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Originally Posted by Beest
Not sure how I'm going to test the voltages plugged in yet, I guess I'd have to contact on the solder ends on the other side of the board, whihc would mean a more major dissassembly job. I'll put some more thought into this.
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The previous post said:
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Measure a purple wire from PSU where it connects to the motherboard. It should read about 5 VDC.
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How did you measure the purple wire (5.02 volts)? Only one place to measure it. Push the meter probe into that nylon connector to touch a wire inside that connector. Do same for all other measurements.
Again, if not clear. Disconnect, remove, or disassemble nothing (other than the cover plate). Disconnecting or removing can make a problem more complex. If also not stated earlier, disconnecting sometimes can create more damage.
The entire task should take as little as 60 seconds. Touch the probe to each wire where it connects to the motherboard. Record those numbers and behavior. Post numbers. That's it. Most time should be spent posting those numbers.
Was this Inspiron 518 purchased in Best Buy? If those critically important Diagnostic lights are not on the front panel, then that MBA attitude says why. Best prices for a Dell means purchasing direct from Dell. Have seen too many products (even HP printers) missing essential functions to meet Best Buy's 'increase our profits at the expense of the customer' attitude.
From the Technology Guide for your machine:
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Some desktop computers have lights labeled with numbers on the front panel. When the computer starts normally, the lights flash, and then turn off. If the computer malfunctions, the sequence of the lights can be used to help
identify the problem.
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BTW, two updates have been available for Inspiron 518 after you purchased it in Mar 2009. One was a recommended update for the video display. The other was a critically important updatda for serial ATA. Enter that Service Tag into the Dell website (under Product Support) to learn more.