Dell Dimension 8100 won't detect ide drives

The Dell Dimension 8100 desktop that I am attempting to repair (here) won't detect the IDE drives. Bios has been reset to factory defaults as per instructions on the Dell site but this has not cured the problem.
All relevant cables are correctly installed.
There is a yellow LED lit on the motherboard.

error message I get is:

Performing automatic IDE configuration...
strike F1 to retry reeboot, F2 for setup utility.

Any help would be appreciated

 

Have tried some of these suggestions. Couldn't find the jumper for cmos reset so removed the battery for a bit then replaced.

Absolutely no joy. The yellow LED on the mainboard is a worry...

The machine still refuses to detect the ide drives (both hard and cd).

Any other suggestions before I return it to the owner to take to a professional?

Cheers

Tendril

 

Dell Dimension 8100, "Hell, it's a Dell!"

HMMMM... A professional?
Well you've found one, and I've tried everything I can think of..... and I'm quickly getting frustrated with this one... but hey, it's a Dell... what did you expect? If I figure anything out I'll let you know... I probably will, the customer needs it back in 3 days.....
Levi
levi@akgeeks.com

 

Some boards have an LED on them just to let you know that the system is "live", i.e., has power but is in standby mode. Those systems can be instructed to boot on receipt of a signal from the keyboard, the mouse, the LAN card, or other peripherals -- depending on options available in the BIOS.

The power switch on the case front does not interrupt the supply of AC current from your wall socket. It just sends a signal that tells the PSU to drop power on the +3.3v, +5v and +12v rails. The motherboard sends the same signal to the PSU when you shut down Windows. The +5SB (StandBy) line remains active as long as the PSU is getting power from the AC mains.

With those, the pilot light is there to remind you to shut down the power supply completely before you start messing with the hardware inside the case. That's why there is a switch on the power supply unit at the back of the case. That one does interrupt the AC power from your wall socket.

Is yours one of those? Is there nothing in the manual to confirm or refute the idea?