---

@dave13078 wrote:

1. The power light which used to be bright white is now barely visible.

2. And I am concerned if I am going to be required to produce an authentication code for my new motherboard in the future.

 

---

1. Sounds like a hardware or wiring issue

2. New motherboard might have had a valid Win-8/Win-10 key burned into it.

Main thing is that Windows-10 thinks it's legit and Activated now.

You can use utilities like this to read your current key:

https://nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

I have an xps 8910 MB that all the 2.0 USB ports stopped working and after several hours of runaround on diagnoses, by which I have already done, and more, I am finally getting a replacement board, a refurbished board.  I opted to replace the motherboard my self instead of scheduling a tech to come over to do it.  I am a tech by the way.  I have read a lot of problems the same as mine.  I went further and pulled up the schematics to find the USB logic chip on the board and tried to troubleshoot the issue, bad solder connection?  Bad USB Logic chip?  Bad power lead on the board to the chip and port?  I found that the chip is burnt and the solder joints are all broken by overheating.  I did not need to use my multimeter or ocylisco0pe on this problem.  so USB 2.0 logic chip overheated and burned up and all solder connections were burned to produce an open circuit condition for all sodered pins to chip.  I have little faith in refurbished BM's.  I will just have to see once I replace the MB.  It is just a bad design issue for this board.  To all with this Dell PC and same issue, good luck.  I did check the voltage to the USB 2.0 chip and port and it should read 5 V DC.  It does not, it reads 12 V DC.  And there is no fuse or fusible link in the circuit as shown on the schematics.  So this leads me to think the power distribution circuit is bad and not properly regulating the supply voltages.  another bad chip?  Poor quality and cheap components.  I will not be a happy camper if the replacement MB is bad or goes bad.  Good Luck to all!

---

@redravens wrote:

1. I found that the chip is burnt and the solder joints are all broken by overheating. 

2. It does not, it reads 12 V DC.

3. And there is no fuse or fusible link in the circuit as shown on the schematics. 

4. So this leads me to think the power distribution circuit is bad and not properly regulating the supply voltages. 

---

1. Probably for the best since #2

2. Yikes. Seems like that would destroy flash-drives, etc.

3. Yeah, I think it's suppose to work by monitoring amps.

4. My XPS-410's card-reader was over-amp over-sensitive ... but that was something called Dell Flex-Bay.