computer won't turn on, need help!

[purplepshn2007]

Hi all,
 
I'm new here.  The other day I was on my computer and it was freezing up.  I shut it off and when I turned it back on, it would get to the windows screen with the green dots running across and then wouldn't go anyfurther.  I shut it down again and sprayed it out with canned air (as I have done b4).  Now it won't turn on at all.  The green light on the motherboard is on and that's it.  I have a Dell Dimension 2400. 

I did go out and by another power supply.  Still doesn't do anything.

Can anyone help?  What more do you need to know.

Thanks for any help!

[patio]

Dell happens to use their own design of PSU's...you may have wonked your machine  by just throwing any old PSU in there,
Can you post some specifics ? ?

[contrex]

Dell happens to use their own design of PSU's...you may have wonked your machine  by just throwing any old PSU in there

Yes. Dell motherboards and PSUs are deliberately made so that they only work together. The connectors look the same (they are the same) but they are wired differently. If you connect a standard PSU to a Dell motherboard you fry the board and the CPU, RAM, video card, whatever is on there. Forever. If you put a standard motherboard into a Dell case and use the Dell psu you fry the board and parts thereon forever too.

The only reason for this is to tie the buyer into buying Dell parts if anything goes wrong later. There is no technical reason whatsoever. No warning is given. You find out when your hardware is dead.

Moral... don't buy a Dell.

[ale52]

Thanks Patio and contrex    I'm probably going to have to replace a Dell mobo with another brand and didn't know about the power supply thing.  You just saved me some major grief 

Alan <>< 

[patio]

You're Welcome Alan...
The sad thing is they don't do it on all their machines...there's no rhyme or reason to it at all. The real sin is in not letting the consumer know...