Pc Won't Start

[bonsaimax]

Just got my mainboard back from the shop (still under guarantee). Got it back in the same condition, I'm afraid. Sent it back, because when the power button is pressed, it lights up, but not the HDD light on the case. I hear the fans start for a second and then ... nothing. Tried plugging it directly on to the wall sockets all over the house - same same. Tried not to use the UPS as well.

Strangely enough, after 2 days of poking on the switch, it started but went straight to the BIOS. I can't turn it off now in the fear that it won't start up again and I badly need it for work.

Not to keen on taking it back to the shop and have four idiots posing as techies convince me that I need to replace the Mboard on my 6-month old PC.

Does this sound like a genuine Mainboard malfunction? Or could it also be something else? HDD? Power button? Power supply? I'm just guessing of course.

Any ideas ?

[penzman]

HDD cable plugged in backwards?

[thailand_property_search]

A PC with just the bios showing is no use to you. You might as well turn it off. You can also exit and not save changes and it should just continue without rebooting so you can see if you can get into the OS. If all this works then it's probably the power button since you have power for the fans etc (is the button the latching type?).

Usually if it boots straight into the bios (without pressing any buttons) it's because the bios clock isn't set. If this is the case, set the time and save changes. If it goes back in again because the time is reset again, then you only need to change the battery on the MB (big silver watch type one).

the easy answer is to take it back to the shop and don't take it back until they prove it's working. It's their problem.

[Gumballl]

You stated that it went straight to the BIOS. Ok, that is normal. What happened after? Was the OS on your HDD booted? If so, it is quite possible that you have a faulty power-switch on the PC box. But then, that is merely a guess.

[monochaser]

Take it back for a refund. Wait this is Thailand, nevermind

[Tywais]

A marginal or problematic power supply could cause this.

[Minburi]

You could try this

Start pulling cards..First if you have one is the sound try it then power up and then

Then video card and so forth.. Sounds like one is over heating or your fan is not cooling correct pull the mother chip and recoat with cooling paste/gel (artic ice) or you could try moving the cards around and if possible making more space between the cards for better cooling..Last put in a turbo fan to draw air through faster..

Let me know

[bonsaimax]

HDD cable plugged in backwards?

I have SATA HDDs, they're properly plugged

You stated that it went straight to the BIOS. Ok, that is normal. What happened after? Was the OS on your HDD booted? If so, it is quite possible that you have a faulty power-switch on the PC box. But then, that is merely a guess.

After saving the BIOS settings, it booted normally, but took longer than usual.

refund

this word is not part of the Thai Vocabulary

the easy answer is to take it back to the shop and don't take it back until they prove it's working. It's their problem.

i wish it were that easy, but its a 100 km drive back and forth, not to mention the traffic. And honestly, I'd rather have someone who really knows what he's doing take a look at my PC. I don't mind paying so long as I get my money's worth.

I also noticed that the PC has slowed down significantly. I've got a P4 2.66 and 1 GB of RAM and SATA HDDs.

Thanks for all your replies.

[SMS]

The first thing to do is find out what is causing the problem.

Strip your mother board of everything...

Take the battery out of the mother board for a while and put in again (resets BIOS settings).

Then add pheripherils one by one and trying to turn on the computer at each step.

One faulty/incorrectly installed card/ship can cause the proplem.

The fact that it showed the BIOS screen may suggest the problem was caused due to some bad settungs....and after they got reset it started working??

[thailand_property_search]

OK.

So it boots into the OS...not MB problem. Everything does work (maybe slower but thats a different issue).

Did the hard-drive LED light up when the drive was accessed? If not check the LED connecor is correctly placed.

If you also tell us where you are, maybe there is someone close that can help (which is probably what you really want...lol).

[elkangorito]

Strangely enough, after 2 days of poking on the switch, it started but went straight to the BIOS. I can't turn it off now in the fear that it won't start up again and I badly need it for work.

Poking around with the switch? Exactly what do you mean? This could be as simple as a faulty switch. This is not an uncommon ocurrance.

[HarryHerb]

This exact same thing happened to me a few years back - identical symptoms - but of course I have no idea if the causes in your case are the same.

If you wish to try, however, this is what solved it:

The guy from the computer shop opened up the box, took out the RAM, got a pencil with lots of elastic bands tied round the end and rubbed it up and down on the metallic strip, replaced it and the thing booted up perfectly.

I'm not a geek so I have no idea if this is normal practice, or even what was wrong. But it worked. It happened to me again a year after and I did it myself (to save the 300 Baht he charged me!) and again worked like a charm.

Good luck!

[bonsaimax]

Did the hard-drive LED light up when the drive was accessed? If not check the LED connecor is correctly placed.

If you also tell us where you are, maybe there is someone close that can help (which is probably what you really want...lol).

Yes, the hard drive LED lit up. I am in North Bangkok, so if you could refer me to someone knowledgeable, that would be great. thanks.

Poking around with the switch? Exactly what do you mean? This could be as simple as a faulty switch. This is not an uncommon ocurrance.

When I press the switch, it lights up. But nothing else happens. The HDD LED lights up for a split second, and I hear the fans start, but they die after 2 seconds. Out of frustration. I just kept on pressing the switch in maybe 10 second intervals, when suddenly it just came to life. It's been a few days now and haven't turned it off since.

[SMS]

The odds are that its come back for good.

I have never experienced such an issue where most of the times the PC wont start and sometimes it will.

My theory:-

Some setting in your bios had gon bad...you pressing the power button in some sequence reset the bios settings, now its working again.

PS: dont blame me if you try t restart and it doesnt work :-)

[bonsaimax]

My fear has just been realized. The computer just shut down by itself. The strange thing is that the "power" light remained on while the HDD LED turned off.

Tried pressing the power button to start it again, and as expected, same same.

Could it also be a faulty hard disk? But it's a new HDD.

recoat with cooling paste/gel (artic ice)

Is arctic ice available here in LOS? haven't seen any.

[mocean]

I had somewhat the same problems when my computer was not grounded in a decent way. And in that place the power wasn't so stable too. But an UPS should solve the last problem.

If you have a power-check-decive you can check if your power supply has the right outputs (0, 5 and 12 volts if I remember well).

Edited May 30, 2006 by mocean

[HarryHerb]

When I press the switch, it lights up. But nothing else happens. The HDD LED lights up for a split second, and I hear the fans start, but they die after 2 seconds. Out of frustration. I just kept on pressing the switch in maybe 10 second intervals, when suddenly it just came to life. It's been a few days now and haven't turned it off since.

As I said above, this is the exact same thing that happened to me, HDD lights then fan dies, occasionally going into the BIOS screen, etc.

Have you tried what I suggested with the RAM (above)? Of course you think I'm stupid, but it really did work and it won't cost you a penny to try, will it?

Sometimes it doesn't have to make sense, TIT.

[bonsaimax]

Have you tried what I suggested with the RAM (above)? Of course you think I'm stupid, but it really did work and it won't cost you a penny to try, will it?

Sometimes it doesn't have to make sense, TIT.

Tried it last night, but it didn't work. On the contrary, I don't think it's stupid. If you're as desperate as I am, you'll try anything just to put an end to this all.

Anymore suggestions are most welcome. Cheers!

[elkangorito]

I had somewhat the same problems when my computer was not grounded in a decent way. And in that place the power wasn't so stable too. But an UPS should solve the last problem.

If you have a power-check-decive you can check if your power supply has the right outputs (0, 5 and 12 volts if I remember well).

I'd certainly recommending the proper earthing of your electrical system. A lack of or incorrect earthing can result in equipment failure or damage. Do not rule this out in your elimination list.

Also, a UPS may not always solve the problem of power stability or bad earthing.

For details, see http://www.crossy.co.uk/wiring/