I have a dell desktop dell optiplex SX280 died this morning, did not boot. When I turned it on, the screen showed dell logo, bios information and then black screen. Tried to hit F12 to get options, but still black screen. Check the diagnose lights, both A and B are green, C and D are yellow, however, this combination are not in Dell's manual. Does anybody know what the problem is? It was fine last night. TIA.

Are you getting any beeps when you power it on?

no beeps

Is it still under warranty? I don't know what that combo of lights is off hand either. You could try calling Dell's support, maybe you will get lucky and they will help.

If you turn the computer back on do you see a bios screen, and then the screen goes black again?

Yes, I saw the bios screen, and the black again

Ok. Think I found the 280 info:
GGYY: System resource configuration.
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/glo...8AE17DECB624B36


Just start the diag here:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/glo...&treeid=_0_

can you actually get into BIOS?

//krunk (^_^x)

These systems have had problems with leaking & expanding capacitors. Look at the motherboard and see if any of the capacitors are leaking or buldging.

This doesn't only affect Dell's. A few years ago there was a manufacturer that made cheap capacitors that were used on many motherboards.

I think I remember reading that Dell would replace the motherboard in this (and other) models even if out of warranty, but I can't find the article. I could have sworn I read it &/or posted on B$. If I remember correctly it was good for 5 years from the date of purchase & ended sometime in 2008/2009.

Aha, I found an article:
EDIT: This doesn't mention out of warranty replacement by Dell. I'm not sure if it was this issue or another one....there have been so many.

Bulging capacitors haunt Dell
By Michael Singer
http://news.com.com/Bulging+capacitors+hau..._3-5924742.html
Story last modified Mon Oct 31 17:50:26 PST 2005

Dell plans to replace components on some of its Optiplex business PCs but will not issue a product-wide recall, a spokesman for the company said Monday.

Performance problems with the company's GX270 and GX280 Optiplex computers were specifically named as part of the company's anticipated failure to meet its third-quarter revenue forecast.

Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn said the problem centers on certain capacitors--which store power and regulate voltage on motherboards-- that failed to perform to Dell's specifications.

"Over time, the capacitors can expand or bulge and the systems won't power up," Blackburn said. "There is not safety risk or data loss associated with this capacitor problem."

Blackburn said Dell receives its capacitors from a variety of vendors and declined to specify which supplier was responsible.

Dell has stopped shipping Optiplex PCs with the capacitors in question, Blackburn said, declining to specify when and where the PCs were manufactured. The company is now expected to conduct field visits to replace any affected products, he said.

"We are not issuing a full recall because we know that only a small percentage of these Optiplex machines have this problem," Blackburn said.

This is not the first time that Optiplex machines have suffered from bulging capacitors. Participants in Dell's Community Forum first spotted the capacitor problem in February when one member reported that a bad capacitor had caused "intermittent shutdown, thermal shutdown, and video failure."

A picture posted by a Dell Forum member shows two black- and gold-colored bulging capacitors with "1500 hF 6.3 v" printed on the sides.

Other Forum members noted that motherboards with the faulty capacitors were the ones popping, leaking and crusting over. Several recommended a simple but time-consuming motherboard replacement as the best fix.

As for a possible industry-wide problem caused by the faulty capacitors, calls to various PC manufacturers were not immediately returned.

A person familiar with the problem said Dell's capacitor issue is unlikely to be related to any specific Intel processor used in Optiplex systems, but did note that similar bulging issues from some Taiwanese suppliers have been observed

Thank you all for the help. I will call Dell support later today.

Followed the instructions,
1. Unplug the power cable from the system.
2. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds to drain any remaining power.
3. Disconnect everything from the back of the computer.
This includes the keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, printer, and any network cables.
4. Reconnect the power cable to the back of the system.
5. Press the power button.

Suddenly, the computer works!