram I made that shows 33 different pins and 33 different holes. I numbered them 1-33 (see diagram) What Pins do I Jump, the ones on motherboard or the ones in the ribbon cable. Also what number pins do I jump ? (from the way I have numbered in diagram)

Once more, I'm sorry for being a tard and I do appreciate your assistance...
Thank You
Superlost6

 

Hi Superlost,

Your not being tardy at all. It is always difficult when you are investigating new thing that you have not done before.

First thing, Im not sure where you found the guide for testing the PSU but as stated the only true way to tell is by replacing with a known good supply.

The test you have highlighted below wont really tell you much. Most PSUs will work in some form (at least enough to spin the fans) but they may not be providing enough power to your individual components. You can test the voltages on the individual cables with a digital multimeter The best guide that I have found is here

Testing the switch could be a little more tricky than I thought. Most PCs have seperate cables for each connector rather than a ribbon.

Without knowing which two pins connect to your power switch it could be difficult to know which ones to short. Can you identify a make and model of motherboard? (I suspect it is a custom made board but you never know) The image above has the pin mapping written on the MB next to the switch.

 

From a bit of googling it appears that you need to short pins 19-20
http://www.lnmdesign.com/400sc/front_pnl.html

 

1. All Motherboard Information Directly Off The MB
Printed in White on the motherboard.. (a logo) "MIC" & a number "N232"

2. Printed in White the following "E 210882"

3.) A sticker with - "DELL - REV. A03"

4..) A Sticker with - " DS/N MY-01K529-12465-21F-0462 C/O MY "

That's about all I see on the Motherboard to identify it..

I know you say the "BEST" way to tell if " Power Supply " is bad is to replace it.. I can easy order one from Walmart . com for about $40 If it does not work, I can return it..

 

I am still "LOST" on how to Jump Out The Power on/off switch. However, I'm not totyaly lost. If you look at my image below (The FNT_PNL diagram) It shows just what mine does on the system.

Do I jump out A the motherboard pins or B the ribbon cable sockets. (see diagram below)

Thanks for your patients with my ignorance..

 

Short the pins on the motherboard. Just use a paper clip to short pin 19 and 20 and that should kick all the fans into action and begin the boot process.

I cant comment on whether the retailer will accept a return or not. You would need to check that out with the retailer. I dont know what the US law states but in the UK the retailer is not obliged to offer a refund or credit note unless the item is faulty. If your motherboard is broken replacing the PSU wont fix the problem. If you have a digital multimeter (or you can borrow one) test the PSU before replacing. If your PSU is giving the correct voltages the I suspect it is the motherboard that is dead.

 

Stupid Question.. I am holding a paperclip in mu hand shorting out pins 19 & 20 Is this going to FRY me? Will I get shocked?

 

I see no way of a paperclip sticking between the pins. The clip falls out (Unless you hold it with your hands) If I hold the paper clip ti pin 19 & 20 and plug in power cord then tun it on will I go to "SHOCK TRAUMA" for voltage heart failure?
:confused

 

You dont hold it on there. There is no significant voltage going through the MB otherwise it would fry the board. When you short the pins it acts like you are pushing the power button in. removing the paper clip replicates letting go of the power button.

Connect up your system then just touch the paperclip across 19 & 20 for a second. As soon as you make the connection your PC should begin to boot. The remove the paperclip. If you leave it connected it will have the same effect as though you keep your finger on the power button and will cause a hard shutdown.

 

:-D Ok, just trying to be safe,, I will do it now. I have a hand held Razer Knife thats got a plastic handle I will hit it with that
Thanks

 

I jumped 19 and 20 pins on the board. Nothing happened. No fan no click no nothing.. I let go and tried jumping 12 times w/ no change. Nothing happened. I hooked everything back up and fired it up, NO power. The Motherboard GREEN light is on yet the Yellow Power button is not even light.. If I keep plugging and unplugging the power light will come on after 20-30 tries yet its still a amber light with nothing else working.. no fan no power up boot no noise of HD.. So with that said if this looks like I did it correct, let me know what to try next.. I have no Multi Meeter
Thanks
SuperLost

 

well i suspect that it is either motherboard or psu. you will have to swap out to test with a known good unit. can you borrow a friends psu from their pc to test? would save you buying one? in terms of replacing mb i am not sure how you would do that. i think you would have to go to dell.

 

Ordering a PSU New is an Ok option for me as its 40.00 ordering a motherboard sounds like $$ ching ching.

I will order a new power suply and post back
Thank You
Superlost

 

OK. Like I say there is no gaurentee that it will work. But as long as you are happy to order. Be careful taking it out of the box and keep all the documentation. That way you may be able to RMA it or sell it on ebay as new. if need be. Good luck. If this fails I think you will have to Dell for repair/replacement MB

 

ComUSA . com has a "Coolmax" for $24 + a $10.00 mail in Rebate. Mine is a 250W Is it ok to go with a 300W all the connecters are correct it looks like. And they have a 30 day money back guarantee return for any reason)

This is the link from compusa
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7220648

This is the link to my Dell Specs page
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4400/techov.htm#1101836

Does it look like the Coolmax is ok?
Thanks
Superlost

 

Following a bit more googling it appears that the Dell motherboard is a propriatry motherboard as previously thought. The poster in the forum I was reading stated that the 20 pin ATX conector pin out was not propriatry and as such should work with any PSU. Having checked the 20 pin connector pinout in your technical documentation that appears to be correct. On that basis I would speculate that the supply you linked to should be fine. I should note that it is Micro ATX. You Motherboard appears to be Micro ATX and on that basis I would expect your existing PSU to be Micro ATX too.

In short I think you should be OK.

If the MB needs replacing you could be in trouble as I have just had a quick look on Dell website and cant find that model listed. I suspect it is no longer supported.

Go here and type in your service number to see what they have available.

You may be able to replace the board with another m-ATX board that user the same chipset however I suspect that the front panel pinout may be different which will mean that you need a new case. You are then getting into the realms of New PC time.:cry

We may get lucky and find one with an identical pinout but we will need to do some serious research.

Thinking about it have a look on ebay for a second hand dimension 4400 (even a broken one) and canabalise it for parts. You may get one cheaper than the cost of new PSU?

 

On the power supply, If I understand you correct, it MUST be replaced with a Micro ATX & NOT the ATX correct?

The reason I ask is once I converted the math on the size the MICRO ATX from the last link post was "Small"

I went back to "Coolmax" and found this size to fit 99.8% perfect. I use Coolmax as I have NEVER had one die.. There affordable and durable (for the record)

I found this one (see below link) it looks like its a standard ATX , do you think this will not work?

http://www.compusa.com/applications...1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=#ReviewStart

As for the Motherboard, we can cross that bridge when it comes, I'm a hound dog. We will find! :-D

Oh, btw, The service tag was not found and they have discontinued the 4400 from there parts

Once more, Your The Best
Thanks

 

I called "DELL" 4 times today asking if I have an ATX - Mini ATX - Micro ATX (motherboard & power supply) Needless to say I got 4 different answers...

ANSWERS:

1.) You have a Micro for this unit, is there anything else I can help you with? rolleyes

2.) Thank you for patiently waiting, sorry ATX was not around in 1992 you have a Planar Motherboard part number 1K529 :boxing

3.) Your Motherboard is a standard ATX same as Power Supply :banghead

4.) Mr Superlost, we cannot differentiate the motherboard of the system with ATX, Mini ATX or Micro ATX. The system comes with 2 types of motherboards : one with integrated audio and another without integrated audio. Your system has the one with integrated audio . The part # for the motherboard is 8P779 . You can purchase the part from our sales department at 1 800 449 3355 between 7am and 8pm CST (Monday to Friday and 8am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday). :flip


At no time did the simply ask me to measure my motherboard. It's 9.5 " I assume this make it a Micro ATX

Dell supports my name..
SuperLost

 

The bad news here is that I have never worked with Micro ATX only ATX.:-o

Lets forget about the motherboard for now. Measure the PSU and if the dimensions are the same as the one you plan to buy then you will be fine.

I pray that things come back to life with a replace PSU as new motherboard means a whole world of CENSORED!!!

Are you any good at electronics by way of a sodering iron, wire stripping and choc blocks? You will more than likely have to ethier do some re-wiring or make some converter cables or case hacking to get a replacement MB to work.

 

I ordered the Coolmax 300W Micro ATX fan, once it comes in I'll post the results.

As for the Motherboard, if I can find a replacement for this that needs no modifications (soldering, rewiring, etc..) I'll buy it if need be. If it looks like tow much of a pain in the wife I'll pull the HD and make it a 2nd slave in another unit..

I have a positive feeling this is the PSU. Hey If all else fails, this tower makes a nice collapsible rabbit trap for the back yard.

I'll post results in a week
THANK YOU
Superlost6

 

Power Supply is on the van headed to my house. WOOO HOOOO. I hope it works!

 

Ok, I got the Power Supply in.. Good News, "It Works"

Bad news, when I power on, it goes to the black Dell.com screen (rather then start windows).. The screen reads something like this.......

Legacy Keyboard .....Detected
CMOS Display type WRONG
CMOS Date/Time Not Set

Press (DEL) to run setup
Hit (F12) if you want to see a boot menu

So, I hit F12 & NOTHING happens. (hit it 5-10 times no response)

I then select (DEL) and it loads my BIOS....

The selection options in the bios menu is...
main -advance - security - power - boot - exit

Since I have no idea what to do I simply figured since this seems like a boot deal I selected BOOT in the Bios.. it reads.....
quiet boot - disabled
quick boot - enabled

At this point I made NO changes in the BIOS and exited the bios.

It then comes up with a BOX that says...
Select A Boot Device however, the selection options are BLANK..(nothing to select).. I then hit esc and I get a message....
Boot Failure - system haulted

So, once more, thank you for any assistance! I am staying at the computer so I'll get responce FAST
Thanks
Superlost

 

I suspect the date and time in the BIOS are wrong. When you keep getting a message to run setup every time you boot up a computer, it means the CMOS battery is very weak or dead. The computer can not retain the information about the hardware so each time you boot up, you have to set it up again.

Your first look should be on the main tab, checking the date and time and resetting, if needed.

Someone in one of the tabs, is an item "load defaults". That might be the one to select, after making sure the time and date are correct.

 

Also for the record.. This was a 250W factory Dell Power Supply that went bad.. I replaced it with a Coolmax V-400

Coolmax link below:

http://www.coolmaxusa.com/productDe...details=spec&subcategory=80mm&category=single

Bought from Walmart link below

http://www.walmart.com/ip/CoolMax-V-400-400W-ATX-Power-Supply/10929837


This new replacement power supply DOES NOT have P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 pm the connectors.. So basically I put any 4 prong peripheral fitting to the appropriate device (hd, cd rom etc...) I assume they distribute the same power from each 4 prong fitting.. Keep in mind, the Bios sees the HD CD and removable devices so I guess the 4 prong fittings are all the same..

Just wanted to point that out.. Please feel free to view the 250W vs the 400W configuration comparison... ( i think we did this before & was told this PCU was ok as a replacement upgrade)

 

I did replaced the CMOS 3v bat with a brand new from the pack (after testing with a meeter) I will set time & date correctly and reset bios to factory..

 

You my friend are a genius! I set the time, and it fired up perfect!

 

Well it was the Power Supply & Yes, you need to set the date & time when putting in a new 3v Button Cell Battery..

After doing this.. Windows loaded PC runs FAST and all I need to do is cut out the back of my tower to reseat the power supply..

I would like to take the time to thank you guys for all your help and patients.. I allways get it fixed here.:celebrate

Thank you!

 

Glad you got it sorted. Sorry for not replying soon but your message came through on my mobile while I was asleep in bed. I read it but decided not to reply while I was asleep (thought it better to form a coherant reply whilst not bleary eyed!). Got there in the end!:major

 

No problem. Sleep is important. Thanks for the help!

 

Thank you all, it really worked for me.