F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Dell Vostro 400 is having trouble with its power switch.

Dell Vostro 400 is having trouble with its power switch.

Dell Vostro 400 is having trouble with its power switch.

L
Lizarraga
Junior Member
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09-27-2026, 06:42 AM
#1
I have an old Dell Vostro 400 minitower that I use for stuff like Windows 10, but it's actually pretty slow sometimes. My front power switch broke recently. A repair shop said they can't fix it because there isn't a new part for the switch inside the box. Instead, they wired a long wire from an old external switch into the computer. Right now, if I push that external switch, nothing happens at all. The only way to make it work is to unplug the power cord from the back and plug it in again. Usually, after unplugging and plugging back in, the external switch starts working and I can turn on my computer. Any tips?
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L
Lizarraga
09-27-2026, 06:42 AM #1

I have an old Dell Vostro 400 minitower that I use for stuff like Windows 10, but it's actually pretty slow sometimes. My front power switch broke recently. A repair shop said they can't fix it because there isn't a new part for the switch inside the box. Instead, they wired a long wire from an old external switch into the computer. Right now, if I push that external switch, nothing happens at all. The only way to make it work is to unplug the power cord from the back and plug it in again. Usually, after unplugging and plugging back in, the external switch starts working and I can turn on my computer. Any tips?

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T
tigg1000
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69
09-27-2026, 01:46 PM
#2
You tell me it no longer works lately. It's likely the new switch is broken too. You can check if it's dead by using a multimeter or an ohmmeter while you turn it on.
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T
tigg1000
09-27-2026, 01:46 PM #2

You tell me it no longer works lately. It's likely the new switch is broken too. You can check if it's dead by using a multimeter or an ohmmeter while you turn it on.

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H
hikakinv3
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48
10-03-2026, 12:21 PM
#3
One switch is one thing, but two leads makes me wonder if you just jumped the power pins right on the motherboard. Would that give you the same results as now? I'd try unplugging the main 24-pin cable from the power supply and then plugging it back in so it can scrape those dirty pins clean. If changing the jumper while bypassing the switch does nothing, I'll just suspect your power supply is bad.
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H
hikakinv3
10-03-2026, 12:21 PM #3

One switch is one thing, but two leads makes me wonder if you just jumped the power pins right on the motherboard. Would that give you the same results as now? I'd try unplugging the main 24-pin cable from the power supply and then plugging it back in so it can scrape those dirty pins clean. If changing the jumper while bypassing the switch does nothing, I'll just suspect your power supply is bad.

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