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September 7th, 2017 19:00
Dell XPS 730x locking at boot screen
I think I know the answer to this question, but I want to get some other opinions before I put money into an old desktop. About a year ago I bought an old Dell XPS 730x from a friend of mine. When I got it from him, he was having a problem where it would hang at startup at the Dell splash screen. The system originally had 2 hard drives, 3 DVD drives, and one external hard drive connected to it. This problem continued after I got it. Right now it had 6 internal hard drives, 2 being SSD’s, 3 external hard drives, an external DVD drive, an Nvidia 1060x video card (not in it originally), and a 1000 watt power supply. The problem is pretty inconsistent, but it just hangs at startup. Most of the time, the progress bar will get stuck at about the 50% mark, and if I power cycle the system, it boots up OK. Sometimes it will boot OK with no issues, and sometimes (like lately) it takes 5-6 power cycles to get it up and running. I am pretty sure this thing needs a new system board, but I want a few more opinions! Here is what I have tried up to now to get the problem resolved!
- Updated the BIOS 3X. Two Dell, and it currently has an Alienware bios
- Removing all external devices from system except a PS/2 keyboard.
- Disconnected all internal drives except the boot drive
- Disabled all drives in BIOS under boot options except the main drive. This setting does not stick, and will randomly change for some odd reason.
- I have disconnected power, removed the CMOS battery for about 30 minutes, and held down the power button for about 30 seconds to reset the BIOS and get rid of built up static on the motherboard.
- Tested the hard drive for errors.
- Replaced ram chips
The problem occurred when I had Windows 7 and 10 on it, but I am convinced it has nothing to do with the OS. It sticks long before Windows even has a chance to load. It also sticks regardless if the system is overclocked, or set to all default settings. I am open to any and all options as I really do not want to put too much $$ into this thing! Thank you to anyone in advance!
RoHe
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September 8th, 2017 12:00
Power supply failing? What color is power button when it won't boot and steady or blinking?
You pulled the motherboard battery and reinstalled it, but did you ever install a new battery? If a weak battery isn't holding BIOS settings correctly, it can fail to boot.
G_McNuttles
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September 8th, 2017 21:00
The CMOS battery is new, and the power light is steady white, like it is on and there is nothing wrong. A co-worker suggested the power supply was going, but I have not thought too much about it since the system runs great after it boots. I have a 700 watt one somewhere and can swap it out to test. Thanks for the suggestion!
G_McNuttles
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September 24th, 2017 15:00
I just found a refurb'ed power supply for this desktop and I should have it this week sometime. Unfortunately, Dell put in a PSU that uses a proprietary wiring harness, so my spare power supplies I have will not work. I will update this post when I get the unit swapped out!
G_McNuttles
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October 11th, 2017 02:00
Looks like the new power supply fixed the problem! My XPS has been booting with no problems for 2 weeks now!! Thank you!!! I kept the old one as I would love to find out what inside this thing is failing that caused the problem.
RoHe
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October 11th, 2017 12:00
Glad the replacement PSU fixed it.
You want to do a post-mortem on the PSU? Just let the poor ole thing rest in peace, in a dumpster somewhere! :emotion-5:
G_McNuttles
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November 21st, 2017 16:00
Well, it worked well for over a month, but it is now doing it all over again! ;p(