Power button? Dimension XPS T450

carrietian099 · 12-16-2008, 05:32 PM

So, I've had this computer about 8 years, and recently the power button for my Dimension XPS T450 computer has not been working well. Like, I have to hold the button down for 5mins.+. untill the computer starts up..Everything else is ok.
Is it the computer? The power suppy? Or anything else? Or the Button? if it is the button, where can i buy a new one and how can I install it?

**OldGrayGary** · 12-16-2008, 11:44 PM

Hi carrietian099

If you are technically minded, you can look at exactly the things you mentioned: the power button itself, and perhaps the power supply. To be thorough, you'd probably also want to test most of the basic hardware, as it is now well into it's golden years & could use a few diagnostics.

But - first things first: for a quick glance at your system's health: check the four diagnostic lights at the back of your computer. The pattern in which they light up can tell you if the Dell has noticed anything wrong. All the information you need about these diagnostic lights, and many other basic troubleshooting, is in the "Reference & Troubleshooting Guide" for your Dell series --- http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...kub/8868d4.pdf --- (you'll need Adobe Reader to view the Troubleshooting Guide) --- Much of this same information can be also found in your "System Reference" (which can be viewed with any Internet browser) --- http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...dkub/index.htm

If the diagnostic light codes don't reveal the trouble, the "Removing & Replacing Parts" sections of the Reference Guide can tell you how to open the case & the front plastics to get a better look at the power connections. Make sure to read the antistatic and power precautions at the start of that section before opening anything. If the problem is simply a loose connection, that would be nice & easy to fix. If the problem is a busted switch, you might be able to find a replacement part (might not be that easy, but standard ATX switches are available, and these can sometimes be modified slightly to fit older cases). If you find that the problem is the power supply, there is a graphic in the Reference Guide that shows the "pin-out" of the power supply. Some of the older Dells had proprietary "pin-outs" for their power supplies (which means you had to replace the supply with a Dell power supply).

Another possibility (which would happily be very cheaply fixed) might be that the Bios battery on the motherboard has lost most of its oomph, and needs to be replaced. If so, your power-saving settings might have changed (because the battery is too weak to save your old settings anymore) --- and the PC may be going into a sleep state - or hibernation - of some sort, and the default action for the power button is now set to a different action (such as wake after the button is pressed for a certain length of time).

I mentioned other diagnostics at the start of this thread: to be thorough, these would be
1) Test the system memory ( http://www.memtest.org )
2) Test the hard drive ( http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 )
3) Check the Bios [see your Dell Guides] ... make sure the date/time haven't reverted backwards several years. If so, the CMOS ("Bios") battery truly does need replacing. Check that "Removing & Replacing Parts" section of the Reference Guide for details on that.

Best of luck ---
. . . Gary

12-16-2008, 05:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
carrietian099 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: U.s.a Posts: 1 OS: Dimension XPS T450	Power button? Dimension XPS T450 So, I've had this computer about 8 years, and recently the power button for my Dimension XPS T450 computer has not been working well. Like, I have to hold the button down for 5mins.+. untill the computer starts up..Everything else is ok. Is it the computer? The power suppy? Or anything else? Or the Button? if it is the button, where can i buy a new one and how can I install it? Last edited by carrietian099; 12-16-2008 at 05:34 PM.

12-16-2008, 11:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,240 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Re: Power button? Dimension XPS T450 Hi carrietian099 If you are technically minded, you can look at exactly the things you mentioned: the power button itself, and perhaps the power supply. To be thorough, you'd probably also want to test most of the basic hardware, as it is now well into it's golden years & could use a few diagnostics. But - first things first: for a quick glance at your system's health: check the four diagnostic lights at the back of your computer. The pattern in which they light up can tell you if the Dell has noticed anything wrong. All the information you need about these diagnostic lights, and many other basic troubleshooting, is in the "Reference & Troubleshooting Guide" for your Dell series --- http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...kub/8868d4.pdf --- (you'll need Adobe Reader to view the Troubleshooting Guide) --- Much of this same information can be also found in your "System Reference" (which can be viewed with any Internet browser) --- http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...dkub/index.htm If the diagnostic light codes don't reveal the trouble, the "Removing & Replacing Parts" sections of the Reference Guide can tell you how to open the case & the front plastics to get a better look at the power connections. Make sure to read the antistatic and power precautions at the start of that section before opening anything. If the problem is simply a loose connection, that would be nice & easy to fix. If the problem is a busted switch, you might be able to find a replacement part (might not be that easy, but standard ATX switches are available, and these can sometimes be modified slightly to fit older cases). If you find that the problem is the power supply, there is a graphic in the Reference Guide that shows the "pin-out" of the power supply. Some of the older Dells had proprietary "pin-outs" for their power supplies (which means you had to replace the supply with a Dell power supply). Another possibility (which would happily be very cheaply fixed) might be that the Bios battery on the motherboard has lost most of its oomph, and needs to be replaced. If so, your power-saving settings might have changed (because the battery is too weak to save your old settings anymore) --- and the PC may be going into a sleep state - or hibernation - of some sort, and the default action for the power button is now set to a different action (such as wake after the button is pressed for a certain length of time). I mentioned other diagnostics at the start of this thread: to be thorough, these would be 1) Test the system memory ( http://www.memtest.org ) 2) Test the hard drive ( http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 ) 3) Check the Bios [see your Dell Guides] ... make sure the date/time haven't reverted backwards several years. If so, the CMOS ("Bios") battery truly does need replacing. Check that "Removing & Replacing Parts" section of the Reference Guide for details on that. Best of luck --- . . . Gary __________________