[Droghini123]

Hi peeps,

I need some help.
I got a Dell Optiplex GX520. When I try to boot, after the windows logo comes on screen, the pc goes into sleep mode. This also happens in safe mode.
I found out that it had a faulty HDD. So I replaced it.
However when I try to start from Windows install disk it goes into sleep mode right after it shows de Loading Windows logo.
I tried to go in to the bios to load the optimized settings but when I press F2 to load the system setup the computer goes into sleep mode.

So basically I cant do anything to boot or to re-install Windows.

some other things I tried:
- check PSU with PSU tester: PSU ok
- boot without DVD station: still going into sleep mode
- boot in safe mode: sleep mode again
- last known good configuration: sleep mode
- swapped RAM: still same issue... sleep mode FTL

I cant test GFX cause its on board and theres no AGP or PCI-e slot on the mobo.

anybody got any ideas???

[Droghini123]

nobody???

[valis]

how do you know it's going into sleep mode? Have you tried restoring it to an earlier date?

If it's booting into windows and then dozing off, at least the OS is most likely fine.

Hvae you considered booting with Puppy Linux and seeing what happens?

[Droghini123]

the monitor says going into sleep mode. so its not getting any signal anymore.

Ive checked the trouble shooting manual from dell. there I found the error codes for the LED status on the front panel.

the CMOS Battery was faulty so I replaced that.
Now I can access the BIOS again.

I'm doing a fresh windows install now. Problem looks like its solved.

[valis]

sweet.....nice job on hunting around for that. I will state, however, I've never heard of a cmos battery going bad and causing it to doze off. On my main home rig, the cmos battery is shot, and all I have to do is reset the time every time I reboot it.

keep us posted, eh?

[Droghini123]

Neither did I.
Like I said after replacing the HDD I couldnt load the bios anymore. Maybe something went wrong then.
I didnt notice the system state LEDs on the front panel till I was reading the dell trouble shoot manual.
It said there where two possible causes. one was PSU. but I had that one tested. The second was battery.
after I replaced that I could load the bios again. Had to set everything up again by hand. like date\time but also SATA and IDE settings.
after that the pc just boots from CD and I'm able to install windows.

maybe the CMOS just needed a reset after de HDD replacement. and taking out the battery did the trick.

pc working fine now with fresh install.

[valis]

well, it's good news at least, and I learned something new......so thanks for that.