Dell Optiplex SX280 Troubleshooting

Make sure the power cable is plugged in to a properly functioning electrical outlet, and ensure that you've properly connected the adapter to the desktop tower. Once the adapter is properly connected the light ON THE ADAPTER will display as follows:

• Green light indicating the adapter is receiving power and is properly connected to the computer.
• Yellow light indicating the adapter is receiving power but is NOT connected to the computer.
• No light indicates that the adapter is not receiving power from the outlet or that the power supply has shut down.

If the adapter appears to be functioning properly, turn the computer on and observe the power light on the face of the computer.

• If the power light is green but the computer is not responding, check the diagnostic lights on the back of the computer. A list of diagnostic light patterns and their associated meaning are provided by the manufacturer here.
• If the power light is blinking green, the computer is actually on, but is in standby mode. Simply press the power button to resume normal operation.
• If the power light is blinking yellow, the computer is receiving electrical power, but there might be internal power problems. Check the power cables inside the tower for proper connections and visible damage.
• If the power light is yellow and green or steady yellow, an internal device might be malfunctioning.
• If the power light is off, the computer is off or not receiving power.

If the adapter works fine, and the desktop tower does not receive any electrical power, then the power supply has malfunctioned. You must replace the computer's power supply.

If you turn on your computer and you hear the following beep code (code 1-3-1) consisting of one beep, a burst of three beeps, and then one beep, your computer has a memory problem. Reinstall the RAM and make sure to install it properly in the slot. If the beep code still occurs, then the ram is malfunctioning and you should replace it.

If you do not hear beeping noises and you have already checked the RAM, then the Motherboard may be malfunctioning. You should check if any parts on the Motherboard have burned out. This computer has a problem with the capacitor on the Motherboard. The capacitor lasts about 3 years then it can have problems such as burning out or leaking charge. You may need to replace the capacitor.

Make sure that you connected your monitor and tower properly. Check the cable and connector for broken pins or bents. Check the cable on another computer to verify that the cable itself works.

Test the electrical outlet with another electronic device. Plug in the monitor’s power cable, and turn on the monitor. If the monitor's power light is off, then your monitor is malfunctioning.

If the Monitor and cable function properly, then you should check your graphic card/ video card. First, make sure the card is connecting properly to the Motherboard. Turn on the computer; make sure the fan in the graphic card is functional. If the monitor is still blank, then your graphic card is malfunctioning.

If you hear beeping noises, and you lost the date and time in your system, then you should replace the cell battery in the Motherboard.

If you turn on your computer and you get messages indicating that windows system files are missing, then you should insert the Windows CD into the CD_ROM and try to recover the missing files.

If operating system can’t run by itself and no error message comes up, then you may have acquired a virus that has corrupted the Operating System. You can re-install the operating system by inserting the Windows CD into the CD_ROM.

If no error message comes up, and you get a black screen of command prompt, then you should check the connection of your hard drive. Make sure the cables are connected properly on the hard drive. Also check the functionality of the hard drive. If the hard drive is not running, then it is malfunctioning.

Check the wiring of the mouse and keyboard. Make sure they plug in to the appropriate port and make sure the port itself is functional.

Some keyboards and mouse require the installation of drivers. Make sure you install all the drivers before you plug the device in.

Check the batteries if you have wireless mouse and wireless keyboard. If everything works fine, then your keyboards and mouse are malfunctioning.

Make sure to connect speakers and desktop tower properly. Also, make sure the speaker’s power cable is plugged in to functional electrical outlet.

Make sure you have installed the appropriate sound card driver into your computer.

You should check your speaker itself by plugging it into other sound systems. If the there are no sounds are transmitted by the speaker, then it is malfunctioning.

Ensure your audio card is installed properly on the Motherboard. If the problem still occurs, then you should replace the audio card.