I bought my XPS 420 in Nov. 2007, and just tonight, the computer gave those lovely 1-3-4 diagnostic lights, the fan sounds like a jet engine, and my PC won't even start up! I cleaned out the fan, too (and there was a good amount of dust there).
I also noticed that a light on the motherboard is glowing a steady amber color even when the power is shut off. What's the problem here? I've been reading on this thread that it could be the power supply, motherboard, and/or graphics video card. Do you have any idea what a gamble and time-consuming hassle this would be to play Russian Roulette and see which parts work....IF they do at all? I certainly don't want to end up waiting for each part to ship and then being out of money to find out that nothing works.
So is it time to get a whole new PC? I think it is. It seems like 1-3-4 is the code for "Your Computer Has Died." It's time to A) not go Dell this time and B) buy a laptop. Which laptop brands do you guys recommend? I would like one where I can hook up my 27" monitor to it via HDMI. Is that possible?
