Got an odd problem. Attempted to start up my computer today but was greeted with a 'no signal' message on the monitor, along with a lot of noise from the video card and a beep code from the machine itself. All indicators, including a number code that flashed on the front of the box, indicated that it couldn't read the RAM for some reason. Reseating the RAM, even trying compatible chips from another machine, did not work.
Looking for some other suggestions as to what might be the problem. My specs are as follows:
Dell XPS 410
Core 2 Duo E6420 (2.13 GHz) processor (factory installed)
NVidia GeForce 8800gt
4 gigs DDR2 SDRAM (Kingston Technologies; 4 1-gig chips)
The odd part is that it was working fine this morning. I set it to standby, went to the movies and came back three hours later, and the problem began when I tried to start it back up. As I said, I tried repeatedly to reseat the RAM, as everything seems to indicate that this is the problem, but it hasn't worked. It snaps in, but to no effect. Worried it might be something more serious; tech support guy said it sounded like something might actually be damaged, though he was at a loss how it could suddenly happen in standby. There doesn't appear to be anything obviously wrong with the parts, but I'm no expert myself.
Any options or suggestions before I bite the bullet and send it out for repairs?
kstolls on Twitch, streaming weekends at 9pm CST!
Now playing:
Teardown and
Baldur's Gate 3 (co-op)
Sunday Spotlight:
Horror Tales: The Wine
Posts
Alternate - Likewise. I'll try that out too if the CPU is compatible; I'm less than knowledgeable about parts beyond the card and the RAM.
Zilla - Connected via power strip to the wall. I thought about there being a power surge or something while I was away, but everything else in the house seems in order and it wasn't the only computer still on at the time.
Now playing: Teardown and Baldur's Gate 3 (co-op)
Sunday Spotlight: Horror Tales: The Wine
Can't get it anywhere until Wednesday anyway, so if anybody's got any further ideas, I'd appreciate them. But in any case, thanks for the suggestions, they did narrow down the problem.
Now playing: Teardown and Baldur's Gate 3 (co-op)
Sunday Spotlight: Horror Tales: The Wine
Have you tried another Hard Drive?
Facebook: MeekinOnMovies
Twitter: Twitter.com/MeekinOnMovies
My 10 commandments of game reviewing
7 Great Games Playing Watch_Dogs will remind you of/url]
Far Cry 4: 10 Essential Features it Must Have
10 Videogames Ruined By The Hype
From what you've described, I'd guess that the chipset on the motherboard fried itself somehow, or a capacitor is blown. Could have been bad voltage, overheating, or bad/cheap capacitors. Dell uses Foxconn for a lot of their motherboards, and they are not what I would call a high quality manufacturer. It could be the CPU, maybe, but I'd put money on the motherboard being the culprit.
Tomorrow's my off day, so I'm going to see about getting it looked at. Anything in particular I should keep in mind or bring up? Am I better off finding an actual repair shop, or should I just throw it at Frys or something and hope for the best? Sadly, the mobo's the one thing I know next to nothing about, and still less about hardware repair.
In any case, thanks for the advice.
Now playing: Teardown and Baldur's Gate 3 (co-op)
Sunday Spotlight: Horror Tales: The Wine