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Computer problem advice please
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My computer isn't booting. The lights and fans come on briefly and then stop. After several seconds, this repeats. As I'm not getting even a motherboard screen, I'm assuming this is a power supply failure. Is this a correct assumption? Any advice? (Beyond getting a replacement.)
Sent from notepad. 
Are you getting any BIOS beep codes or anything indicating a problem beyond the aforementioned "Ain't working"?
Also, do you have any spare computer/parts you can scavenge for troubleshooting? --- The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself." >Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI
Nothing at all. If I'd gotten anything, I would have said. When I said that nothiung happens it's because NOTHING happens.
And 2, not without disassembling my previous computer, which probably isn't big enough or possibly even compatible.
I can't say just from reading, but from what it looks like it's either the PSU or the motherboard (No POST). Here's where you want to check all your cables and connections and whatnots, and see if you can get a test PSU from someone (or some tech support dood).
--- The Master said: "It is all in vain! I have never yet seen a man who can perceive his own faults and bring the charge home against himself." >Analects: Book V, Chaper XXVI 
IIRC, you should check/replace your video card (if you have one) first. The last time I heard about something like this on the boards that was the main problem you could have, although I would expect you to have beeps from the motherboard if that happened. The next problem you may have is the Power supply unit. If replacing either or BOTH of the above do not work, the Motherboard has gone (maybe the CPU, but I doubt it) and it may be safer to buy a whole new system. Pull the HDs and look on the net about extracting the latest files for things like email and docs if your backups are out of date.
I dont see how the video card would cause the PSU to shut off after a few seconds... but wierder stuff has happened and I do recall someone on the board mentioning it happening to them and that was the real cause.
If it was brought into myself as a tech back in the days when I was doing diagnostics, I'd start with the PSU, swaping with a known good unit. Also, take a good look at the cpu mounts. It might be that the CPU heatsink mount has cracked or failed and is no longer drawing heat away correctly because its not in good contact and your CPU is getting hot, forcing a thermal shutdown. this happened to a relative a month or so ago. Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children 
This sounds almost exactly like the problem I had.
Do you have a computer repair place near you that will do a diagnosis? I'd recommend taking it in and having them look at it. Tell them exactly what happened. That it's not POSTing etc. (You can leave your hard drive out of the box if you're paranoid about security like I am. They can test the computer CPU and POST test without it. If they say they can't, take it someplace else. Because they obviously wouldn't know what the hell they are talking about in that case.) In my case what actually happened was completely counter-intuitive to what I thought had taken place. Everything I knew pointed to the motherboard being fried. But it was actually the power supply and the Videocard. Weird, but that's what happened. If your system can't POST at all. Likely the first part of the problem is the Power Supply. If that is replaced and it posts, but doesn't get video, then you have a video card issue as well. If it POST tests, you can see the screen, but nothing happens and there's no CMOS/BIOS then probably motherboard/CPU.
Given that the lights go off after roughly a second, I don't think it's overheating. It may think it's overheating though . . .
Edit. I've just done the recommended spin up test of the power supply from the corsair website and it worked. Piossibly there's a short in the reset button or something . . . Nope. :-( I tried disconnecting it - no change.
AHHHHH
Replacing the power supply doesn't help . . . And neither does resetting the CMOS settings or disconnecting the on switch and triggering it on with a trip across the pins. I'm very short on ideas here - and have dug my old computer out as a hopefully temporary substitute.
Okay, this is sounding more and more like either the Video card has failed and is crashing the MB bios as it starts or that a major component on the MB itself has failed. Does the MB have any onboard video capability? if so, try removing the card and or testing it with another known good video card. If it continues, your looking at a MB or CPU failure
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children
The only thing I have to add is to check the little 4-pin connector(s) from the power supply to the motherboard--which you probably checked when you replaced the power supply. I had a friend with a lose one of those, and that was the culprit.
But yeah, it's not looking good for the motherboard... 
The guy at the shop was able to narrow the problem down to the motherboard/processor. :-(
I'd sent my motherboard off to Gigabyte for repair and they've sent it back saying it was a couple of bent CPU pins. I'm rather surprised by this as I've have expected that to cause it to fail immediately, instead of after a number of months. I'm going to try to reassemble it now.
*crosses fingers*
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger." From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies
eh. That's techspeak for "DamallifIknow, just replace it and he'll never know the difference".
Now, I realize its been a looooong time since I did work at the hardware level, but in general in my day the only way a failure like that COULD happen is if someone ELSE bent a pin or two (not easy) and then straitened it, creating stress damage inside. Think of it like a small ding in your windshield, intially it escapes notice but as the windshield is exposed to further stress the ding can become a growing crack, eventually reaching the edges of the window and the whole thing falls apart (CPU becomes Inop) in general, though, the way chips were designed then it took an exceptional idiot to manage to bend pins because the damn things were meant to go in only one way and if it didnt fit people darn well knew not to force it but to use one's eyes and brains to see WHY it wasnt just dropping in. Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children
Here goes nothing . .
1) Horrific couple of seconds when nothing happened - then checked the switch on the back of the power supply. :-) 2) No graphics - turns out the card wasn't properly seated. 3) System clock not showing correct time - I'm actually relieved at having a minor problem to solve (which it did automatically). And I'm back . . for now.
booyah.
double check _everything_, button that beast up, and rock out! "No can brain today. Want cheezeburger." From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies
The thermal paste on the CPU has dried out and needs to be replaced. I'm back to my old computer until I can sort that out. Didn't help that my CPU fan was plugged into the wrong socket.
Done using some stuff I borrowed from work. The temperature is now around 40C - hotter than before but still acceptable.
hallelujah!
I'm running my new build at the moment, too. /feelsgoodman.jpg "No can brain today. Want cheezeburger." From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies |
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