Dell Optiplex system is stopping operation.
Dell Optiplex system is stopping operation.
It has been quite some time since I worked with computers, and things have definitely changed. My Dell OptiPlex 780 has begun shutting down before it even fully boots up the operating system—usually taking five to ten minutes. It happens every time I power it on. Sometimes it lasts just a few minutes, other times up to twenty.
I blew out an inch of dust, but that didn’t make much difference. The fans are spinning, though not very quickly. I haven’t noticed any bulging or discolored capacitors in either the power supply or on the motherboard.
When it shuts down, the LED at the power connector on the motherboard goes out and the power supply loses all voltages. The purple (standby?) wire drops from 5v to around 1v. To get the power supply back online, I have to unplug it from the AC and let it discharge before plugging it back in. Once that’s done, the purple wire returns to 5v and the computer starts up again.
Does anyone know whether this is the power supply shutting down or if the main board is signaling the power supply to stop? I’d expect that unplugging the power supply from the mainboard should restore the 5v standby line, right? No?
I just don’t want to spend money on a new power supply if it’s not the issue. Thanks.
You're welcome. That was my understanding, but I wanted to confirm. Thank you.