View Full Version : PC Help
Firstly, sorry for posting this here but it's the only forum I use and have an account for.
A few days ago my PC stopped working (posting this on an apple mac :mad: )
I was playing NC then zap, PC wont boot up. I thought maybe it oveheated so left it for a while and there was no change. Since it wouldn't boot I thought the processor had gone so changed it to another one and no change. What happens when I power it up is the fan starts for 1 second and the power light starts then it turns off again. So I'm thinking it must be the power unit (I don't know exact name), the HD has gone or the motherboard is fried. I know this is very vague but can anyone offer any advice or ideas as to what may be wrong. I need my NC fix :(
i wuld say that it is most probably the MB or PSU, there is always a chance of it being other items but these are the "usual suspects"
what make and model is it ? there is usally a history behind the particular boards.
Andy
I had something like this - my HDD controller died and wouldnt get much further than the memory check
Deep Blue Six
10-10-03, 15:41
Hi.
Well if ya use a high level prozessor, you may should modernise your cooling paste.
But thats just a thought-provoking impulse.
Greetz
Kodama
The motherboard is Viglen (custom made by the PC vendor) I am thinking it is the PSU (power supply unit?) So I am going to order a replacement PSU, are these things generic parts or does it have to be something specific to the PC specs?
edit-
I dont get as far as memory check or any kind of boost screen. The processor is only 850 mhz and nothing is clocked.
Just buy a new case it aint worth the hassle of switching power supplies and it isnt much more money.
The motherboard is Viglen (custom made by the PC vendor) I am thinking it is the PSU (power supply unit?) So I am going to order a replacement PSU, are these things generic parts or does it have to be something specific to the PC specs?
there are 2 types depending on the age of the system
the old is called an AT PSU
the new one is called ATX PSU unless your PC is like 5 or more years old it will certainly have a ATX in it.
the next thing is wattage and size there are many different shapes, sizes and wattages if you take you psu out you should be able to get one from a local shop for a reasonable price or go on ebay or any other online retailer you like.
Andy
Step 1
Unplug everything...Mouse, Keyboard, Hard Drives, CD Drives, all your PCI cards and your graphics card. If you have more than 1 stick of ram take all the others out till you are left with 1 stick left.
Step 2
Turn your computer on and you will see by the light on the front of your case and the fans in your computer if your computer now stays on for longer than you said in your origional post. (Due to no gfx card being present your motherboard should beep at you..I think it's 2 long beeps and 2 short beeps but I could be wrong)
If it turns itself off still then change the ram stick for one that you have removed and repeat. After swapping all the ram sticks if it still doesn't work then you could try this at your own risk...
Unplug the powercord from the back of your computer then unplug your powersupply from your mobo..Plug your power back into your PSU then while it's live plug into your mobo again. (Helps clear CPU protection on some Mobo's)
Clearing your CMOS may also help.
Swap your PSU for a friends would tell you if the PSU is at fault.
Should at any of these stages your computer show signs of live again start pluggin stuff in till you hit a problem...
Just buy a new case it aint worth the hassle of switching power supplies and it isnt much more money.
I would say that swapping your HD's, CD's, Mobo and cards is alot more hasstle than changing a PSU.
Yes PSU's are generic..all the OEM computers I have delt with also use generic PSU's (Except some HP's). Just get the same wattage PSU as you already have if you know that's broke. Yours will be an ATX PSU due to your 850 MHz cpu
Thanks for the speedy replies :)
I will try your methodical solution right now, BiteMe.
I would say that swapping your HD's, CD's, Mobo and cards is alot more hasstle than changing a PSU.
Yes PSU's are generic..all the OEM computers I have delt with also use generic PSU's (Except some HP's). Just get the same wattage PSU as you already have if you know that's broke. Yours will be an ATX PSU due to your 850 MHz cpu
the size of the PSU depends on the case the psu might be a mini atx case meaning it needs a smaller one, there are more than one type!
but all the same biteme's systamatic approach would be advisable
Andy
Finished trying out what you guys sugested and still have the same symptoms. Also had a tinker with the PSU (cleaned all the dirt). I took down the details of my existing PSU and looked online for a replacement but cannot find something with the same specifications (or the details aren't given ).
Fuse rating 5A 250V
Output 235W
Imput 100-120/200 - 240V (this is my current PSU)
The closest I can find is 250W. What I need to know is how close does the wattage need to be? Could I use the 250W and is this all that needs to be the same (apart from it being ATX) :confused:
inluss you have a HP, Compaq, eMachine or the like, you have a standard PSU, it is you PSU more than likely. Goto your local computer shop, say "i need a ATX Power Supply" and they will give you what you need, all voltage is the same.if you have alot of companents, get a 400w, if not standard 300w should do.
P.S. i work at one of those computer shops, i am a technician, so i have an idea of what im talking about. its not hard to replace it, all the plugs are the same and only go in one way. Good Luck :)
If you get a part-spin on the CPU fan followed by a shutdown that means the MB is cutting power.
There are several possibilities for this :
1) The power switch is bust - Isolate it and trace the wires to the MB (usually red and black). Unplug them. Power up the box from the PSU. Touch a screwdriver across the pins on the mobo where the wire went. If you get no response that's not it.
2) The CPU or memory have failed - Power down completely. Ground yourself to the case. Remove them both. Blow any dust from the sockets. Reseat them. Power up.
3) Video card failure - Find an old card (preferably PCI so it's in a different socket). Swap over and test.
4) No/not a keyboard - On a very small number of systems you can get this problem if you put the mouse in the kb socket and vice versa (this is very rare these days).
5) Mobo failure - unlikely if it can do an orderly shutdown but it is possible.
Apologies for topping my old thread but I need more help :/
I fitted a new PSU and things haven't changed (although it does not shut down after 1 second anymore). I power up the machine and the PSU and GPU fans activate but the CPU fan does not (it has power going to it as it gets hot). So there are no signs of life from the hard-drive CPU, dvd drive,etc. Also there is no screen display or motherboard beeps.
Like I said earlier I tried what BiteME said and removed all components to see if any one part was causing it, but they weren't. So what now?, could it be the motherboard is just plain broke or the hard-drive is?
many thanks for your help so far :)
i would say it was your motherboard then, did you try CPU ?
Andy
First of all do u get anything on screen i'm assuming not which to me sounds like a CPU error so first take out the CPU and try and boot the computer with no CPU in there if u get a display on the screen then u have found the problem.
If u still get nothing then i apologise but its a new mobo for u sonny. And whoever suggested a PSU error when u said that it was firing for a couple of seconds was absurd if it was a PSU error it wouldn't fire at all.
Originally posted by TWOK
I power up the machine and the PSU and GPU fans activate but the CPU fan does not (it has power going to it as it gets hot).
Or that could be your CPU frying. 8|
Athon Solo
erm...PSU's can fail is such a way as to not fire up the computer but they fire enough for the fans to spin for a second. I have had two like that in the last couple of years..If you don't believe me I can send you one :)
Also...removing your CPU will give no video output at all.
Because the CPU fan is not spinning when the other fans do leads me to believe it's your CPU that's dead...cause overheating by a failure of your mobo or CPU fan.
When I encounter problems like this I normaly replace both CPU and mobo as if one of them fails it can often damage the other. Plugging in a new CPU could mean you end up with another dead CPU.
I've tried booting with no cpu and nothing. If it was a motherboard problem that damaged the first CPU, then I guess when I changed to my other cpu it could have broke also :mad:
(sorry to hog peoples attension here :) ) this is a recap of what happens when I boot:
psu, gpu fans start
power light on the front of the comp lights up (but no others do, HD, dvd)
monitor fires up and then goes immediatley into suspend, and thats it.
I just have two more queries. Would the comp still boot if the hard-drive was broke? What would happen if the battery (I think it's the one that supplies power to the BIOS/CMOS?) was to run out?
many thanks
A PC will power on with no hard disk and no battery.
No hard disk will just mean you PC will not boot into an OS...No battery will cause a BIOS error and you will need to set time etc...... if you leave the battery out then this will need to be set everytime your computer is turned off and then on again.
By unplugging the power from the HD before, you have already discounted that as a problem.
Cheers for all the help, you guys rock :)
Sadly it seems I need a whole new PC , the hardrive was already on borrowed time and the dvd drive wasn't reading discs very well recently. Looks like I have to leave NC for a short while :(, whilst I get money together for a new PC.
thanks again and see you all ingame real soon.
Originally posted by Candaman
And whoever suggested a PSU error when u said that it was firing for a couple of seconds was absurd if it was a PSU error it wouldn't fire at all.
You'd better
a) learn a lot more about the inside of a PC
&
b) tell that to my house-mate who had exactly this problem last week and was rather glad I was able to ID the problem so quickly, having encountered it several times before.
/edit - more on Topic...
@Twok : does/did the CPU fan ever spin?
If not then you may have found the problem. If the fan is dead it would likely have toasted the CPU. If this is the case the mobo may be OK.
Normally a PC with an operable CPU without any cooling will run long enough to get to the BIOS but then the thermal cutout will turn it off to prevent damage. Certainly you should see more than a second of life. Once the CPU is toasted however the mobo/bios won't go anywhere in most cases (a few BIOSes will report "No CPU" but most just turn off).
You could try putting your CPU fan in a mate's PC (or a work/school one ;)) and see if it spins. You could also check the top face of the original CPU for heat discolouration.
If the fan spins and the CPU looks good then the mobo is most likely the problem. It may or may not have also killed the CPU, only way to tell that is to put the CPU into someone else's PC and test it. There's very little risk to their box in you doing this.
If the fan spins but the CPU is discoloured that probably means the fan stopped turning and lead to the failure. There are 2 reasons for this to happen - no power to fan or blocked fan (wires or tons of dust blocking it). No power can be either a PSU failure (now tested so not that) or a mobo failure.
If it doesn't spin then the only mystery is why the spare CPU didn't work for long enough to see a difference. There could be a dozen reasons for this but without knowing mobo and cpu models it's hard to be sure.
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