PC will not boot up at all...Please help

kayozkayoz
edited June 2006 in Hardware
I have read through most of the threads on this page but could not figure out a solution to my problem. Any help would be much appreciated.

My Machine had been restarting in its own for about a month while gaming but always seemed to restart. One day it retrated on its own about 8 times in a row. I opened the case up and found that my machine was full of dust which was causing the PC to overheat. I cleaned the dust off everything in my case. The problem seemed to happen less frequently until the other day it shut off and did not restart. I pressed the start button on the front of the case and nothing happens.

Eventhough there was a green light on my motherboard, I replaced the UPS and reconected the wires. The PC powered on and I was thrilled for about 10 minutes when it died on me and could not be restarted.

My freind build this machine for me about 4 years ago so I'm not sure of the specs but will list what I know: 1.4g AMD Soyo Dragon MOBO, 512 RAM, 2 40 Gig Hard drives and a new All-In-Wonder ATI Readeon 800xt ( got it for X-Mas). It also contains a dvd and a cd burner.

My friend is now in New Orleans and can not help me out... I am not the best computer savvy person but know a very little bit about them.

If anyone has any ideas please let me know.
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Comments

  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited June 2006
    What is the brand and model of the new PSU (power supply unit)? List the rating in amps for the 12V+, 3.3V+ and 5V+ (which should be on a sticker on the new PSU, or maybe on the box it came in).

    What is the model number of your Soyo MB?

    Hang in there - we'll help you out. :)
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    Thank you for the reply.

    the new UPS is: @-power model: EP-43057. The rating for the amps on the new UPS is as the following: +12V -17a, +3.3v - 28a, +5v - 40a.

    I am not sure what the model for the MOBO is right now. the manual is at my parents house. I will get that later today... however the green power light is on MOBO.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited June 2006
    Look on the board itself for the model number. (See if there is a revision number along with it.)

    The reason I'm asking is to try and zero in on the power requirements of your system. Also, does your MB have a small square four-pin power connector built in? (See pic; connector may be located elsewhere on the board.)
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    I have looked at the MOBO and could only find the following model: K7V Dragon Plus

    with repect to the four-pin connector, I can not locate it any where on the board. however where the picture indicates the four-pin connector it looks like I have a nine-pin connector( I have looked elsewhere for the four-pin).
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    I have had a coup[le of those. It is the Soyo Dragon Plus which is on the first revision of the VIA KT333 chipset. The manual can be found here. This was one of the last boards that does not have the 12V 4 pin connecter. You might try to reset the CMOS then use "defaul settings" except for a few thaings you may need but I think it will be fine for now.
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    Thank you for the manual. I am not sure how to reset the CMOS or what it is exactly. Can it be reset from the hardware?
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    Ok. I think I figured out what CMOS is. I have reset the CMOS by unplugging the cables and replugging them. I hope this is how it is done. I do have a question regarding that though. when I unplugged the cables, I did not note which color goes where. the 2 pin power cable has an "s" on it. Is that for the nagaive or positive charge?
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    damm! if that is how to reset the CMOS then it did not get my machine to power up. any suggestion??

    I will be leavig in about an hour to go to a picknic at a freinds house. I will try to use his pc to read any replys. I should be back to trying to fix this this evening in about 4 hours.

    Thank you all for your help in advance :P
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    To clear the CMOS:
    • Unplug Power Supplu power cord from eith the wall or the PSU.
    • Down near the bottom of the board near the green LED there are 3 pins with a jumper on 2 of them. Yhe jumper should be on the center pin and the pin to the left. Move the jumper to the right so it is on the center and right side pins and leave it there for a few minutes.
    • Then move the jumper back to the left and plug the PSU in.
    • Power up the comp and select default settings in the BIOS control screen.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    After looking up the number you listed for the new PSU I am inclined to tell you to return it and buy a new name brand with at least 350W. Also make sure you didn't bump something loose like memory or even a fan connection. That board has a fan sensor for protecting your CPU from overheating if the fan dies.
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    I have located the Jumper pins you are referring to but I do not have any plugs/wires that are or were connected to it (or at least I don't see any). Should there definitely be a jumper connected to those pins? where can i locate the Jumper cables?

    mtgoat wrote:
    To clear the CMOS:
    • Unplug Power Supplu power cord from eith the wall or the PSU.
    • Down near the bottom of the board near the green LED there are 3 pins with a jumper on 2 of them. Yhe jumper should be on the center pin and the pin to the left. Move the jumper to the right so it is on the center and right side pins and leave it there for a few minutes.
    • Then move the jumper back to the left and plug the PSU in.
    • Power up the comp and select default settings in the BIOS control screen.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    They are not cables! It is a small block made of plastic with brass connectors inside it. You will need to look very closely to see it. It should currently be on the center and left of the 3 pins. Simply move it to the canter and right side pins with the power disconnected, wait a while then move it back to the left. If you still can'r figure it out remove the CMOS battery for 1/2 an hour. It is the silver disc just above tthe 3 pins.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited June 2006
    Listen to the ol' 'goat. :D

    From Page 35 of your manual:

    (hint, hint) ;)
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    OK. I found the jumpers and did "reset" them but nothing happened...

    Any other suggestions? I am getting to a point where I am willing to pay for someone to fix it but I don't want to give it to someone and pay them $80 an hour to not fix it. /sigh

    by the way, thank you for your help! :clap:
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    I also checked the CPUFAN and it is connected....

    side note: I have a CPUFAN1 & CPUFAN2 but only the 1 is connected.
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    I have been reading the "Troubleshooting" section of the manual and noticed that if the CPU fan is not funtioning correctly it will not work as Goat as stated previously. Is there a way of checking if it is in-fact the fan that is not working properly and therefore not allowing the machine to power up? IF this is the case, wouldn't there be some kind of powering on indication? Is this fan easy replacable?

    I am learning alot from this process.... I just hope I can fix machine as well
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    Next step is to unplug the hard drives and CD drives from the board. Then re-seat the memory and video card to ensure they are fully seated. The memory will "snap" into position when it is seated. Just use firm pressure for it and the video card and don't worry about breaking them unless you either have tree trunks for fingers or are a total klutz. Then try to power up and pay very close attention to the fan on the CPU heatsink. Look for it to move ever so slightly or not at all. There is also the chance it will start too. ;)
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    am I leaving the Hard drives and CD unplugged when powering up or reinserting them?
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited June 2006
    Leave them unplugged (power connectors, too) for the time being. What mtgoat is trying to find out is if lessening the load on the PSU makes a difference.
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    ok. I unplugged all drives and CDs. I also reinserted the video and memory cards but still nothing.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    kayoz wrote:
    ok. I unplugged all drives and CDs. I also reinserted the video and memory cards but still nothing.
    Now you need to check the power supply. You will either need to use a multimeter and unplug everything but 1 fan (unplug the main ATX connecter from the board also) to do this test. Or you can borrow a unit that is currently known to work and power-up your system or take the PSU to a shop for testing. Let us know how you can proceed and we can help further. At this point it is just a matter of testing individual components to see what works and what doesn't.
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    I returned the power supply to the store I bought it frm and they did a test on it. they said that the UPS was fried. the tech said it was probobly the mobo that shorted the UPS and mayby other devices. I can have him diagnose the PC for me for $45. what do you guys think?
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    kayoz wrote:
    I returned the power supply to the store I bought it frm and they did a test on it. they said that the UPS was fried. the tech said it was probobly the mobo that shorted the UPS and mayby other devices. I can have him diagnose the PC for me for $45. what do you guys think?
    I looked up the PSU you listed a number for earlier and came up with this one. It doesn't look like a good quality unit at all. So it is quite likely that it just fried itself. Now to hope it didn't take out any of your parts with it. Do the pics below look like it?

    d_2797.jpgd_4164.jpg

    I would recomend getting an Antec, Sparkle or Fortron Source. One of these or an Antec between 350 and 400W will do just fine.

    Edit:
    If that guy sold you one of those PSU's I wouldn't go there to let him diagnose your comp. ;)
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    yes. it is the same PSU. should I buy another PSU? I guess i can always return it if it gets fried :D

    k i'm going to CompUSA to get good one.... be back in a bit...
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    kayoz wrote:
    yes. it is the same PSU. should I buy another PSU? I guess i can always return it if it gets fried :D

    k i'm going to CompUSA to get good one.... be back in a bit...
    Yes, yes and Hooray! :D
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    ok.I just bought an Antec SmartPower 2.0 350 watt ATX 12V v2.0 ( I hope I didnit get ripped off) for $70. Should I plug all my devices or just the basic vidio and PC? and if get my pc to power up, is there a way to find out what happened to my machine? is there of diagnosing it internally?

    by the way, thanks again for your help!!
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2006
    The best way is to start with just the basics and no drives at all. Let it run for say 15 min then shut down and add one drive at a time with the hard drive last. You will only need to let it run for about a minute when addind each drive. Be shure your front panel connections are all correct. before you start. There is a diagram in the manual.
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    ok. Thanks. gthere is only one problem. the UPS is 24 pin and i need 20 pin. /cry

    back to CompUSA. hope I can make it before it closes...
  • kayozkayoz
    edited June 2006
    WOOT!!! the UPS can be converted to A 20 pin. I hooked up the ups and It Started up!!!:rockon:

    I will gradually plug in a device one at a time to see if it will work.

    I do have a question though (what else is new). When my machine powered up it is asking for a system disk. Is this because the floppy is not plugged in? I also reset the CMOS earlier, how will that affect my machine?

    Hail MTGOAT!!:celebrate
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited June 2006
    kayoz wrote:
    WOOT!!! the UPS can be converted to A 20 pin. I hooked up the ups and It Started up!!!:rockon: ...
    Terrific! :D
    ...When my machine powered up it is asking for a system disk. Is this because the floppy is not plugged in?...
    Yes. Because it can't find an OS (Operating System) it's asking you where it should look for it. When you get to the last bit where you hook up your hard drive you should see the system boot normally.
    ...I also reset the CMOS earlier, how will that affect my machine?...
    People have spent days (or even weeks) tweaking every little setting in their BIOS. For right now, start by making sure the date and time are correct. Once all of your drives have been hooked up, make sure that they are all detected properly. After that you will be concentrating on "performance" issues, like making sure that DMA and Bus Mastering are enabled, that your memory timings are set correctly, etc. There's no big rush to get that stuff "just so" right now - wait until the rest of the system seems to be operating smoothly first.

    ...Hail MTGOAT!!:celebrate
    Definitely! :respect:

    He's one of our top guys, and is among those who have convinced me of the necessity of a good PSU. Ten years ago, practically any Power Supply that would start the machine was good enough to use. As I'm sure you now know, that's not true anymore.

    Glad to see you back in business. :clap:
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