Dell XPS 8700 Won't Power On ONSITE

Mainstay

Mainstay

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Dell XPS 8700, 2 years old, brand new 650W power supply runs GREAT on our bench. Power readings are perfect. Stress test w/ max power consumption runs fantastic overnight.

Return to customer, won't power on. Tried in all of their outlets throughout their house... no go.

It gives a bad CMOS battery error, which I replaced (with doubt that that was a real error)... but no change.

Bring it back to my bench... works just fine.

.................. head scratch ...............

I will be going back with a UPS... but just in case that doesn't solve it, any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
 
Did you use a VOM to test their outlets to see what they look like. Also, check to see what their grounding looks like. I've had several times where machines had power on problems or died at a location but was fine in the shop. Turns out their grounding strap was corroded.
 
markverhyden said:
Did you use a VOM to test their outlets to see what they look like. Also, check to see what their grounding looks like. I've had several times where machines had power on problems or died at a location but was fine in the shop. Turns out their grounding strap was corroded.
Click to expand...

Grounding was high on my list of thoughts... but I was going to let the UPS handle the line grounding and voltage correction.

nlinecomputers said:
Also any device you plug into the system may be shorted. Keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc.
Click to expand...

No other devices were plugged in... I even removed graphics card and ran off of onboard chip...


Thank you for the ideas!
 
A voltage tester. The type you plug into the wall and then plug the appliance in so you can watch the supply voltage and current draw as you switch on the device. My guess is there's a significant issue with the power supply in the house.
 
glennd said:
A voltage tester. The type you plug into the wall and then plug the appliance in so you can watch the supply voltage and current draw as you switch on the device. My guess is there's a significant issue with the power supply in the house.
Click to expand...

I concur...

Do you happen to know of a decent one to look into?

I DON'T want to be a pretend electrician... so this would be a simple tool to add to my box which I would pull out on RARE occasions like this (i.e., I don't need a $1500 professional unit)... and I wouldn't know how to do anything beyond read a super simple read-out...
 
Mainstay said:
I concur...

Do you happen to know of a decent one to look into?

I DON'T want to be a pretend electrician... so this would be a simple tool to add to my box which I would pull out on RARE occasions like this (i.e., I don't need a $1500 professional unit)... and I wouldn't know how to do anything beyond read a super simple read-out...
Click to expand...
I have something like this:
http://www.jaycar.com.au/Power-Prod...oring/Power-Meters/Mains-Power-Meter/p/MS6115
in my toolbox. If I suspect something, I'll plug it in and look at the detected voltage. Various computer power supplies and assorted devices are better at coping with abnormal voltages than others so it's a judgement call but if it's outside of, say, +-10% I'll advise them to get an electrician to check it out. This is Australian obviously so you'll have to dig up something similar for your part of the world.
 
You can buy simple grounding testers for $5 at any hardware store. That is good enough to tell you you have a open ground or reversed hot.
 
perfect! - thank you guys! I will do some hardware visit =)

Thanks for the information!
 
Don't forget to check their AC power cable.

It's a long shot but I've seen them break internally when people stress them by pushing the back of the PC tightly against a wall. Over time the wire breaks but the insulation might still be intact.
 
Like Mr m said, bring a new A/C cable with you. Likely they would have problems with their other gear by now if there wasn't enough juice to boot a pc. Nline has a good point about the ground tester, if the hot is reversed, that could turn out to be a dangerous situation for them. Probably good practice to check when you're doing a setup, quick and easy. Think I'll toss one in my bag.
 
New Power Supply + New Power Cord... still no go... but good point, one can overlook the easy stuff.

I am going to stop by our local electrical supply place (bloody expensive stuff) and see if I can pick up their cheapest unit...

Their other equipment is working fine, which is why we are seriously confused... and the power supply I put in is a fractal design 650 W power supply... but obviously something is wrong here.
 
They are using an APC surge protector (not UPS).

I tried throughout their house (Yes, I walked around with their XPS tower and plugged it in to every wall socket I could easily reach), so where the fault is, I'm not sure.

But it powers on beautifully on my bench... which of course is a protected circuit... so that is the only difference in setups that I can readily spot.
 
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