Dead PC - Please help
Hi.
I have a problem with my computer and wondered if anyone can suggest a fix. Problem started when PC had trouble booting into POST. Fans and HD were on with power light. I had to press and hold down power button until system switches off then a press to turn on again, or press reset switch few times, or turn off the mains then back on again, or combination of all to get it going and loading BIOS, OS etc. System works OK once it goes. Then a while after the start of this problem (about a week) the PC had trouble swtiching itself off when shutting down from Windows. Windows shuts down correctly and sends signal to motherboard to switch off power, but the PC wont turn off. It just stays half on (cos the fans turn at roughly half the speed and half the system noise can be heard), then it just reboots and turns itself back onto full power loading up BIOS, into POST etc. I have to hold down power button until it switches off (gradually and not immediately I should add). Couple of days after 2nd problem arising the PC wont boot at all now-blank screen, no beeps, no loading BIOS, even the power and reset buttons on the case does not have any effect. Bascally all it does now is whenever i turn on the mains, there is power going to motherboard and components so all the fans spin and disk drives spin but that is it, it justs sits there. Only way to turn PC off now is by turning the mains off. I looked inside the case and to me everything is OK, no loose connectors. Any guesses to what it can be? Have you had problem like this before?
My system specs: Abit KX333-RAID motherboard, AMD Athlion XP2100+ CPU, 512MB Corsair XMS 3000 CAS2 RAM, IBM 120GB & 40GB hard disks attached to RAID sockets, DVD-ROM, CD-Writer attached to normal IDE sockets.
Thanks in advance.
I have a problem with my computer and wondered if anyone can suggest a fix. Problem started when PC had trouble booting into POST. Fans and HD were on with power light. I had to press and hold down power button until system switches off then a press to turn on again, or press reset switch few times, or turn off the mains then back on again, or combination of all to get it going and loading BIOS, OS etc. System works OK once it goes. Then a while after the start of this problem (about a week) the PC had trouble swtiching itself off when shutting down from Windows. Windows shuts down correctly and sends signal to motherboard to switch off power, but the PC wont turn off. It just stays half on (cos the fans turn at roughly half the speed and half the system noise can be heard), then it just reboots and turns itself back onto full power loading up BIOS, into POST etc. I have to hold down power button until it switches off (gradually and not immediately I should add). Couple of days after 2nd problem arising the PC wont boot at all now-blank screen, no beeps, no loading BIOS, even the power and reset buttons on the case does not have any effect. Bascally all it does now is whenever i turn on the mains, there is power going to motherboard and components so all the fans spin and disk drives spin but that is it, it justs sits there. Only way to turn PC off now is by turning the mains off. I looked inside the case and to me everything is OK, no loose connectors. Any guesses to what it can be? Have you had problem like this before?
My system specs: Abit KX333-RAID motherboard, AMD Athlion XP2100+ CPU, 512MB Corsair XMS 3000 CAS2 RAM, IBM 120GB & 40GB hard disks attached to RAID sockets, DVD-ROM, CD-Writer attached to normal IDE sockets.
Thanks in advance.
0
Comments
your capacitors are wet or guey you may have a bad motherboard. Try another power supply to help diagnois your
problem. Check your bios settings to make sure the CPU speed is
set correctly for your CPU. Thats a start other ideas to come.
Bad modems, especially surged ones, can ground short back into a system. A damaged one can feed interference back into system.That kind of thing can casue what happened to you if a modem gets small surges too often or modem cable is damaged.
If none of those, was the power good connection dislodged from mobo?? If none of the above and the case is old, could also be switch as switch goes to motherboard-- stuck on switch will let things like HDs and other things than mobo start fine. At that point would on principle replace case, finding a switch pair and PSU woudl cost about as much as case.
I have had my friends bring me such, first thing I do is plug in an oversized\overrated PSU. If the thing boots, it gets a new case and PSU of the right size for what's in there. If case is proven usuable, I will buy it and resell it with new PSU in it. Half the time that is true what is wrong is that they underguessed the size PSU needed, upgraded, and things went to pot as they were underpowered-- then something else happened like a surge and the PSU died.
First guesses, tell us what you try and what happens, and guesses will get better until it is fixed.
John Danielson.
Craig
What you described sounds most like a few friends who had inexpensive surge strips that got damaged, and thereafter let through parts of surges and the PSU died-- even had a couple friends with no surge strips, in the area I live in that guarantees a 6 month lifetime max for a PSU that is VERY GOOD. Unfortunately, I am not anywhere near you to tell you what brand in your country would be good-- or even to judge the brand you chose as durability is something you need to really prove by using. Shorty probably would know if he hangs out here also.
NightShade, what PSU brands are good in the UK???
John Danielson.
So, if you have a blown 420 I would talk with the folks that sold it to you and see if they would test it if you got it in person and not in mail. In fact, they might be willing to test the thing at the shop if you can take it there. Probably be worth a basic simple checkout fee if you can afford such just to know if the Power Supply is bad if it is out of warranty.
If still under warranty they SHOULD check it out for you and not charge if it is something they will give you a new one under warranty because the warranty needs to include their test costs if it is bad. I tend to get and use 1 Year or more warrantied PSUs.
John Danielson.
From what you are saying, I would say this:
You are on a budget-- so, get a reasonable surge strip with a circuit breaker in it for now. In the US, a good surge strips runs what you paid for your PSU. I am happy the surge strip caught some of the surging, as a big surge can hurt other things in the computer before the PSU can die.
Get one with a surge protection light on it, if that ever goes out trash the surge strip. If the surge protection light is on, it usually means the surge strip will at least handle bigger surges.
John Danielson.
Look out either for an APC surge protector or (even better) shell out the money and get an APC UPS (online one - Smart UPS for example).
Just my 0.02 Euro
<a href="http://www.scan.co.uk" >Scan</a>
<a href="http://www.ebuyer.com" >EBuyer</a>
<a href="http://www.dabs.com" >Dabs</a>
<a href="http://www.Tekheads.co.uk" >TekHeads</a>
<a href="http://www2.theoverclockingstore.co.uk/" >The Overclocking Store</a>
Enermax are a good fallback option.
NS