[realapp]

Ok, I did this and it still goes to the same screen. shows the Dell screen and then all the data previosly listed. Then goes to black screen

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Ok, I would not do anymore now until you get the correct PSU so that the system can be put back together securely.
What is happening is the OS (operating system) is failing to load, this may simply be because the HDD is not getting a stable supply of power.
Do you have the Windows XP or recovery disk/s that came with the computer, you may need to do a repair installation when you fit the new PSU.

[phillpower2]

Ok, I would not do anymore now until you get the correct PSU so that the system can be put back together securely.
What is happening is the OS (operating system) is failing to load, this may simply be because the HDD is not getting a stable supply of power.
Do you have the Windows XP or recovery disk/s that came with the computer, you may need to do a repair installation when you fit the new PSU.

[realapp]

Yikes! Actually I already have the new PSU. This was after I put it in. Please tell me that it has not messed with my data? I haven't backed up anything.

Will check for the recovery disk, etc. Should have it.

Ok, have the Dell disk that says "Reinstallation CD- Microsoft Windows XP HOme Edition.

Edited by realapp, 29 December 2010 - 06:44 PM.

[phillpower2]

Ok, if the computer is all back together securely we can look at doing a repair installation of XP if required.
Do you know how to get into the BIOS to change the boot sequence?
To change Boot Sequence in your BIOS
Reboot the system and at the first post screen (where it is counting up memory) start tapping the F1 F2 or DEL button;
This will enter you into the Bios/Cmos area.
Find the Advanced area and click Enter
Look for Boot Sequence or Boot Options and highlight that click Enter
Now highlight the first drive and follow the directions on the bottom of the screen on how to modify it and change it to CDrom.
Change the second drive to the C or Main Drive
Once that is done then click F10 to Save and Exit
You will prompted to enter Y to verify Save and Exit. Click Y and the system will now reboot with the new settings.
Pop the Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition disk into the CD/DVD drive tray before the last step please and then follow the on screen instructions for "Repair Installation" nothing else, if you are unsure post back.
Info for a repair installation of XP can be found below;
http://www.microsoft...ips/doug92.mspx

[realapp]

Ok, I got into boot sequence. But just a note before that.
When I first tried to power on the computer I didn't get anything, just blank screen and tried to hit del, F1, etc. I shut everything down unplugged mouse, keyboard, monitor, replugged only mouse and monitor. When I leave off keyboard I notice all 4 green lights are on the back as opposed to just the 3.
I then plugged the keyboard back in (after shutting everythign down again) and 3 green lights again. The keyboard does light up and is functional.

I do have another computer that I am using the monitor and keyboard just to be safe ( a Dell just slightly older)to do the steps you are suggesting. Didn't know if the light code and keyboard issue might be somehting?

NOw, having said that.... When I go into Advanced, the only option is Boot Configuration and I can highlight either Plug and Play (set to No) Reset Config Date (set to No) or Numlock (set to Yes)


Also, I did get a new Battery, should I install it before doing all this? And do I need to change date/time?


Instead of going into Advanced, there is an option for Boot. When I go into it, I have an option of "Boot Device Priority", Under that I can select 1st boot (Removable Dev.), 2nd Boot (Hard Drive) 3rd Boot (ATAPI CD-ROM)

Edited by realapp, 29 December 2010 - 09:17 PM.

[phillpower2]

Also, I did get a new Battery, should I install it before doing all this? And do I need to change date/time?

If the computer is 8yrs old replacing the CMOS battery now is a good idea, they can be fine one minute and dead the next, yes you will need to reset the time and date, this helps keep the data on your computer current and helps with updates, once you have reset the time and make sure you save the new settings and exit, it makes sense to do the above before and if you do the Repair Installation of XP (if necessary).

Instead of going into Advanced, there is an option for Boot. When I go into it, I have an option of "Boot Device Priority", Under that I can select 1st boot (Removable Dev.), 2nd Boot (Hard Drive) 3rd Boot (ATAPI CD-ROM)

You need to change the boot sequence to 1st: ATAPI CD-ROM 2nd: Hard Drive 3rd: Removable device.
To change the sequence; 1st: Highlight Removable device and press "enter" change this to CD-Rom 2nd: Leave this as the HDD 3rd: Highlight CD-Rom and change it to Removable device, a lot of people do not bother with the 3rd option, I would as it gives you another boot option in the future such as booting from an external HDD or flash drive.
As mentioned earlier you must save these new settings before you exit, normally by pressing F10 and then Y to accept, be sure to have the XP disk in the drive as the computer will now reboot.

When I leave off keyboard I notice all 4 green lights are on the back as opposed to just the 3.
I then plugged the keyboard back in (after shutting everything down again) and 3 green lights again. The keyboard does light up and is functional.

Strange, the light sequence you are describing is indicative of either a HDD or CD?DVD drive error
What actually happens if you let the computer boot normally does it still fail at the Dell splash screen?

[realapp]

Also, I did get a new Battery, should I install it before doing all this? And do I need to change date/time?

If the computer is 8yrs old replacing the CMOS battery now is a good idea, they can be fine one minute and dead the next, yes you will need to reset the time and date, this helps keep the data on your computer current and helps with updates, once you have reset the time and make sure you save the new settings and exit, it makes sense to do the above before and if you do the Repair Installation of XP (if necessary).

Instead of going into Advanced, there is an option for Boot. When I go into it, I have an option of "Boot Device Priority", Under that I can select 1st boot (Removable Dev.), 2nd Boot (Hard Drive) 3rd Boot (ATAPI CD-ROM)

You need to change the boot sequence to 1st: ATAPI CD-ROM 2nd: Hard Drive 3rd: Removable device.
To change the sequence; 1st: Highlight Removable device and press "enter" change this to CD-Rom 2nd: Leave this as the HDD 3rd: Highlight CD-Rom and change it to Removable device, a lot of people do not bother with the 3rd option, I would as it gives you another boot option in the future such as booting from an external HDD or flash drive.
As mentioned earlier you must save these new settings before you exit, normally by pressing F10 and then Y to accept, be sure to have the XP disk in the drive as the computer will now reboot.

When I leave off keyboard I notice all 4 green lights are on the back as opposed to just the 3.
I then plugged the keyboard back in (after shutting everything down again) and 3 green lights again. The keyboard does light up and is functional.

Strange, the light sequence you are describing is indicative of either a HDD or CD?DVD drive error
What actually happens if you let the computer boot normally does it still fail at the Dell splash screen?

When you say "boot normall" do you mean with everything plugged in? I guess regardless it fails at the Dell splash screen.

[realapp]

Ok, this is what happended. I was in the boot sequence (Just left it there until I got your previous response. I had bought a new battery but hadn't changed it yet. I noticed the time was correct but not the date. So I changed the date and exited and voila XP came up. Alos, have 4 solid green lights now.

I wonder could this be from removing the battery the very first time it was suggested to? In other words, if I had just replaced the PSU and not removed the battery?

Now, I'm half afraid to put in the new battery. Should I go ahead and do this still?


Ok, discovered new problem. I think the monitor might be bad. On the initiall try (above) I had my other computer monitor and keyboard plugged in. When I tried plugging in the keyboard and monitor for this computer everything booted to desktop but my screen kept going to black. I then shut down, plugged back in the other keyboard, same thing. I switched them all out one by one (shutting down each time). With the current keyboard (not other computer keyboard) and other computer monitor everything is fine. But as soon as I go back to this computer's monitor it will go to black again. If I hit the power button on the monitor it will bring the screen back up but just for a second.

Edited by realapp, 30 December 2010 - 09:49 AM.

[phillpower2]

I wonder could this be from removing the battery the very first time it was suggested to? In other words, if I had just replaced the PSU and not removed the battery?

Possibly, stranger things have happened, I am curious though how the time was right but not the date

Now, I'm half afraid to put in the new battery. Should I go ahead and do this still?

No not while you are making progress, put the battery aside for safe keeping you always know you have one then.

Ok, discovered new problem. I think the monitor might be bad.

Please post the monitor details.
When you have swapped monitors have you swapped the display lead also, check the cables condition including the end connectors, look for bent pins and when you re-connect the lead ensure it is secure both ends (finger tighten only).

But as soon as I go back to this computer's monitor it will go to black again. If I hit the power button on the monitor it will bring the screen back up but just for a second

Checking the above out may identify the cause of this else wise it may be the monitor has a bad power switch, a loose connection or a bad inverter.

Edit: Just wanted to suggest if it does transpire that the monitor does have issues I would use the other monitor for now and make sure that XP is fully updated and then back up your HDD by either burning them to disk, using an external USB HDD enclosure or thumb drives.

Edited by phillpower2, 30 December 2010 - 11:35 AM.

[realapp]

I wonder could this be from removing the battery the very first time it was suggested to? In other words, if I had just replaced the PSU and not removed the battery?

Possibly, stranger things have happened, I am curious though how the time was right but not the date

Now, I'm half afraid to put in the new battery. Should I go ahead and do this still?

No not while you are making progress, put the battery aside for safe keeping you always know you have one then.

Ok, discovered new problem. I think the monitor might be bad.

Please post the monitor details.
When you have swapped monitors have you swapped the display lead also, check the cables condition including the end connectors, look for bent pins and when you re-connect the lead ensure it is secure both ends (finger tighten only).

But as soon as I go back to this computer's monitor it will go to black again. If I hit the power button on the monitor it will bring the screen back up but just for a second

Checking the above out may identify the cause of this else wise it may be the monitor has a bad power switch, a loose connection or a bad inverter.

Edit: Just wanted to suggest if it does transpire that the monitor does have issues I would use the other monitor for now and make sure that XP is fully updated and then back up your HDD by either burning them to disk, using an external USB HDD enclosure or thumb drives.

Thank you for all of your help Regarding backing up. What do you think is the fastest, most reliable and inexpensive way to do this?

And what or how do I post monitor details?

Edited by realapp, 30 December 2010 - 01:01 PM.

[phillpower2]

Thank you for all of your help Regarding backing up. What do you think is the fastest, most reliable and inexpensive way to do this?

This depends on different things, how much data is on the HDD to back up, is your CD drive the CD burner type, do you have blank disks if so how many, this is the cheapest option, external USB HDD, quick but if you do not already own or can loan one it means time and money to obtain one, on the + side it would mean you have the ability to transfer data easier in the future should you decide on a purchase, thumb drives, same as the external HDD but a more expensive option as you would need to purchase as many drives as is needed to copy all data to.
So for me dependent on whether your CD is a burner type and you have enough disks or not I would opt for:
1: External USB HDD
2: Back up to disk (if option is available)
3: Thumb drives
There is another option but I am not sure whether you would go for it after your recent issues, remove the HDD, fit it into your 2nd computer as a Slave Drive and copy it across to the other HDD, this will only be possible if there is enough storage space on the other HDD amongst a couple of other things that may prevent it.

EDIT; Sorry, posting monitor details, what is the make and model or series number and thats it

Edited by phillpower2, 30 December 2010 - 01:46 PM.

[realapp]

Ok, thank you for that info. Very helpful in making a decision.

Also, regarding the monitor.I checked connections and undone/redone them. Still same issue. I haven't tried hooking "bad" monitor up to other computer to see if it would work on another computer. What are your thoughts on this?

I hate to toss it if it is just a matter of retweaking after power supply issue. But, I know I can pick up a used one fairly cheap if it is more work than it is worth.

Monitor details: Dell Model # E153FPb, I believe the serial # is MX-OD5421-46634-49E-2RFU (doesn't say "serial number") just has this number. It a 15 inch flat panel

Edited by realapp, 30 December 2010 - 02:00 PM.

[phillpower2]

I haven't tried hooking "bad" monitor up to other computer to see if it would work on another computer. What are your thoughts on this?

It is the correct way to test the monitor for sure, however when diagnosing computer problems it is important to stick to one issue at a time so as to avoid confusion, that is why I said in post #39

Just wanted to suggest if it does transpire that the monitor does have issues I would use the other monitor for now and make sure that XP is fully updated and then back up your HDD by either burning them to disk, using an external USB HDD enclosure or thumb drives.

Don`t forget the monitor details so I can do some research.

Edit: got monitor details

Edited by phillpower2, 30 December 2010 - 02:06 PM.

[realapp]

Monitor details: Dell Model # E153FPb, I believe the serial # is MX-OD5421-46634-49E-2RFU (doesn't say "serial number") just has this number. It a 15 inch flat panel

I do have the Other monitor hooked up for now (but it leaves my kids without a monitor as I took it from their's ) so I was trying to figure out if I need to replace this one or can I fix it.

I guess what I was trying to get at is, if I hook the "bad" monitor up to the other computer(kids) do you think this is safe? Of course, it isn't like they have anything on their's that is really necessary

Sorry, just was reading other post and wanted to make sure I'm making myself clear.

The computer doesn't shut down when the monitor goes black. It just goes black. Then, if I hit the monitor power button the screen will come back up (just as it was) for a second, then go black again.

Edited by realapp, 30 December 2010 - 02:18 PM.

[phillpower2]

Apologies for the delay in replying to your last post.
It will do no harm to the other computer by attaching the Dell screen to it, so we don`t go off topic too much about the Dell screen I will only suggest what may be causing the symptoms, a failed/faulty back light or the degauss coil needs cleaning or replacing which may be the favorite for the problem.
Where are you up to with resolving the other issue, is the computer running stably now with the good monitor leaving only backing your data up to be done!
Here is an external USB HDD for you to consider: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822148404
I know its close on $60 you could probably do without laying out after Christmas but the pros well outweigh the cons, you will have 500GB of extra storage space, you can back up you data as often as you need, you can back up data from your second computer to swap files etc, I can go on but I'm rambling now