Dell Inspiron 545 desktop options

macgyver

Thanks. Will do it tomorrow morning. 
Did that manoeuvre suggested by grumpycrab now. No joy. Still the same. The beep which I hear is the same which used to happen everytime I turned on the pc when it was functional as well. But after the beep there are no other noises just the noise of the fan. 
Thanks

poppellerant

You won't hear the noise of the hard drive as you had disconnected it - one of the many benefits of an SSD is the reduction of noise.

Remove all the memory from the machine.  Check for any dust in the memory slots, blow (with compressed air if you have any to hand) into the memory slots, then reinsert your original memory one stick at a time, powering the machine on between each stick.  Perhaps when you inserted one of the new memory modules, one of the others came loose - hopefully reinserting them will resolve this.  If one of the modules are bad, then inserting them one at a time should identify the faulty one.

macgyver

Thanks. I have tried that but doesn't solve the issue. I have used all 4 memory slots individually with different RAM sticks but no joy. The same thing happens. I hear a beep, the fans come on but nothing else. I have got the original HDD in place as it was before but no activity I can hear.
Tried with SSD as well.

grumpycrab

if its a single beep then "1 beep: Possible motherboard failure or BIOS corruption".   So try a BIOS/CMOS reset. Assuming nothing on the screen at all at start (not even dell logo?), try CMOS reset via jumper...
EDIT: actually might be easier just to remove the CMOS battery; read here https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-uk/sln284985/how-to-perform-a-bios-or-cmos-reset-and-clear-the-nvram-on-dell-systems?lang=en

The CMOS contains the current BIOS settings. To reset the CMOS and clear those settings:

1. Turn off the computer and disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet.

2. Remove the computer cover.

3. Locate the 2-pin password connector (PSWD) on the system board.

4. Remove the 2-pin jumper plug.

5. Locate the 2-pin CMOS jumper (RTCRST) on the system board.

6. Move the 2-pin jumper plug from the password jumper to pins into the CMOS jumper.

7. Plug in AC power to the system and wait ten seconds for the CMOS to clear.

8. Move the 2-pin jumper plug back to the password jumper.

9. Replace the computer cover.

10. Connect your computer and devices to electrical outlets, and turn them on.

TheRightOne

Once you have removed all the RAM, cleaned their contacts with a pencil eraser and tested them individually, you may need to update the BIOS; https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-th/drivers/DriversDetails?driverid=r250485#3DOS

Download and save the file.
Then follow these instructions to update the BIOS: https://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/updating-your-bios-from-a-freedos-bootable-usb/

Did you unplug the PC, drain the power by pressing the power button for twenty seconds and earth yourself before attempting the swap?: 

macgyver

I did unplug the pc n touched the metal n earthed myself before swapping but did not press the power button for 20 sec.
Let me clean the memory sticks with eraser and test them again individually and see if it helps.
Thanks
Done the RAM n tested them individually. But no joy.
Need to update the BIOS. Let me save the file and go through the steps. Will keep you updated
Update: Created the Freedos Bootable USB and tried to start the system but again nothing happened.
Will try and find the PSWD and RTCRST on the motherboard and follow the steps suggested by grumpycrab and see if it helps.
Thank you all

macgyver

Tried the CMOS reset via jumper as suggested by grumpycrab but no effect.
Even removed the battery to reset; still didn't help.

TheRightOne

macgyver said:

I did unplug the pc n touched the metal n earthed myself before swapping but did not press the power button for 20 sec.
Let me clean the memory sticks with eraser and test them again individually and see if it helps.
Thanks
Done the RAM n tested them individually. But no joy.
Need to update the BIOS. Let me save the file and go through the steps. Will keep you updated
Update: Created the Freedos Bootable USB and tried to start the system but again nothing happened.
Will try and find the PSWD and RTCRST on the motherboard and follow the steps suggested by grumpycrab and see if it helps.
Thank you all

Describe the steps you took to try to start the system. Can you actually get to the BIOS set-up screen? Have you tried?

DoaM

While you've been inside doing various bits and pieces, have you accidentally knocked one of the other plugs on the motherboard? Are you sure all the required power connections from the PSU are properly fitted?

(Did you take photos of the insides before doing anything? Always a good idea so you know how things were in case you need to revert).

poppellerant

Remove and reconnect any plugs you see on the motherboard, especially the big one (20 / 24-pin ATX connector) to the right of the RAM and the 4-pin plug at the top left of the motherboard (shown as black wires in your image).

Also check the wires at the back of the computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, etc - reinsert these too.

Reinsert your original RAM as it was, then post a picture here of the installation to see if we can see anything amiss - try and get a photo from behind the memory, so we can double check that it's installed all the way.

Remove the CPU heatsink and put it back on again to see if anything changes.

If not, remove the heatsink again, note the CPU orientation (take a photo if you need to) then remove the CPU socket.  DO NOT TOUCH the gold wafer pins inside the CPU socket on the motherboard.  Using a little isopropyl alcohol, clean the pads on the processor itself - NOT the CPU socket on the motherboard.  Very carefully reinstall the CPU while not touching the wafer pins in the CPU socket on the motherboard, re-apply thermal compound if you have any, then reinstall the heatsink.

If you want or need to see more details or pictures, here is a link to the service manual which could help you out a lot so save it somewhere.

I know the possibility of updating the BIOS has been suggested, but when did you last change the battery on the motherboard? I doubt it would cause the symptoms currently being disabled, but it's one thing to rule out at minimal cost.