Need Computer Help

[gld]

This computer was used to run my CNC Hot wire cutter, so not completely off machining subject.

I have this old Dell with Windows 7 Pro, that will not boot up. It comes up with a flashing cursor in the upper left hand corner of the screen.No beeps from the mother board. The hard drive is spinning and the fans are running.
Had this booted up last spring and it was fine then.

Thing I've done so far:
Re-seated memory
New cmos battery
Reinstalled all wires plugged into mother board

[J Tiers]

You might check to see if the CMOS has the correct "boot source" listed.

There is usually a way to access the CMOS setup during the boot process. A key combination. I do not know the one for your Dell, Dell sometimes does things differently. If you have the info for the machine, it should be in there. It may just be a particular function key, which you hit while the thing is booting (or trying to). Might be F12, or F10, etc. Try to start it, and keep hitting one of the function keys. If no joy, repeat, trying a different one.

You should be able to get to a CMOS setup screen, if the machine is generally capable of working. Then you can see if the setup selections (date, time, boot sequence, etc) make sense.

The "boot source" just points to the drive that has the Windows boot file. If it cannot access that, then basically nothing will happen. Normally it ought to default to C:, but that might have gotten corrupted. Often you have a choice, C:, or if the thing has floppy drives, A:. If it has USB ports, then one of those may be selectable. There is usually a sequence, like A:, then C:, or D: (USB) then C:, so that you can boot it from a different source if need be.

If you find the correct key combo, and it will not show you the CMOS screen, then there is a different issue.

[Paul Alciatore]

If you can't get the CMOS setup screen or even see anything on the screen, the first thing I would check is the power supply. You should be able to find +5 Volts and +12 Volts on the power connector for the mother board. Possible +3.3 Volts too. You can check with an analog or digital VOM.

If you don't find at least the +5 V and the +12 V, then repair or replace the power supply. Electrolytic capacitors often go bad after years of use so they are a frequent problem. They can leak fluids or the ends can become puffed out: both of these are signs of a bad capacitor.

[olf20]

Although there are several combinations, I believe the F12 key will get you into
the CMOS.
If power supply is good I have went on ebay and purchased a hard drive with WIn7
and installed it as my primary drive and used my old drive as a second HD with full
access to all my files and stuff.
olf20 / Bob

[lynnl]

Booting last spring but not now does sorta suggest a CMOS battery issue. Have you verified that new one is in fact a good one? ...just a thought.

[skunkworks]

check for blown caps too...

sam

[CarlByrns]

Most Dells use F2 or F12 to access the CMOS. If the keep-alive battery died, the CMOS is probably scrambled.

[metalfixer]

Sometimes mine won't boot up if there is a USB device plugged in.
Remove the USB device, and it boots up.
Larry

[J Tiers]

Sometimes mine won't boot up if there is a USB device plugged in.
Remove the USB device, and it boots up.
Larry

You likely have a "boot from USB first" set up. That's actually good, since you will be able to boot even if C: is NBG, with a chance to fix things..

[RB211]

If I read this right, he's saying the BIOS isn't even posting. A bad CMOS battery or no CMOS battery will not prevent a post from BIOS. Having the wrong boot device, or bad boot device also should not prevent a BIOS post, and the OS would say "No System Disk or Disk Error"
Of course it is a Dell, and they are notorious for not doing things the standard way...

[Glug]

No half measures.

[gld]

Thinks everyone your input. I'll do more checking this week.

[JRouche]

Sounds like a bootstrap issue. For sure the battery, sounds like. JR

Its kinda a joke really. A bootstrap command is one of the most basic commands. All systems still use it. Its mostly ignored. It is the simple lil program that fires off the main processor.

And yes, more often than not it is witha rechargeable battery. CMOS/// JR

[RB211]

Sounds like a bootstrap issue. For sure the battery, sounds like. JR

Its kinda a joke really. A bootstrap command is one of the most basic commands. All systems still use it. Its mostly ignored. It is the simple lil program that fires off the main processor.

And yes, more often than not it is witha rechargeable battery. CMOS/// JR

No, CMOS battery is simply used to keep settings when powered off and run the real time clock so the motherboard always knows the time. This is why when the battery goes dead you have to reset the date/time. The BIOS is the basic operating system that gets the CPU going and associated hardware, boot devices, etc. If the BIOS isn't posting, maybe the power supply has an issue on one of the legs or a hardware issue on the motherboard.
What needs to be determined is if infact the BIOS isn't posting or if it is hidden. Dell probably has some stupid custom firmware confusing things.

[MikeWI]

Does the PC have a speaker? The mother board will try to tell you what is wrong with a beep code. Usually, if it doesn't even get that far, the board is bad.

https://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm