PC turns on, does nothing

BB · 12-28-2012, 11:25 AM

My desktop PC is currently nothing more than a box of fans and lights- was perfectly fine llast night but as of today, it'll turn on and all the fans will go at full pelt, but it doesn't get any further than that. The fans don't calm down after a minute like they usually do, there's nothing on the monitor, and it doesn't even seem to POST as there's no beep and I can't hear any activity.

All my USB devices turn on so power is apparently getting to the right places.

The computer itself is 6 years old so hardware problems aren't unexpected, but it was very sudden and I have no idea where to start diagnosing it. My level of expertise is moderate, I know my way around well enough but I wouldn't feel confident enough to make a judgement on someone else's PC without consulting someone with more know-how.

Any advice on where to START figuring out what's happened? Replacement parts are pretty much not an option, my funding is zero, so hopefully it's something that can be fixed.

Flarecobra · 12-28-2012, 11:32 AM

Was there any unusual noises? It could be just a loose connection in the hard drive perhaps.

Bells · 12-28-2012, 11:53 AM

Is it clean? Is there dirt inside?

You would be amazed how dirt can make a PC look dead, a good brush and cleaning every 4-6 months does wonders to any machine.

If it's turning on, but not booting, you need to check your memory and all cables, make sure that everything is right in place.

Nikose Tyris · 12-28-2012, 12:37 PM

Was there a storm last night?

Bells · 12-28-2012, 12:43 PM

Yep, fluctuations in electrical power can also cause the very same effect you described.

BB · 12-28-2012, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flarecobra

Was there any unusual noises? It could be just a loose connection in the hard drive perhaps.

No unusual noises except the fans running at full blast, which they always do at first boot anyway but usually settle down after a bit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bells

Is it clean? Is there dirt inside?

You would be amazed how dirt can make a PC look dead, a good brush and cleaning every 4-6 months does wonders to any machine.

If it's turning on, but not booting, you need to check your memory and all cables, make sure that everything is right in place.

It's as dusty as you'd expect from a 6 year old deskie, though I do sweep out the heatsink/processor fan every 6 months or so. Either way, the dust wouldn't prevent it from booting entirely.

Cables are a likely cause since I replaced the power supply a month ago, but it seems weird that the USB devices still work... power must still be getting through the motherboard somehow? That will be my first port of call when fixing it though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikose Tyris

Was there a storm last night?

Not that I know of, but I've slept through worse

Everything gets unplugged at night though.

rpgdemon · 12-28-2012, 12:53 PM

When you replaced your power supply, did you replace it with one at a lower wattage? If you did, you might just not have enough power going into your box.

BB · 12-28-2012, 12:55 PM

Higher wattage, replaced a 240w with a 400w, which has been running without issue (until now!)

Nikose Tyris · 12-28-2012, 03:32 PM

You replaced the Power Supply not too long ago, so while that was my initial concern, if you unplug everything, then yeah that rules it out.

Hm. I'm going to think.

shiney · 12-28-2012, 04:01 PM

Does your monitor work? Verify the connections there.

Does your motherboard have error code LED reporting? Does it have audible error reporting? (A series of beeps.) What operating system do you use?

This could be RAM; it sounds kinda like RAM. Reseat all your RAM chips. If nothing, remove one and boot again. If nothing, replace the one you removed and take out a different one. Continue until all RAM has been cycled to verify it is not a bad RAM chip.

Have you removed a peripheral lately? Removal of a USB item can cause a system to hang at boot. Additionally, bad seating of a card (video card, network adapter etc) can cause the same issue.

This could also be a heat issue; you may have poor transfer. Realistically it should shut down if this is the case though.

Double-check your internal connections to make sure your harddrive hasn't been jostled and is having a weak connection through the data or power cable.

Basically, if it exists inside the computer, and it plugs into something in some way, unplug and replug it. Get as granular as possible with this.

12-28-2012, 11:25 AM	#1
BB >-❥ Love Arrow, Shoot! ~💖 Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 675	PC turns on, does nothing My desktop PC is currently nothing more than a box of fans and lights- was perfectly fine llast night but as of today, it'll turn on and all the fans will go at full pelt, but it doesn't get any further than that. The fans don't calm down after a minute like they usually do, there's nothing on the monitor, and it doesn't even seem to POST as there's no beep and I can't hear any activity. All my USB devices turn on so power is apparently getting to the right places. The computer itself is 6 years old so hardware problems aren't unexpected, but it was very sudden and I have no idea where to start diagnosing it. My level of expertise is moderate, I know my way around well enough but I wouldn't feel confident enough to make a judgement on someone else's PC without consulting someone with more know-how. Any advice on where to START figuring out what's happened? Replacement parts are pretty much not an option, my funding is zero, so hopefully it's something that can be fixed. __________________ Twit - Tumbl - T...Steam

12-28-2012, 11:32 AM	#2
Flarecobra Burn. Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Classified Posts: 11,017	Was there any unusual noises? It could be just a loose connection in the hard drive perhaps. __________________ "Only the fool wishes to go into battle to beat someone for the satisfaction of beating someone." -A Thousand Sons Rules. Read them, know them, love them.

12-28-2012, 11:53 AM	#3
Bells That's so PC of you Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In a Server-sided Dimension where time is meaningless Posts: 10,490	Is it clean? Is there dirt inside? You would be amazed how dirt can make a PC look dead, a good brush and cleaning every 4-6 months does wonders to any machine. If it's turning on, but not booting, you need to check your memory and all cables, make sure that everything is right in place. __________________ *BELLS STORE : Clothes! You wear* them! Free US Shipping Subscription System? WTF?! Zazzle Black!**

12-28-2012, 12:43 PM	#5
Bells That's so PC of you Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In a Server-sided Dimension where time is meaningless Posts: 10,490	Yep, fluctuations in electrical power can also cause the very same effect you described. __________________ *BELLS STORE : Clothes! You wear* them! Free US Shipping Subscription System? WTF?! Zazzle Black!**

12-28-2012, 12:53 PM	#7
rpgdemon Not a Taco Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 3,313	When you replaced your power supply, did you replace it with one at a lower wattage? If you did, you might just not have enough power going into your box. __________________ I did a lot of posting on here as a teenager, and I was pretty awful. Even after I learned, grew up, and came to be on the right side of a lot of important issues, I was still angry, abrasive, and generally increased the amount of hate in the world, in pretty unacceptable ways. On the off chance that someone is taking a trip down memory lane looking through those old threads, I wanted to devote my signature to say directly to you, I'm sorry. Thank you for letting me be better, NPF.

12-28-2012, 12:55 PM	#8
BB >-❥ Love Arrow, Shoot! ~💖 Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 675	Higher wattage, replaced a 240w with a 400w, which has been running without issue (until now!) __________________ Twit - Tumbl - T...Steam

12-28-2012, 04:01 PM	#10
shiney Derrrrrrrrrrrrrp. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The land of fartz and buttz Posts: 8,266	Does your monitor work? Verify the connections there. Does your motherboard have error code LED reporting? Does it have audible error reporting? (A series of beeps.) What operating system do you use? This could be RAM; it sounds kinda like RAM. Reseat all your RAM chips. If nothing, remove one and boot again. If nothing, replace the one you removed and take out a different one. Continue until all RAM has been cycled to verify it is not a bad RAM chip. Have you removed a peripheral lately? Removal of a USB item can cause a system to hang at boot. Additionally, bad seating of a card (video card, network adapter etc) can cause the same issue. This could also be a heat issue; you may have poor transfer. Realistically it should shut down if this is the case though. Double-check your internal connections to make sure your harddrive hasn't been jostled and is having a weak connection through the data or power cable. Basically, if it exists inside the computer, and it plugs into something in some way, unplug and replug it. Get as granular as possible with this. __________________ boop