Weird Dell Start-up Glitch

[Dan T.]

So I power on the Dell computer. Lights come on, fan starts, disk starts humming. For about 3 seconds. Then it shuts down. Then it starts up again on its own. Lights come on, fan starts, disk starts humming. For about 3 seconds. Then it shuts down. Ad infinitim.

Any ideas what might be causing this, and how I might fix it? Thanks folks.

[Mufumonk]

So I power on the Dell computer. Lights come on, fan starts, disk starts humming. For about 3 seconds. Then it shuts down. Then it starts up again on its own. Lights come on, fan starts, disk starts humming. For about 3 seconds. Then it shuts down. Ad infinitim.

Any ideas what might be causing this, and how I might fix it? Thanks folks.

It has become self aware. Someone better call Arnold.

[SUSkinsFan]

It's not a glitch, its a feature

[DButz65]

Is the battery in it? Is it plugged into the AC power?

If both, remove the battery then try it, if it turns on okay then, the battery
is probably fried.


edit: nm thought u said it was a laptop lol


Sounds like something is grounding out, or ... the vid card or processor came unseated somehow, or it may be a bad power supply.

[Cdowwe]

I actually had this happen a couple years ago. The only way I could fix is what to insert the reinstallation disk, and reload windows.

[jnhay]

It might be your power supply crapping out or something overheating. Maybe you need to clean your computer. How old is it?

[LD0506]

It doesn't give you a single beep for posting? Check and see if your RAM is seated properly.

There are actually a few different basic things you'll want to check before you start looking to replace components.

[mjah]

The first thing that came to my mind was the power supply.

[Dan T.]

Thanks for the responses.

This had happened before. Power cord checked out fine. Dust-busted the hell out of it. We had a guy look at it and he reinstalled Windows, which worked for about a month and a half. Now the same problem is back. Might be time to bite the bullet and buy a new one.

[aszumilo]

What model is it? On some of the Dell models we use at work (GX260 and GX270) some of the capacitors, on the motherboard, start to leak. If you open the case look around the CPU/Fan assembly and you will see round cylinders. They should be nice and flat on top, not bulged, and there should not be any substance on top. They should be flat and shiny. If you do see any like that, that is what your problem will be. Dell had a class action lawsuit brought against them, so, you may have some recourse if this is what the problem is.

[PokerPacker]

wait, by "dust-busted", does that mean you used a vacuum cleaner or compressed air? you do not want to vacuum a computer.

[praise_gibbs]

you do not want to vacuum a computer.


:rotflmao:


Don't know why.. but, this made me laugh out loud. I can just picture someone doing that.

[PokerPacker]

:rotflmao:


Don't know why.. but, this made me laugh out loud. I can just picture someone doing that.
believe it or not, one of our clients did so to one of thier computers while it was on

[E-Dog Night]

believe it or not, one of our clients did so to one of thier computers while it was on

Oh I believe it.

A friend of mine in the IT business got a support call from a frustrated woman who wasn't able to get her computer to turn on. After my friend asked "Is it plugged in?", the woman said she couldn't see if it was or not, because her office had gone dark with a power outage.

My friend likes to refer to these as "i-d-10-t" errors.

As far as the OP goes, my former housemate had the same problem several years ago, also with a Dell. Turns out some particularly nasty spyware had been downloaded and installed in his boot directory, ceasing the bootup process. I chose the "revert to last known safe configuration" option and scrubbed the thing with SpySweeper and Macafee. It still had some problems, but it would at least boot up.

The moral of the story is this: free porn=spyware. The wierder the porn, the nastier the bug.

[Walking Deadman]

I was thinking virus or spyware if it's not power supply.

[stevenaa]

Sounds like your not even getting to POST where memory info an such displays on the screen before Windows starts. If that is the case, it is definately a hardware issue. Power supply is a candidate, but so is bad memory, processor, etc. If you have another system, you could do some parts swapping to find the problem.

[Enter Apotheosis]

believe it or not, one of our clients did so to one of thier computers while it was on

So? Thats what you're supposed to do. Actually, did he remember to adorn a tutu and stick a penny in the nearest electrical socket? I guess it wouldn't work if he forgot about that...

[E-Dog Night]

So? Thats what you're supposed to do. Actually, did he remember to adorn a tutu and stick a penny in the nearest electrical socket? I guess it wouldn't work if he forgot about that...

Also, remember to rub mayonnaise on the motherboard once a week. Hellman's works best.

[frommd]

So I power on the Dell computer. Lights come on, fan starts, disk starts humming. For about 3 seconds. Then it shuts down. Then it starts up again on its own. Lights come on, fan starts, disk starts humming. For about 3 seconds. Then it shuts down. Ad infinitim.

Any ideas what might be causing this, and how I might fix it? Thanks folks.

I had the same problem about a year ago. Mine was under warranty and they came out and replaced the motherboard. Haven't had any problems since.

[Enter Apotheosis]

Also, remember to rub mayonnaise on the motherboard once a week. Hellman's works best.

Mayonnaise is a great conductor. I agree that Hellman's is top-notch for PC repair and I'd also advice that you age it for a month or two in direct sunlight for optimal performance.

[Larry]

Thanks for the responses.

This had happened before. Power cord checked out fine. Dust-busted the hell out of it. We had a guy look at it and he reinstalled Windows, which worked for about a month and a half. Now the same problem is back. Might be time to bite the bullet and buy a new one.

I wouldn't have thought this sounded like a software problem.

But if re-installing Windows fixed it, then it was a software problem.

One way to narrow it down without wiping out your information, first: Tey booting from a bootable CD (like the Windows CD). (You'll have to press the "any" key.) If you can boot from a CD and sit there for an hour, then it's not a heat or power problem, and then you can consider the dreaded "format and re-install".

[Westbrook36]

Your power supply is done.

IT IS NOT A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. DO NOT GIVE THIS GUY ADVICE THAT IS GOING TO SCREW UP HIS COMPUTER.

Again, your power supply is done and needs to be replaced.

[Buford]

It happened to my Dell laptop a few years ago. The harddrive went bad.

It was covered, so I got a new one. But, they won't help you recover the data

[Larry]

Yep, based on your description, PS is what I'd bet on.

Except for the "he re-installed Windows and that fixed it" part.

[Enter Apotheosis]

If he's not even getting to the BIOS then how is he installing Windows on it? If its just being inconsistent, I'd hedge my bets with the power supply...

[Larry]

Repeating: Easy way to rule out software (and I don't think it's software) is to try to boot from a CD. Or just boot to the BIOS setup screen. (I think most Dells use F1 for setup, but I always have to try several times.)

If you're booting from a CD (or in the BIOS setup), then the system hasn't accessed your hard drive yet. So if the problem still occurs, then it's NOT software.