Argh! Got computer from storage and it's not working

[shmokes]

Dammit! I've had belonging sitting in a storage container (think Pods) for almost exactly a year, since I left Miami. I've just moved into a new apartment in D.C. and finally had the thing shipped to me. Amazingly everything is exactly as we packed it. No significant shifting. Nothing damaged.

But I got my computer, which worked perfectly fine before, all set up and it won't turn on. Or, rather, it fires up--fans come on, hard drives and optical drives spin up, but the computer won't post. It never sends a signal to the monitors, the USB keyboard doesn't initialize. And, worst of all, no beep codes!

So far I haven't done anything other than I pulled off all the superfluous accessories and reseated the ram. Neither helped. So irritating, especially after I just finished unloading all my stuff  (including the heaviest arcade cabinet on planet earth) and lugging it up multiple flights of stairs.

[Jammin0]

Could be a bad hard drive.  I just pulled a PC out of storage and it turned on but powered down minutes to seconds later.  Luckily I figured out pretty quickly that the heatsink had come loose and wasn't tight on the processor, clamped her back down and no thermal shutdown now. 

Good luck. 

[SavannahLion]

Check those caps too. My old job has a PC in cold storage. Bored and assigned to a job for four hours and completed in 15 I decided to see what, exactly, was on the PC. Pulled it out of cold storage, let it warm up for a bit and fired it up... and nothing. Fans were spinning but not a whole lot else. Did the usual and finally pulled open the case. Caps had burst like a bunch of grapes. Weird crystaline formations so it's been like that for a while. Not a pretty sight.

Tried to explain to the boss the PC wasn't being stored properly and needed repairs/replacement but got the cold shoulder. In a bizarre ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- up twist of legal crap, they have to keep the PC exactly as it was when it was stored. Nothing against you shmokes but those legal ---uvulas--- don't know how to preserve anything more sophisticated than a clay tablet.

[Howard_Casto]

Check your CMOS battery.  It can cause all kinds of stupid POST errors. 

PCs need to be stored at room temperature for the record.... all electronics do.

[danny_galaga]

[testicle187]

Reseat your RAM chips.  Most likely they got bumped loose in shipping.

[Malenko]

power supply

[ChadTower]

So far I haven't done anything other than I pulled off all the superfluous accessories and reseated the ram. Neither helped.

Reseat your RAM chips.  Most likely they got bumped loose in shipping.

[Mikezilla]

So far I haven't done anything other than I pulled off all the superfluous accessories and reseated the ram. Neither helped.

Reseat your RAM chips.  Most likely they got bumped loose in shipping.

 

[shmokes]

Battery was my next guess too since it's been sitting so long without being turned on. No dice. Just installed a brand new one and hit the clear CMOS jumper. It's doing the same thing. Super frustrating.

The stuff was stored in a moving container, which was itself stored in an air conditioned warehouse in Miami. My computer's only about 1.5 years old and it's all quality parts which were, as I mentioned, working perfectly befor I stored them.

I got some compressed air. Next step is to get rid of all the dust, reseat the CPU and clean the contacts on all the RAM and cards. Beyond that it's a damned crap shoot between MB and processor. Or maybe even the video card. I was at least able to rule out RAM because I have multiple sticks so I tried booting with various configurations. Unfortunately, I don't have a testbed to check the processor or extra motherboards lying around.

[ark_ader]

Battery was my next guess too since it's been sitting so long without being turned on. No dice. Just installed a brand new one and hit the clear CMOS jumper. It's doing the same thing. Super frustrating.

The stuff was stored in a moving container, which was itself stored in an air conditioned warehouse in Miami. My computer's only about 1.5 years old and it's all quality parts which were, as I mentioned, working perfectly befor I stored them.

I got some compressed air. Next step is to get rid of all the dust, reseat the CPU and clean the contacts on all the RAM and cards. Beyond that it's a damned crap shoot between MB and processor. Or maybe even the video card. I was at least able to rule out RAM because I have multiple sticks so I tried booting with various configurations. Unfortunately, I don't have a testbed to check the processor or extra motherboards lying around.

Why don't you just go and buy a new one?

They are cheap enough.   

[shmokes]

I don't even know what that means. Is it sarcasm? The eye roll suggests you are referring, perhaps to some past conversation. At any rate it either went over my head or fell totally flat. I don't know what you're saying.

[Malenko]

I don't even know what that means. Is it sarcasm? The eye roll suggests you are referring, perhaps to some past conversation. At any rate it either went over my head or fell totally flat. I don't know what you're saying.

srsly though, its probably this:

power supply

[leapinlew]

srsly though, its probably this:

power supply

Yup.

[MonMotha]

If it does nothing except spin up the fans, I'd bank on RAM or CPU being unseated.  Also check that your heatsink is attached and the fan is working - many systems will shut down if there's a CPU fan fault or if they detect overheating so that the CPU isn't damaged.  After that, try replacing the power supply.  The fact that it's clearly doing something (fans / HDD spinning) leads me to suspect something else initially but certainly doesn't rule out a power supply issue.  Check that the 12V (4/8 pin) cable is hooked up to the motherboard.  If it's unhooked, you'll get exactly what you describe.

PCs and electronics in general do NOT need to be stored at "room temp", but it would be recommended if possible.  They're usually good for storage over about 0-50C and potentially quite a bit wider (-20-70C is common).  They can potentially survive freezing so long as there's no condensation.  Higher temperatures can cause premature degradation of flash memory.  You should ALWAYS let the device come to room temp before turning it on, though.  This usually means 24 hours under controlled conditions.  NEVER power up heat producing devices (CPUs, CRT monitors, etc.) from a very cold state.  The thermal shock as they heat up rapidly will often break things.

Some precision instruments may be damaged or need realignment after being subject to temperature extremes, but such instruments usually need realignment every so often, anyway.  PCs would not generally fall into this category with the possible exception of hard drives.  Dirt, condensation, static discharge, etc. are all far more damaging to electronic systems than mild (i.e. 0-50C) temperature extremes.  If you're even remotely comfortable in it, the electronics are fine with it if they're not in operation.  While operating, it depends entirely on the system design.  25C is usually the design target.

[shmokes]

Unfortunately, at this point I'll have to pay to have it looked at. I'm still gonna short the power supply and check the leads, but since it's spinning up the fans and hard drives I expect that they'll all report proper voltages--which gives me the only marginally useful information that the power supply can deliver proper voltages with no load. At any rate, I don't have any extra power supplies with the proper connectors, thus I'll have to take it to someone who does. PITA.

[ark_ader]

I don't even know what that means. Is it sarcasm? The eye roll suggests you are referring, perhaps to some past conversation. At any rate it either went over my head or fell totally flat. I don't know what you're saying.

I'm saying go buy another computer, they are cheap enough.   

You must have gotten a job by now....

[DaOld Man]

I had this exact same problem.
I checked the power supply and it showed up as bad on my tester.
I tried a different power supply that did test good, and it didnt help.
I think there are cases where the power supply goes bad and takes out something on the motherboard.
I tried unplugging everything, using different ram, still no go.
All that is left is to try a different CPU (I dont have one so I cant do that).
I thought about buying a new motherboard just so I could rule out the cpu, but hate to do that just for a test.

[shmokes]

I don't even know what that means. Is it sarcasm? The eye roll suggests you are referring, perhaps to some past conversation. At any rate it either went over my head or fell totally flat. I don't know what you're saying.

I'm saying go buy another computer, they are cheap enough.   

You must have gotten a job by now....

This advice was so idiotic the first time you offered it that I didn't think you were serious. Please stop talking.

[CCM]

I don't even know what that means. Is it sarcasm? The eye roll suggests you are referring, perhaps to some past conversation. At any rate it either went over my head or fell totally flat. I don't know what you're saying.

I'm saying go buy another computer, they are cheap enough.   

You must have gotten a job by now....

This advice was so idiotic the first time you offered it that I didn't think you were serious. Please stop talking.

It may not be that idiotic depending on how old the computer is and how much you will have to pay someone to look at it.

[ark_ader]

I don't even know what that means. Is it sarcasm? The eye roll suggests you are referring, perhaps to some past conversation. At any rate it either went over my head or fell totally flat. I don't know what you're saying.

I'm saying go buy another computer, they are cheap enough.   

You must have gotten a job by now....

This advice was so idiotic the first time you offered it that I didn't think you were serious. Please stop talking.

Hes either cheap or needs attention.

I figure the latter. 

[shmokes]

It may not be that idiotic depending on how old the computer is and how much you will have to pay someone to look at it.

My computer's only about 1.5 years old and it's all quality parts which were, as I mentioned, working perfectly befor I stored them.

Yeah, the advice is idiotic. And the added eye roll, like, duh . . . when your computer stops working you just buy a new one, adds hilarity to the idiocy. It's like someone posting about a part going bad on their Harley rendering it inoperable and giving them advice to just buy a Yamaha scooter because they're so inexpensive. Stupidity. Hell, even if my current machine and the chintzy one ark linked to were similar in horsepower (they're not), I'd still prefer to get mine going then to get a barebones one, install an OS, configure everything, install Office and the Creative Suite and a dozen other apps just to get it basically functioning.

[CCM]

 I'd still prefer to get mine going then to get a barebones one, install an OS, configure everything, install Office and the Creative Suite and a dozen other apps just to get it basically functioning.

Unless the the harddrive in your computer is shot... then you'll be doing all that anyway.

[abispac]

 I'd still prefer to get mine going then to get a barebones one, install an OS, configure everything, install Office and the Creative Suite and a dozen other apps just to get it basically functioning.

Unless the the harddrive in your computer is shot... then you'll be doing all that anyway.

JUST STFU PLEASE.
In the other hand, i had the same problem as you do more then 10 times, and all of them where bad power supplys, so before paying 50 bucks or more to someone , ill say you can buy a cheap power supply. I bet thats going to be your problem.

[shmokes]

 I'd still prefer to get mine going then to get a barebones one, install an OS, configure everything, install Office and the Creative Suite and a dozen other apps just to get it basically functioning.

Unless the the harddrive in your computer is shot... then you'll be doing all that anyway.

A dead hard drive won't prevent a computer from posting. So if that ends up being the case it will be coincidental.

[404]

you're problem is, you stored it in Miami. Damn i hate this city.  

All jokes (and flames) aside. Let's go through a checklist just to clear the air here.

• make sure you have no blown components. Look for the obvious, blown or bloated capacitors, any burn marks on the board etc
• remove all unnecessary peripherals like dvd drives. If your board supports on board graphics, remove your graphics card and try that
• Unseat the processor. If its an intel processor look closely to see if the motherboard has any dislocated pins. AMD units, look at the processor to see if you have any bent or warped pins. If you have a large heatpipe based cooler, you probably should have removed it before transporting. the weight and height of them can sometimes warp processor ports and even warp your motherboard if you have a weak motherboard supporting backplate.
• remove your processor and turn on the pc without it in the socket. It sounds crazy but some motherboards generally won't even turn on without the processor completing the circuit. This may indicate that its something else besides your processor.
• remove all of your ram insert one stick at a time into the first dimm slot only and see if you can post that way.

[ark_ader]

It's like someone posting about a part going bad on their Harley rendering it inoperable and giving them advice to just buy a Yamaha scooter because they're so inexpensive. Stupidity.

That comment above sure sounded stupid.

Comparing Harleys to PCs now... 

[Ed_McCarron]

It's like someone posting about a part going bad on their Harley rendering it inoperable and giving them advice to just buy a Yamaha scooter because they're so inexpensive. Stupidity.

That comment above sure sounded stupid.

Comparing Harleys to PCs now... 

At least he's not comparing Macs to PCs...  Er, wrong thread.   

[Hoopz]

Didnt we already have a thread about light bulbs and broken lamps?   

Or is that reference from too long ago?

[SavannahLion]

Didnt we already have a thread about light bulbs and broken lamps?   

Or is that reference from too long ago?

Lampy from Brave Little Toaster?

[leapinlew]

It may not be that idiotic depending on how old the computer is and how much you will have to pay someone to look at it.

My computer's only about 1.5 years old and it's all quality parts which were, as I mentioned, working perfectly befor I stored them.

Yeah, the advice is idiotic. And the added eye roll, like, duh . . . when your computer stops working you just buy a new one, adds hilarity to the idiocy. It's like someone posting about a part going bad on their Harley rendering it inoperable and giving them advice to just buy a Yamaha scooter because they're so inexpensive. Stupidity. Hell, even if my current machine and the chintzy one ark linked to were similar in horsepower (they're not), I'd still prefer to get mine going then to get a barebones one, install an OS, configure everything, install Office and the Creative Suite and a dozen other apps just to get it basically functioning.

Time will tell if it's idiotic advice. If you put no value on your time or it is fixed quickly and it ends up being a no to low cost item to fix then you are the winner. If it takes a long time to fix and/or an expensive or hard to item has failed you will have wasted time and will still need to spend money.

What complicates matters further is you didn't specify the specs of the computer which would have given a clue as to how old the computer was. Heck, we don't even know if it's a laptop. I've seen computers get replaced because they had spyware and were too old to justify spending 30 minutes trying to get working. I've had computers which were old, but the data they contained was so valuable I spent an inordinate amount of time getting them functioning again.  I've seen people replace computers simply because they couldn't find parts, even though it was an easy fix (laptops are good for this).

Good luck getting it going. Ignore the advice from people if you don't think they are being constructive, but posting more info will be helpful for those who are trying to help you.

[Funnel]

Did you check the caps around the CPU? My PC was doing the same thing you described. Took a look at the caps and bam! Two of them were effed up. They may look like this:

[shmokes]

Time will tell if it's idiotic advice. If you put no value on your time or it is fixed quickly and it ends up being a no to low cost item to fix then you are the winner. If it takes a long time to fix and/or an expensive or hard to item has failed you will have wasted time and will still need to spend money.

What complicates matters further is you didn't specify the specs of the computer which would have given a clue as to how old the computer was. Heck, we don't even know if it's a laptop. I've seen computers get replaced because they had spyware and were too old to justify spending 30 minutes trying to get working. I've had computers which were old, but the data they contained was so valuable I spent an inordinate amount of time getting them functioning again.  I've seen people replace computers simply because they couldn't find parts, even though it was an easy fix (laptops are good for this).

Good luck getting it going. Ignore the advice from people if you don't think they are being constructive, but posting more info will be helpful for those who are trying to help you.

The advice is idiotic, but honestly I don't just automatically point out a person's stupidity just because they do something stupid. ark has a history of being obnoxious, and his post here fits his MO.

I realize that I didn't explicitly say it's a desktop, but I did discuss reseating the videocard, running multiple monitors, replacing the battery/jumping the clear CMOS jumper, reseating the processor, reseating the videocard, shorting the power supply and checking the leads, etc. I can't imagine that anyone who knows anything about servicing a PC had any question whether we're talking about a laptop or a desktop.

As for the specs, it's an ASUS P6T motherboard with a Core i7 920 processor and 12GB of RAM (6 x 2GB). It's got an ATI HD 4870 video card, 5 SATA hard drives and a couple of optical drives on the IDE channel.

No matter how you slice it, buying a new computer would be FAR more expensive (to buy an equivalent one) and probably far more time consuming too (cos the OS and applications would have to be set up from scratch). Anyway, the case is super nice. Even if I decided to buy a new computer it would make sense to just populate this case with new parts. In that case (no pun intended), since I already have this current computer with very good parts (aside from whatever one is broken), it only makes sense that I would reuse what I have and just buy the new part(s) I need. Which would be, of course, just fixing my existing computer.

[leapinlew]

ark has a history of being obnoxious

Can't argue with that.

Back on topic, what have you tried and have you had any luck yet?

[CCM]

12GB of RAM (6 x 2GB).

Have you pulled all the ram chips but one?  That would have been the first thing I tried...  Leave one in and if it boots, add them back one at time until you run into an issue.

[shmokes]

Yeah, I've tried a single chip in each socket (performed multiple times with different chips), a chip in every odd socket, a chip in every even socket. I've even booted with no RAM installed and I still get the same result (no beep codes). I'm confident that RAM is not an issue.

Back on topic, what have you tried and have you had any luck yet?

Replaced the battery
Cleared the CMOS
Reseated RAM, CPU, Videocard
Removed everything but those last three items
Cleaned the contacts on the videocard
Dusted the whole interior with compressed air
Visually inspected the capacitors (none appear blown)
Visually inspected the connectors on the processor and videocard and ram (no bent pins or burn marks)
Tested the leads from the power supply with multimeter - All showed proper voltages (4 pin peripheral connectors, 24 pin motherboard, 8 pin CPU)

[ChadTower]

So clearly the next step is testing the mobo with a different power supply or testing the power supply with a different mobo.

[shmokes]

Yeah. I've called a local computer guy to do just that. Hopefully he'll get back to me soon. It's taking forever, but his rates are much better than going to a place like Micro Center. Once upon a time I could easily have tested this myself, but I don't have access to testbeds anymore. The only way for me to test with another power supply would be to purchase another one. Likewise for the motherboard. I suppose I could go purchase a power supply, try it, and return it if it doesn't fix my problem. But the older I get, the less inclined I am to do things like that.

[ChadTower]

Heh.  Or you could troll around for a parts PC to test with.  Few things are easier to get than a dead PC.  Or hell just borrow someone's old PC.

[CCM]

Just go to best buy and pick up a power supply.   If it works, it's a cheap easy fix.  If you still have the same issue, return the power supply... no money out of pocket.   I wold not pay anyone to look at it until you have tried everything you can.