Dodgy front panel on/off switch?

[Odyssey]

I am attempting to assist someone elsewhere with a completely dead computer (Dell Dimension 4500 with XP Home). It seems that the front on/off switch does not "click" on and off as front on/off switches normally do. Apparently when one tries to "click" it, there is just resistance and no movement. To confirm that the switch is faulty, would like to short the switch leads with the PS plugged in (and pretty much everything else disconnected), but cannot figure out how. The entire front panel wiring is a multi-lead flat cable which comes to a "multi-pin" plastic connector something like the IDE connector on an optical or HDD (see manual on page 69-top right corner of mobo):

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...0/9n756bk0.pdf

Since I am here and the computer is there, can't follow the leads (which disappear behind the front panel anyway) and cannot find which pins are to what in the manual.

The insert that the switch appears to be mounted in will pop off if pulled up revealing the switch, but unfortunately the insert is purely cosmetic and the switch is firmly mounted in a piece underneath the insert so we still can't figure out how to remove the switch or even see the back of it.

Does anyone know how to extract it and/or which pins (either on the switch itself or the mobo pins (J60H1)) should be shorted to simulate pressing the button?

TIA

 

[dmill89]

take off the case front pannel.In most dells the switch is in a plastic pod that clips from the back. with the pannel removed you should see these clips near the switch depress then and the switch assembly should come off.

 

[Odyssey]

dmill, thanks, but that is what we don't seem to be able to do. The person that I am trying to help just cannot see how to get the front panel off. The Dimension 4500 case is the one that "swivels" apart with the mobo and cards going one direction and the various drives and front panel going the other. I am hoping someone reading this has one and has figured out how to remove the panel. The manual doesn't say.

 

[dmill89]

look for plastic tabs inside of the case along the edges of the front or any tabs near the front pannel normally poping them will remove the front.or if you can get the top off some dells have a green plastic piece under the top pannel that pops the front.

 

[Odyssey]

Have passed this along and am now awaiting their feedback. Thanks.

 

[patchman]

I'm having the same problem w/on-off switch

Was there a recall here and I didn't know about it? The on/off switch on our DELL does the same thing... Very shotty construction if you ask me. How do you fix?
Thx,