Help Wanted

sectorz715sectorz715
edited July 2005 in Hardware
Hey guys, There is something seriously wrong with my computer that I have built. IT was working perfectly fine for about 5 whole months but a while back it screw up bad. I turn the computer on and all I get is the override screen on my monitor. I had accidentally left it on for a day and a night (36 hours) and then when I saw that it was on, i just shut it down (from the start menu.) after that I tried to turn it on and I got the boot up screen all the way to the windows XP screen (not the welcome screen but right before it.) I restarted it a bunch, changed stuff in the bios and still I got nothing. I have a old computer with win98 on it so i took the hard drive from it and booted from it (making it a slave and all that IDE-1 crap) and the computer started but my C: drive disappeared (i had a partition with a C: drive and a D: drive; the D: drive was still there.) i thought it was no big so i just reformatted and made a new partition reinstalled windows and it worked. But after a week or so I turned the computer on and i was playing a game online and my video card heated up pretty bad so I closed the game and left. When i came back my monitor was blank so I restarted and I have gotten nothing after that. I thought it must have been my monitor cause it is pretty old but when i plugged in my laptop the monitor worked. and then I thought it was my video card so i called the costumer support of BFG Tech (which is great) and the guy gave me a RMA number and I send my Video Card down to them on Saturday. I just got a new one back and still i get nothing, so what is wrong with my computer :confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused: It could be my crappy motherboard but the fan on my video card is getting power. so what else could be wrong. I could send my motherboard down to PCCHIPS cause i still have the warranty on that thing, but if it still doesn’t work then my parents will be mad at me. could it be my power supply, or my processor. its really annoying me cause next week is my finals, and then of to summer and i am planning to buy guild wars but i wont be able to play it. and i have heard that pcchips doesn’t have good customer support and what if i dont get my motherboard back. (Sorry if my post is a bit confusing but I am in a hurry and any help is greatly appreciated)

Comments

  • sectorz715sectorz715
    edited May 2005
    oh ya i have had that problem before, like i leave the computer on and then after the screensaver i jsut get a blank screen but i restart and it all comes back. but now it doesnt and like i said all i get is the override screen.
  • tmh88tmh88 Pittsburgh / Athens, OH
    edited May 2005
    I doubt that leaving your computer on for 36 hours was the cause of the problem. I've left my computer on as long as a week and nothing happened. (yea i know i should have turned it off, but whatever nothing happened).

    Well, unless there are some very smart people that post (which i know there will be), I'd say just return the mobo if they allow you to. I've had similar problems where everything seems to be working, but I cant get any video at all. I returned my mobo and it worked, but you never know computer can act crazy at times of nothing.
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited May 2005
    If a system is solid you can run, at 100% load, for months on end. I have boxes that have over 6 months between re-boots.

    OK. this is a pain, but you need to do it. Strip the machine. Remove the mobo from the case and try to boot with only a hdd, vid card and single stick of memory.
    Boot in safe mode and check all voltages in MBM.
    Re-run all virus and spyware scans. In safe mode. Update your def files and rerun.

    You need to be methodical about this.
    Try running memtest also, you need to check everything.
  • SoLoSoLo DirtySouth, USA
    edited May 2005
    sounds like youre computer is having trouble, maybe recovering from stand by...MAYBE...this probly isnt the problem but im looking around to help you find some answers..

    question..do you game alot or any..and does youre video card give you any problems ever.??
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited May 2005
    There are a lot of things it could be. Before you yank your MB out and wait (maybe months) for a replacement - which may not fix the problem - I would suggest you try the following:

    1) Run memtest86
    2) Run the diagnostic utility from your HD manufacturer. It sounds like you have an older system; the drive could be on its last legs.
    3) See if you can borrow a good power supply and try that. What you describe could well be a failing PSU.
    4) Try booting the system in a barebones configuration: MB, Memory, CPU, and Video Card Only. If it runs, shut down and add in other cards (Sound, NIC, etc) one at a time.

    If you have a friend who would let you try your video card in his system that would be a good idea, too.

    I hate to say this, but PCChips boards are not noted for their reliability. It could well be a bad board, as you already suspect. If everything else tests fine, an el-cheapo MB from a reputable company might save you weeks of aggravation.
  • sectorz715sectorz715
    edited May 2005
    edcentric wrote:
    OK. this is a pain, but you need to do it. Strip the machine. Remove the mobo from the case and try to boot with only a hdd, vid card and single stick of memory.
    Boot in safe mode and check all voltages in MBM.
    Re-run all virus and spyware scans. In safe mode. Update your def files and rerun.

    I was told to do that when i built my computer cause it wouldnt boot up but i have already tried that so what else can i do.
  • sectorz715sectorz715
    edited May 2005
    SoLo wrote:
    question..do you game alot or any..and does youre video card give you any problems ever.??

    No i dont think playing a game with crapy graphic like Runescape is called serious gaming but i plan to do so after i get it fixed
  • sectorz715sectorz715
    edited May 2005
    profdlp wrote:
    There are a lot of things it could be. Before you yank your MB out and wait (maybe months) for a replacement - which may not fix the problem - I would suggest you try the following:

    1) Run memtest86
    2) Run the diagnostic utility from your HD manufacturer. It sounds like you have an older system; the drive could be on its last legs.
    3) See if you can borrow a good power supply and try that. What you describe could well be a failing PSU.
    4) Try booting the system in a barebones configuration: MB, Memory, CPU, and Video Card Only. If it runs, shut down and add in other cards (Sound, NIC, etc) one at a time.

    If you have a friend who would let you try your video card in his system that would be a good idea, too.

    I hate to say this, but PCChips boards are not noted for their reliability. It could well be a bad board, as you already suspect. If everything else tests fine, an el-cheapo MB from a reputable company might save you weeks of aggravation.


    i will try borrowing a power supply from a friend and see if that works and i'll let my frined try my video card in his sys, and i would try the other things if i could get anything to show up on my monitor. This is what's that comes up on my monitor after i boot up.


    P.S. How do you quote more than one quote in a post, and agian thanks for all the help
  • tmh88tmh88 Pittsburgh / Athens, OH
    edited May 2005
    Like profdlp said, try testing it on a friends computer. I was lucky enough to have a friend with the exact same mobo and processor, so I just put each one of my components in at a time, along with his parts which we knew worked. This will really help you to limit down your working/non working parts.

    So first I put my processor on his mobo, and used the rest of his parts. Then I kept my cpu in, and put my ram in, then I kept on adding everything until I realized that all of my components were working, it was just that I had a dead motherboard. So i returned it and my computer has been living happily ever after. (except for my stupid linksys drivers)
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited May 2005
    You don't have onboard video in addition to your video card do you? If so, disable it.

    What happens in Safe Mode?
  • sectorz715sectorz715
    edited May 2005
    profdlp wrote:
    You don't have onboard video in addition to your video card do you? If so, disable it.

    What happens in Safe Mode?
    No, no onboard
    And i cant access the menu which asks me to go into safemode so i really dont know what will happen if i boot it in safemode.
  • sectorz715sectorz715
    edited May 2005
    Oh ya the only reason i had gotten the PCCHIPS motherboard was because thats what was in my old comp and my old comp still works fine (its like 5 years older then the one that went all screwy.) I guess i just got my hands on the wrong box.
  • sectorz715sectorz715
    edited July 2005
    So it ends up being the power supply. and i wasted all that time getting RMAs on the the other stuff i wish i would have tried it out be4. went through the whole summer on a laptop and now that school is about to start it starts up. atleast i got a new power supply, its one of those with the cables. But now i plug in PCI cards and get nothing just like be4. i'll start a new thread for that, thanks for the help.
  • sectorz715sectorz715
    edited July 2005
    profdlp wrote:
    3) See if you can borrow a good power supply and try that. What you describe could well be a failing PSU.

    Should have tried that be4
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