Hi,

I have a Dell Dimension 4700 desktop that will not boot consistently. The problem is that sometimes when I turn it on it goes straight to a black screen that says:

Intel®Grantsdale-G PCI Accelerated SVGA BIOS
Build Number: 3414 PC Dev 04/12/2004 17:02:24
DECOMPILATION OR DISASSEMBLY PROHIBITED
COPYRIGHT © 2000-2003 Intel Corp. All Rights Reserved

It does not continue to the desktop, so I turn it off using the power button.

The history of this problem is that it did this for the first time one day a few months ago and I called Dell. When I called them and turned on my system it booted to the desktop, so instead of working on the problem with the rep I described the problem, hoping they could find out why it had not booted the few times before. They remotely controlled my system and looked around, and installed a missing audio driver. I tried my system later and it had the same problem. But the problem eventually stopped happening, and it hadn't happened since until today.

Two things I notice about this problem:

One, I keep my Dell unplugged. When I plug it in it makes a noise and then I turn it on. But when I have the problem, I plug it in and there is no noise before I turn it on (although I think there might have been some times when there had been no noise but it still booted). I turn it on and it goes straight to the screen I described.

Two, I believe the two times that this problem has happened has been when I have not used the computer for an extended period of time (2 weeks or so).

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Chris

Can you describe this noise you hear when you connect the power cable to the power supply? Have you tried a different power supply unit yet?

Hi GeekGirl,

The noise sounds like the noise made when the computer powers on. The power light on the front of the computer goes on for a second also. I believe it has always made the noise and lit the light when I have plugged in the PC or plugged in and turned on the surge suppressor.

I keep the computer plugged into a surge suppressor and I plug the surge suppressor into the outlet when I want to use the PC. I plugged the PC straight into the outlet today and got the same result, no noise, no light and booting to the "error screen" I mentioned.

I have wondered about the power supply since the noise/light is the other noticeable difference (that it is not happening now) and that it corresponds with me plugging in the pc or plugging in and turning on the surge suppressor.

Thanks for your help!

Chris

Swap out the power supply and let me know if it helps. Make sure you use a compatible psu, meaning enough power for the hardware installed.

Thanks, I'll try it and let you know this weekend.

Chris

Hi Geekgirl,

Could you tell me what info I need to know about my power supply so that I can find a compatible replacement? All I know is that it is made by Dell and it is 305w.

I read on About.com that "computer manufacturers use specially designed power supplies that have been built specifically for their systems. As a result, it is generally not possible to buy a replacement power supply and install it into these systems. If your power supply is having problems, you will likely need to contact the manufacturer for repairs."

But I replaced the psu on my Gateway a few years ago with one from CompUSA. I don't remember if I only needed to know the wattage or if there were other specifics that I need to know.

Also would a 300w psu be ok to replace my 305w? I looked at newegg.com and I did not see 305w.

Thanks again,

Chris

There are quite a few to choose from here: Dell Dimension 4700 power supply - Google Product Search