computer shutting itself off, can turn on but green light doesnt come on

bethannebethanne
edited September 2005 in Hardware
Hi there I have had many problems with this computer lately but this is the worst. I work from home and I was just working right along and my screen completely froze. I turned it off and checked all the cables, unplugged everything waited and plugged back in blah blah. Anyway when I tried to turn it back on the fan would start but the green light would not come on and the screen remained black with the orange light on the monitor. After waiting for a while and turning on and off many times, it came back up. Also, recently it has been just shutting itself off with no warning then when I turn it back on it says microsoft has recovered from a serious error.
This comes after I was getting the blue screen and the computer kept shutting off and my work claimed they fixed it.
I'm getting the impression my IT guy from work is not so smart at this stuff. Please help! I need to work!
I have an e-machines T1842 and Windows XP service pack 2
Also, recently my 2 Norton systems I have stopped working and my work claimed to have fixed the problem but could not explain why it happened.

Thanks so much in advance

Comments

  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited September 2005
    I'm thinking the main power supply inside the computer mainly because I don't want to think it is something else yet. It may even be a power connection to the mainboard.

    Do you know your way around inside a computer?
  • bethannebethanne
    edited September 2005
    Not so much, most I've done is open it to put in memory.
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited September 2005
    Okay,

    Understand that I'm not one of the tech wizzes here, so be patient- one may be around shortly with a reply-

    Do you know where the power plugs into your hard drive or DVD/CD player or burner?
  • bethannebethanne
    edited September 2005
    sure, I mean I could open it and check something if I had very specific instructions. What would I be looking for?
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited September 2005
    Okay, great!

    We know the PC won't work but the following helps test the power supply. Pull out the power to your hard drive and CD/DVD burners. Then turn your PC on. Does the green light on the main board come on consistently now?

    The power connectors to both should be the big white plugs with four wires in them. They're not easy to pull out so work them out patiently by rocking them side-to-side while pulling.

    Also, there should be a big plug with like twenty wires in it that goes to your main board. Make sure it is plugged in all the way. You may want to pull it out and put it back in- be sure to use the latch on the side (if there is one) if you do! You squeeze to release and it should be snapped into place if it is plugged in OK.
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited September 2005
    Again, I may be signed out and a tech may come along with a much better diagnosis or idea. My thought is that you may have a power supply that is just a step away from being burned out.

    If the green light came back on consistently, I would say the power supply may be bad and see if there is a spare one around and try it. If there is no light or a flickering light still, the jury is still out for me and I hope someone has a better check.

    Sorry if I made this more difficult- it's just I've been through about a dozen power supplies - they mostly crap out a system altogether, but a couple made it behave real strange like yours.

    The fact you have fans says that the power supply is wholly or partially working and I will let someone more qualified help you with what else it might be- maybe mainboard.
  • zero-counterzero-counter Linux Lubber San Antonio Member
    edited September 2005
    Besides a failing power supply, I would verify that there are no shorts occuring. It can be pretty hard to locate a short, but all it takes is metal to IC board contact. Many times have I seen amateur pc builders do this and cause instability. Also, make sure that the power switch is making good striking contact. If that switch runs into problems, intermittent power ups occur. So to make it easy:

    1. Open the case (ground yourself) and check that all connections are good and nothing is loose.

    2. Make sure that the memory is properly seated.

    3. Make sure that the CPU fan is blowing when powered up and is secured.

    4. Look for anything out of the ordinary, improper component contact, motherboard grounding out, etc.

    5. If available, replace the power supply. The current one may be defective and not able to withhold/withstand the originally intended load.

    6. Replace the ATX power switch with another good working one and view results.
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