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Hi,

I am running a Dell Dimension E310, and as of last week it was working fine. Now it does not power on, i.e. one presses the power button, and absolutely nothing happens.

I opened the case and found that the motherboard lights up when the psu is plugged in. And there do not seem to be any faulty connections. Since the motherboard lights up, does this preclude a bad psu?

Also I should mention that this computer is very rarely used, only turned on maybe once every 2 to 3 weeks. Could that have some kind of influence on what the problem might be?

Hi-- Welcome to PCHF.

While I am somewhat familiar with Dells--you get no sounds at all when you press that button ?
In particular-- no (even faint) beeps ?
Replacement-- from PC Power & Cooling (good company)

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...08590&ref=lmcd

Thanks for the welcome.

No sounds whatsoever. Its as if the power switch wasn't working. I tried to inspect the switch and it seems fine. I pulled off the front panel and pressed the switch directly, to no avail. I would be surprised if it were broken, since the computer was almost never moved and rarely used.

I am also unsure as where the switch connects to the motherboard. There is one wire (images here) connecting the switch to the motherboard, but I am unsure whether that is just for the front-panel USB devices. I tried disconnecting that to no avail, its stuck on tighter than any of the other wires on the board.

At first I assumed it was the power supply, but since the motherboard gets power, and I don't hear any noises or smell anything burning, I have no idea what it could be. Thank you again for the help.

Switches are cheap... but I'm leaning towards the PSU.
How much it was used is not really relevant...there could have been a power-surge (happens all over)
Any electonic device can quit suddenly.
The only way to be absolutely sure before you try the PSU-- is to take it into a shop and have it tested via a multimeter.
They could tell you if it's the switch/connectors etc. Because the Standby power led is lit means just that-- it has minimal power.
If the main 12v rail or something else is fried you might not get a beep.
It is probably the PSU. It could also be the motherboard-- but that would be quite rare. PSU's fail more often.