More PC problems . . .

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I've had this happen a couple times now, but for some reason my PC won't always start up.

The power light comes on, you hear the clicks and whirs of the harddrives and DVD drives. Then nothing.

The power light stays on, but that's it.

Any ideas what it could be? I'm thinking a PSU or Motherboard issue? I'm assuming it won't be the harddrive, ram or CPU as I'd expect some sort of error code beeps from the motherboard.

PC is about 3 years old.

Intel Q6600 CPU
Asus P5K Premium Motherboard
Corsair Dominator RAM
880GTX Graphics
Corsair PSU
Use a couple WD and Seagate HDDs

Cheers

-Will

[MJ5150]

Is the monitor and cable in good working order?

-Mike

[Stumbo]

Could be the harddrive is going out. Not reading boot track sometimes. I had a similar issue.
I suggest you get everything backed up ASAP whatever the problem is.

Or maybe a power supply issue?

[Jimbob Jones]

My mums old laptop did this; you had to press space for it to boot.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

The monitor certainly hasn't given me any issues, neither has the cable, neither have been moved in an age either.

The mouse and keyboard don't come on, and the HDD activity light stops after an initial few flickers. Just the power light sitting on and the fans a'spinning.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

Could be the harddrive is going out. Not reading boot track sometimes. I had a similar issue.
I suggest you get everything backed up ASAP whatever the problem is.

Or maybe a power supply issue?

I've had a HDD fail before (another PC years back), but the BIOS still booted up and it had the "no disc" or whatnot error showing.

The first time I got the PC working again, I did backup everything I was keeping, to be on the safe side

[fenderhutz]

Re-seat your ram or swap slots. Try again.

Sounds like a dirty connection to me.

If that doesn't work do the same with your video card.

EDIT: Failing power supply will do this as well.

[Tat2dHeart]

When a drive is going down, how far you get in boot depends on where the drive is failing. Next time you have it up, back it all up. I got inconsistent boots on my last drive failure for about a week prior to the crash. Grateful for the backups too, since the final gasp of life occurred during final exam week and I had two major projects and a thesis that could have been lost.

[Hawaii Islander]

I would remove and re-seat all memory modules, and cards (graphics, sound, etc) and check for corrosion. Also, check the battery on the motherboard. Remove and re-seat cables as well. Oxidation on contacts can build up over time and cause problems.

Everytime I had a bios go bad, I got an error message, so I don't think it's the bios.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Tat2dHeart

When a drive is going down, how far you get in boot depends on where the drive is failing. Next time you have it up, back it all up. I got inconsistent boots on my last drive failure for about a week prior to the crash. Grateful for the backups too, since the final gasp of life occurred during final exam week and I had two major projects and a thesis that could have been lost.

It's just that it doesn't get anywhere. Surely some of the BIOS screen would appear, regardless of HDD issues?

I'll reseat all the cables and sockets, cheers guys!

[machine gewehr]

If it's starting up and there's no screen I'd first suspect the graphics card first.Find a spare one from a friend or ask them to bring theirs over and see if it's the problem.

Seen this a few times,worked like a charm.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by machine gewehr

If it's starting up and there's no screen I'd first suspect the graphics card first.Find a spare one from a friend or ask them to bring theirs over and see if it's the problem.

Seen this a few times,worked like a charm.

Theres no image on the screen, but, the mouse doesnt light up, neither does the keyboard and the HDD light doesnt go like it does when it normally boots.

I'm using it while it's running at the mo, so Im going to hope that it is just a bit of corrosion and see what reseating things do first.

[machine gewehr]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Theres no image on the screen, but, the mouse doesnt light up, neither does the keyboard and the HDD light doesnt go like it does when it normally boots.

I'm using it while it's running at the mo, so Im going to hope that it is just a bit of corrosion and see what reseating things do first.

It could be corrosion but I've never heard of a PC not working because of corrosion.There might be a piece of metal fallen into the case that can cause a short circuit too.I had this happen to me but it was years ago,I don't remember the symptoms now.

[Auzzie-Phoenix]

I'd check the asus support forums and see if your board has a history of bios failure first. If not, it could be a bad bios battery or a dead cpu. You won't always get a bios beep code with a failed cpu. There is also the possibility that part of the motherboard has died.

If your ram was not seated properly, you would most certainly be getting a bios error code beep sequence, such as one long beep and two short beeps or continuous on and off beeping.

In the case of a failed hdd, you should still receive an error. However, a simple way to test is to attempt booting to bios. Since bios is not dependent upon an hdd, you should be able to access the bios screen even if a drive is failing. If you can't get into bios, well you've got problems and they will probably cost some cash to fix (parts or parts+labor).

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by machine gewehr

It could be corrosion but I've never heard of a PC not working because of corrosion.There might be a piece of metal fallen into the case that can cause a short circuit too.I had this happen to me but it was years ago,I don't remember the symptoms now.

Well it does work. Sometimes. When it works, it seems to be fine. It's just trying to boot it that's the issue.

Originally Posted by Auzzie-Phoenix

I'd check the asus support forums and see if your board has a history of bios failure first. If not, it could be a bad bios battery or a dead cpu. You won't always get a bios beep code with a failed cpu. There is also the possibility that part of the motherboard has died.

If your ram was not seated properly, you would most certainly be getting a bios error code beep sequence, such as one long beep and two short beeps or continuous on and off beeping.

In the case of a failed hdd, you should still receive an error. However, a simple way to test is to attempt booting to bios. Since bios is not dependent upon an hdd, you should be able to access the bios screen even if a drive is failing. If you can't get into bios, well you've got problems and they will probably cost some cash to fix (parts or parts+labor).

From past experience with this computer, it'll show a BIOS screen without a harddrive. If it turns out that the motherboard is goosed, I'll just buy a new one. Cheaper than getting someone to fix it.

[machine gewehr]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Well it does work. Sometimes. When it works, it seems to be fine. It's just trying to boot it that's the issue.

Sounds like something is not connecting properly from time to time.

If it's the motherboard,it's one of the hardest to figure out.Good luck.

Just out of curiosity,have you tried rebooting?


Computer engineers' number one solution for any kind of problem.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Surely rebooting is a null point if I need to keep powering on and off to get it going

If it's a connector on the motherboard, shouldnt be much of a problem. If it's something integrated on the motherboard, it's more of a pest, but not too expensive a replacement.

[jp58]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Re-seat your ram or swap slots. Try again.

Sounds like a dirty connection to me.

If that doesn't work do the same with your video card.

EDIT: Failing power supply will do this as well.

Originally Posted by Hawaii Islander

I would remove and re-seat all memory modules, and cards (graphics, sound, etc) and check for corrosion. Also, check the battery on the motherboard. Remove and re-seat cables as well. Oxidation on contacts can build up over time and cause problems.

Everytime I had a bios go bad, I got an error message, so I don't think it's the bios.

Both of those seem like solid plans. I'd also try a new graphics card just to rule that out as a problem. making sure there isn't a lot of dust build-up inside the tower can do wonders as well.

The part that befuddles me is that it only does this some of the time.

Originally Posted by machine gewehr

Sounds like something is not connecting properly from time to time.

If it's the motherboard,it's one of the hardest to figure out.Good luck.

Just out of curiosity,have you tried rebooting?


Computer engineers' number one solution for any kind of problem.

Is the power cable plugged in? is probably a close second. I spent a bit of time at a local computer shop one summer, and that line came up pretty often.

[machine gewehr]

Originally Posted by jp58

Is the power cable plugged in? is probably a close second. I spent a bit of time at a local computer shop one summer, and that line came up pretty often.

Years ago a friend of mine asked me to help as he couldn't get the speakers working.

I downloaded countless softwares,opened the computer up and performed a few surgeries.After 2-3 hours I gave up,I told him I have to go I had had enough.

I grabbed my coat,just as I was leaving I thought "well as dumb as this sounds,I'm gonna check the cables."Yes the cables were not connected...

[BogeyBass]

Sounds like a bad power supply

If you using alot of usb devices, or if you recharge cell phones,cameras, ipods etc with the usb alot. you may have burned out that portion of the power supply.

just my thought since the keyboard and mouse dont work
i think the stand by relays for monitors use the same power