NOVICE NEEDS HELP w/PC dead in water

vits5vits5
edited December 2006 in Hardware
I'm a novice and trying to help someone else so bear with me.

Problem: Turn PC on. Power light lights, dvd light lights and stays lit, and power supply fan turns, BUT......no BIOS startup or BIOS detection beeps - no monitor - nothing! Of course I can't even boot from A drive as the system never gets far enough to detect it. Opened the PC case and the fan attached to the mb doesn't spin as if no power is getting to the mb. Also, once PC is powered on, I can't turn it off via the power button - I have to pull the power cable to turn it off. I've checked all cables/connectors to be sure they're tight.

Nothing was done to PC prior to this problem happening. I do suspect that there may have been viruses because I was told the PC kept rebooting by itself. Other than the viruses, the user turn it on one day and no boot, no monitor, no nothing!

The PC is a Compaq Presario 5000. I don't have other specs as the user doesn't know.

If there was a Power supply problem, would the fan still spin? Would I still get lights on the power switch and dvd drive? Is this a crash or a mb problem? Any assistance you can give is greatly appreciated.

p.s. I've read about resetting BIOS, but I don't don't how and what impact will this have on the PC itself? Will any settings be lost?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!!!!

Comments

  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2006
    vits5 wrote:
    ...the fan attached to the mb doesn't spin as if no power is getting to the mb...
    Do you mean the CPU fan? Or the somewhat smaller fan attached to one of the chips on the MB itself? Either could cause the problem you describe.
    ...I do suspect that there may have been viruses because I was told the PC kept rebooting by itself...
    Even so, you'd at least get something on the screen. Let's get the computer running first before we worry about that.
    If there was a Power supply problem, would the fan still spin? Would I still get lights on the power switch and dvd drive?...
    Very possibly. That fat bundle of wires coming out of the PSU comprises lines carrying several different voltages. If only one of those was not getting any juice through it to the component at the other end it could cause this type of problem.
    ...I've read about resetting BIOS, but I don't don't how and what impact will this have on the PC itself? Will any settings be lost?
    The settings you would lose can all be easily reconfigured. Among other things, they are items such as the Date & Time, etc. Most Compaq's don't give you a whole lot to adjust in there anyway.

    The way to reset it is to unplug the computer, remove the small battery on the MB (it looks like a big watch battery), then move the CMOS jumper from the Normal to the reset position and leave it like that for a few minutes. You then reverse the process in backwards order and see if that does the trick.

    Try that for a start and also answer any of the other questions that you can. We'll take it from there. :)
  • vits5vits5
    edited December 2006
    Hi,
    I reset the BIOS per your directions and nothing - still dead in the water.
    In respect to your question re the fan:
    profdlp wrote:
    Do you mean the CPU fan? Or the somewhat smaller fan attached to one of the chips on the MB itself? Either could cause the problem you describe.

    The "small" fan attached directly to the mb is not spinning. The larger fan on the back of the PC is spinning.

    Other symptoms: The following lights come on and stay on: CD, HD and power button. Nothing on monitor (appears to go into sleep mode when PC gets turned on), no beeps whatsoever - nothing - nada - zilch.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2006
    vits5 wrote:
    ...The "small" fan attached directly to the mb is not spinning. The larger fan on the back of the PC is spinning...
    Most motherboards have a fan attached to a chip on the motherboard and there is another quite a bit larger fan which is attached to the CPU. If that's the fan you are talking about you need to get it running before attempting any further repairs. Without that fan you are in serious danger of cooking the processor.

    Does the fan spin freely when you push it gently with your fingertip?
  • vits5vits5
    edited December 2006
    profdlp wrote:
    Most motherboards have a fan attached to a chip on the motherboard and there is another quite a bit larger fan which is attached to the CPU. If that's the fan you are talking about you need to get it running before attempting any further repairs. Without that fan you are in serious danger of cooking the processor.

    Does the fan spin freely when you push it gently with your fingertip?
    There are 2 fans in this PC. One is clipped to the mb with 2 wires running to a jumper pin on the mb (it measures approx 2" x 2"). This is the fan that is not working, but I can move the fins of the fan freely with my finger. Researched the name on the fan, and its listed on the Internet as a CPU cooling fan.

    The second fan that I reference is the fan in the power supply, which if you put your hand behind the PC, you can feel the air from the fan. This fan is spinning when the PC is turned on.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited December 2006
    Most motherboards have a built-in system to halt the computer (as in shut it clear off) if they detect the CPU fan not running. This is to prevent it from cooking itself (which can happen as quickly as a second or two).

    With what I know about the problem, I'd guess that either the fan has died (not all that unusual, though they usually seize up and the blades no longer turn freely); that the motherboard has gone bad and is no longer powering the fan; or that the PSU is going bad and is not supplying the correct amount of power to the various voltages it ought to be providing.

    If you can borrow a compatible PSU to try I would start there. If not, a replacement fan for the CPU will probably be fairly inexpensive and might be worth a shot. Take the old one into the store with you so they can match up the size correctly.

    Unfortunately, the only easy way to test a motherboard is to replace the CPU, the memory, and (probably) the Power Supply Unit. Unless you have a known-working system to cannibalize that is not really an option for a DIY repair. For a computer of that era it may not be worth the combined cost of parts and labor if it is something major.

    I'd check out the PSU and the fan replacement options, then see where we go from there. :)
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