computer problems
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,413
Likes: 14
From: cape may county NJ
computer problems
I don't know whats wrong but it started last night after I shut it down because of a passing T storm.When I turned it on later the cooling fan sounded like it was running 10 x as fast as it should and I had no pic on my screen,shut it down and restarted it and every thing seemed to work but then it just froze no Ctrl Alt delete no nothing and it kept doing this every time I tried to start it up.
On friday it did the normal maintainance and every thing was good,now I can't get it to do any maintainance with out locking up,Everything is clean inside as I cleaned it 2 weeks ago,I am running McAfee,spybot and adaware.
I thought it was working good this AM but when I went to the link on the post about firing your welder it froze up at the end of the vid sound and all,I don't know how much time I have right now before it happens again so I don't know if I will be able to get back on here.
I don't know if it is software or hardware related but it sounds like the cooling fan is going to go right thru the roof when it happens,just what I need this time a year,
The system is a dell dimension 8400 w/xp.Anybody know where I can start to find out whats wrong sorry for the long post and I don't know a lot about computers
On friday it did the normal maintainance and every thing was good,now I can't get it to do any maintainance with out locking up,Everything is clean inside as I cleaned it 2 weeks ago,I am running McAfee,spybot and adaware.
I thought it was working good this AM but when I went to the link on the post about firing your welder it froze up at the end of the vid sound and all,I don't know how much time I have right now before it happens again so I don't know if I will be able to get back on here.
I don't know if it is software or hardware related but it sounds like the cooling fan is going to go right thru the roof when it happens,just what I need this time a year,
The system is a dell dimension 8400 w/xp.Anybody know where I can start to find out whats wrong sorry for the long post and I don't know a lot about computers
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 545
Likes: 0
From: Lockport, NY
since you stated you have xp try restore back to the last day you did not have this problem . this may solve the problem.
start
all programs
accessories
system tools
system restore
restore my computer to an earlier time
follow insructions on screen
if it does not solve do above steps but for last click "undo last restoration"
this will get you back to how it was before restoration. Keep us posted.
start
all programs
accessories
system tools
system restore
restore my computer to an earlier time
follow insructions on screen
if it does not solve do above steps but for last click "undo last restoration"
this will get you back to how it was before restoration. Keep us posted.
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,628
Likes: 0
From: Calgary, Canada
Kinda sounds like bad RAM. If your computer has 2 modules, take one out and try to operate the computer if it does the same thing, reinstall the ram and try the other module.
However, if there IS something wrong with the fan, the CPU could be overheating.
However, if there IS something wrong with the fan, the CPU could be overheating.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 699
Likes: 0
From: northern Michigan
I have an intermittant problem only when on the web which appears to be due to noise on the phone lines. Mine will either lock up or just stop transfering data. works fine off line. You need to see if yours runs good off line, if it does you could have a damaged modem or damaged phone lines. Dell also supplies a driver reset tool, give it a try and see if it helps.
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,413
Likes: 14
From: cape may county NJ
Well its totally dead now I am using a borrowed Dell latitude 510 laptop.
After I restored it back and ran spybot and addaware it seemed to be working good until the wife came home and tried to run something in McAfee,now when it starts up it either sounds normal but has no signal to the monitor and if you restart it the cooling fan is racing and no monitor or it will have video signal but freeze before you can do anything,I can't even get it to start in safe mode,so it looks like I am going to have to get it looked at and it sucks because when it started to give me a problem I tried to back it up but it froze,but at least there isn't to much that I will lose as I do back up The real important stuff right away.
I only know one place that I trust to take it and it is $150 just to walk in their door.
After I restored it back and ran spybot and addaware it seemed to be working good until the wife came home and tried to run something in McAfee,now when it starts up it either sounds normal but has no signal to the monitor and if you restart it the cooling fan is racing and no monitor or it will have video signal but freeze before you can do anything,I can't even get it to start in safe mode,so it looks like I am going to have to get it looked at and it sucks because when it started to give me a problem I tried to back it up but it froze,but at least there isn't to much that I will lose as I do back up The real important stuff right away.
I only know one place that I trust to take it and it is $150 just to walk in their door.
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,564
Likes: 5,601
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
my dell ate 3 hard drives before a lightning storm fried the motherboard 2 years ago.
i scavenged it for parts, and went to best buy and got an e-machines(generic gateway)T3508 multimedia machine for $358 minus monitor.
i have not had any problems in the 2 years, except for the mcaffe that it came with. but i dumped that within 3 days and installed Norton.
i scavenged it for parts, and went to best buy and got an e-machines(generic gateway)T3508 multimedia machine for $358 minus monitor.
i have not had any problems in the 2 years, except for the mcaffe that it came with. but i dumped that within 3 days and installed Norton.
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,562
Likes: 2
From: Southern MD
Originally Posted by GlennFordx4
I don't know whats wrong but it started last night after I shut it down because of a passing T storm.When I turned it on later the cooling fan sounded like it was running 10 x as fast as it should and I had no pic on my screen,shut it down and restarted it and every thing . . .
Originally Posted by GlennFordx4
Well its totally dead now I am using a borrowed Dell latitude 510 laptop.
After I restored it back and ran spybot and addaware it seemed to be working good until the wife came home and tried to run something in McAfee,now when it starts up it either sounds normal but has no signal to the monitor and if you restart it the cooling fan is racing and no monitor or it will have video signal but freeze before you can do anything,I can't even get it to start in safe mode,so it looks like I am going to have to get it looked at and it sucks because when it started to give me a problem I tried to back it up but it froze,but at least there isn't to much that I will lose as I do back up The real important stuff right away.
I only know one place that I trust to take it and it is $150 just to walk in their door.
After I restored it back and ran spybot and addaware it seemed to be working good until the wife came home and tried to run something in McAfee,now when it starts up it either sounds normal but has no signal to the monitor and if you restart it the cooling fan is racing and no monitor or it will have video signal but freeze before you can do anything,I can't even get it to start in safe mode,so it looks like I am going to have to get it looked at and it sucks because when it started to give me a problem I tried to back it up but it froze,but at least there isn't to much that I will lose as I do back up The real important stuff right away.
I only know one place that I trust to take it and it is $150 just to walk in their door.
Since you said that you shut it down before a T-storm, you POSSIBLY could have a power supply going bad.
Fans running too fast. . . too much voltage on that side of the transformer.
No video signal. . . . no/too little voltage on that side of the transformer.
Just a WAG, but, power supply is cheaper than MB or new pc.
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Elder User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 513
Likes: 0
From: Zimmerman, MN
I would second what BlueOval stated. I've had 3 different computers in the home office drop the power supply, and they had symptoms very much like yours.
go to eBay, search for Dell 8400 power supply (got 26 hits when I searched for that). Any of the 300W supplies should fit your needs as the one that came from factory wouldn't have been any larger than that anyway.
Good luck
go to eBay, search for Dell 8400 power supply (got 26 hits when I searched for that). Any of the 300W supplies should fit your needs as the one that came from factory wouldn't have been any larger than that anyway.
Good luck
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,413
Likes: 14
From: cape may county NJ
Originally Posted by 00BlueOvalRanger
Since you said that you shut it down before a T-storm, you POSSIBLY could have a power supply going bad.
Fans running too fast. . . too much voltage on that side of the transformer.
No video signal. . . . no/too little voltage on that side of the transformer.
Just a WAG, but, power supply is cheaper than MB or new pc.
Fans running too fast. . . too much voltage on that side of the transformer.
No video signal. . . . no/too little voltage on that side of the transformer.
Just a WAG, but, power supply is cheaper than MB or new pc.
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,413
Likes: 14
From: cape may county NJ
I have decided to try replacing the power supply first and see if it will work if not at least I know it has a new 350 watt power supply in it I also got a new cpu cooling fan,so I spent a wopping $30 to take a chance.
If this all works out I have a list of upgrades I want to install and the one thing I want to change is my sound card but don't know a lot about them,I am using my pc more and more for music and it has a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card now with remote and 5.1 dolby surround sound with a sub but I really can't get as much volume as I would like,I was looking at the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 anybody know anything about them or could steer me in the right direction.
A friend just got a new dell and the sound out of that was so good he got rid of his stereo system in his livingroom,but he doesn't know what kind of sound card is in it.
If this all works out I have a list of upgrades I want to install and the one thing I want to change is my sound card but don't know a lot about them,I am using my pc more and more for music and it has a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card now with remote and 5.1 dolby surround sound with a sub but I really can't get as much volume as I would like,I was looking at the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 anybody know anything about them or could steer me in the right direction.
A friend just got a new dell and the sound out of that was so good he got rid of his stereo system in his livingroom,but he doesn't know what kind of sound card is in it.
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,628
Likes: 0
From: Calgary, Canada
Chances are it's not the sound card but the amp and speaker setup. I'd look at that first. Do some google searching for the setup you have and see what other people are saying about it and to find out what is good. Also, check the mixer settings, sometimes programs will change the volume levels and you don't realize it.
Your friend is probably using the onboard sound, if he doesn't know anything else about it.
Your friend is probably using the onboard sound, if he doesn't know anything else about it.
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,509
Likes: 0
From: Northern Massachusetts
whats the tag# on that unit, did you check to see if it's under warranty? some dells carry a 3 year warranty --- there is a known capacitor defect on many of the dell pc's
i have seen it on many optiplex 270's 280's and PR670'S i wonder if it might affect the dimensions? the fan racing is one of the common signs of the capacitor failure.
i have seen it on many optiplex 270's 280's and PR670'S i wonder if it might affect the dimensions? the fan racing is one of the common signs of the capacitor failure.
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,413
Likes: 14
From: cape may county NJ
I installed the new power supply and pcu cooling fan today and no change as soon as you power it up the pcu cooling fan is running very fast and nothing else, no pic no nothing I don't know what else to try it will cost me the same price for a motherboard as it will to have someone look at it so I am kinda stuck.
Hawk,what tag # are you refering to it is a dell dimension 8400 and the only tag I see on it has #jpz9r51
Hawk,what tag # are you refering to it is a dell dimension 8400 and the only tag I see on it has #jpz9r51
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,236
Likes: 2
From: Vancouver Island
Based on that tag number, you have 268 days left of some kind of support from Dell. Go to http://support.dell.com and find an 800 number to call. Get comfortable, have a supply of food and drink handy, and use a plug-in phone because you may be on hold for a very long time.