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

[Ed_McCarron]

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.

Unless, of course, the problem with the MOBO trashes the new PS.

Then, he's out a new power supply.

[Hoopz]

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.

Unless, of course, the problem with the MOBO trashes the new PS.

Then, Best Buy's out a new power supply.

Fixt













j/k 
Let's not open that can of worms again!

[Mikezilla]

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.

Unless, of course, the problem with the MOBO trashes the new PS.

Then, Best Buy's out a new power supply.

Fixt













j/k 
Let's not open that can of worms again!

Haha that was a great thread. 

[leapinlew]

Have you reseated the CPU and CPU fan? I don't test PSU's, I just replace them to see if they fix the issue. Lately, I seem to be swapping out more PSU's than anything else. It's high on the suspect list when things aren't working right.

[shmokes]

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

Replaced the battery
Cleared the CMOS
Reseated RAM, [/b]CPU[/b], 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)

Musta just got lost in the list.

[shmokes]

Well . . . it ain't the power supply. 

[leapinlew]

Well . . . it ain't the power supply. 

Ouch... not looking good.

[BobA]

I cannot believe that more people don't have one of these in their tool box.

atx tester

[leapinlew]

I cannot believe that more people don't have one of these in their tool box.

atx tester

I just carry a known good PSU. I find it faster to swap out a PSU on a desktop computer than to test every connection. Especially when the problem is intermittent.

[shmokes]

I cannot believe that more people don't have one of these in their tool box.

atx tester

That's pretty cool. And it's so inexpensive that I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I still supported PCs for a living. As it stands now, I've already got a multimeter and as much as it's a pain shorting the power supply and testing each lead individually, it serves for my purposes. Now, if that thing could test a power supply under load it would be a different story . . .

[lilshawn]

Just a shot in the dark, but sometimes the good has a failsafe mode (used to boot when an overclocking configuration fails) on mine i have to hold insert and hold it while i power the computer on. check your manual.

I'm just thinking the bios  got corrupted. maybe you pull the chip and program it with a burner maybe? had to do that before.

[leapinlew]

I'm just thinking the bios  got corrupted.

I have never had to do that. As far as I'm concerned, if the BIOS were corrupt, I would be in the market for a new machine.

[knave]

I had a PC that showed similar symptoms a few years ago. It turned out to be a grounding issue. Some piece of the Mobo was touching the case and it wouldn't do anything. Once I fixed it the PC ran fine.

I would try taking the mobo out of the case and powering it up with ram/cpu only and see what you get.
I know its a PITA other than that it sounds like a bad Mobo.

One question, have you tried booting it w/o ram and see if you get any beeps?

[shmokes]

Yeah, tried booting with no RAM. Even tried booting with no CPU. Nothing I could do would produce beeps. I suppose I may as well try firing it up outside the case. I've already pulled it to send the motherboard back to the manufacturer for RMA. I was pretty fortunate there. Although the computer itself is not under warranty, Asus provides at least a 3 year warranty on all their motherboards, so I only have to pay for shipping. Much better than replacing a $300 motherboard, though. I'm still worried that the motherboard will come back and I'll still be in the same boat because the actual problem was the CPU or videocard. But I sort of doubt it. I can't imagine why one of those problems wouldn't be producing beep codes, even when I tried to boot with those devices removed entirely. So at this point, I'm leaning heavily toward motherboard. I'll throw it on a piece of cardboard and try to boot, though, just to be sure. The RMA is going to take 10 business days, not including shipping, so if I can figure out that the motherboard is fine before shipping it off, I'll be pretty happy.

[ark_ader]

Yeah, tried booting with no RAM. Even tried booting with no CPU. Nothing I could do would produce beeps. I suppose I may as well try firing it up outside the case. I've already pulled it to send the motherboard back to the manufacturer for RMA. I was pretty fortunate there. Although the computer itself is not under warranty, Asus provides at least a 3 year warranty on all their motherboards, so I only have to pay for shipping. Much better than replacing a $300 motherboard, though. I'm still worried that the motherboard will come back and I'll still be in the same boat because the actual problem was the CPU or videocard. But I sort of doubt it. I can't imagine why one of those problems wouldn't be producing beep codes, even when I tried to boot with those devices removed entirely. So at this point, I'm leaning heavily toward motherboard. I'll throw it on a piece of cardboard and try to boot, though, just to be sure. The RMA is going to take 10 business days, not including shipping, so if I can figure out that the motherboard is fine before shipping it off, I'll be pretty happy.

 

[shmokes]

You are one of the least intelligent people I've ever interacted with. Trust me, whatever funny thing you think you found in there is only going to make you look stupid. We've been down this road before.

[ark_ader]

You are one of the least intelligent people I've ever interacted with. Trust me, whatever funny thing you think you found in there is only going to make you look stupid. We've been down this road before.

That's even funnier. 

[abispac]

You are one of the least intelligent people I've ever interacted with. Trust me, whatever funny thing you think you found in there is only going to make you look stupid. We've been down this road before.

That's even funnier. 

No its not, stop bumpin you post count....

[CCM]

You are one of the least intelligent people I've ever interacted with. Trust me, whatever funny thing you think you found in there is only going to make you look stupid. We've been down this road before.

That's even funnier. 

stop bumpin you post count....

[CCM]

on topic... I agree with knave, it's gotta be the motherboard.

[ark_ader]

on topic... I agree with knave, it's gotta be the motherboard.

I know that and I'm like thousands of miles away.  I knew the what was the main issue when Shmokes was describing it, thus I referred to a swap solution.  What is even funnier is that Shmokes has some experience in PC troubleshooting.  I mean he is a lawyer - he is supposed to be quicker on the mark.  Swap out is like duh!  Oh no lets draw it out, get the multimeter out. 

But he prefers to act like a noob and post his dilemma on this forum instead of just swapping out the board.  But no I was being idiotic for suggesting that.  I was infringing on Shmokes intelligent domain.  He will send the board back, and find out it was far easier to just go out and buy a new board.  Especially one that is not obsolete.  I kind of feel sorry for him.

That is why it is so funny.   

I would understand if he had an arcade machine and transported it and found out it didn't work.  That would be interesting, and a learning experience.

Must be lonely being a lawyer.  Especially one that is so single minded.  :'(

Maybe I should do the extra year and qualify as a lawyer, how hard can it be?

What to call the law firm though.....?


 

[DaveMMR]

But he prefers to act like a noob and post his dilemma on this forum instead of just swapping out the board.  But no I was being idiotic for suggesting that.  I was infringing on Shmokes intelligent domain.  He will send the board back, and find out it was far easier to just go out and buy a new board.  Especially one that is not obsolete.  I kind of feel sorry for him.

I'm not trying to fight anyone's battles for them - forgive me if it seems that way - but I don't get why you think swapping the motherboard is the simplest solution.

I've run into many computer problems, a lot similar to what shmokes has and it has NEVER been the motherboard. While yes, they do break - they're also actually fairly resilient. So if I had done as you seem to think is common sense (swapping the board) I would have wasted a lot of time. Taking the motherboard out is not quick.

When you troubleshoot computers, you go with the easiest possible fix first - motherboard is a last resort after you exhausted everything.

(edited for clarity)

[BobA]

Last ditch effort.  Try the motherboard out of the case on a piece of cardboard with everything removed to see if you can get it to post.   Chassis shorts do occur but have not seen one for quite a few years. 

[ark_ader]

But he prefers to act like a noob and post his dilemma on this forum instead of just swapping out the board.  But no I was being idiotic for suggesting that.  I was infringing on Shmokes intelligent domain.  He will send the board back, and find out it was far easier to just go out and buy a new board.  Especially one that is not obsolete.  I kind of feel sorry for him.

I'm not trying to fight anyone's battles for them - forgive me if it seems that way - but I don't get why you think swapping the motherboard is the simplest solution.

I've run into many computer problems, a lot similar to what shmokes has and it has NEVER been the motherboard. While yes, they do break - they're also actually fairly resilient. So if I had done as you seem to think is common sense (swapping the board) I would have wasted a lot of time. Taking the motherboard out is not quick.

When you troubleshoot computers, you go with the easiest possible fix first - motherboard is a last resort after you exhausted everything.

(edited for clarity)

I would agree with you if I ran a shop and had loads of time on my hands.  But when you are manning a busy helpdesk and updating/fixing the units under pressure you tend to get a feel of a situation as it becomes old hat.  I guess a car mechanic can run into similar situations.  Again I would agree with your comment say fifteen years ago when motherboards were built like tanks, well putting it another way - your IO cards PSU and hard drives would fail before your mainboard did.  I have been building systems since just before I graduated school at 17.  I had a good business selling refurbished XT boxes out of my garage, before I turned my attention to networking.

Today mainboards are priced to be swapped out. Most boards have practically everything IO on them.  Sometimes if a board is cheap enough I would buy three just in case.  In the help desk scenario most of our issues were mainboard related.  You get that when you buy from the lowest bidder.    Shmokes knows that too.  That is why I like laughing at him.  The guy is such a predictable tool.      May he stay on these boards forever.    

[lilshawn]

Free motherboard is free. In my eyes that trumps paying to buy a new one. 

[shmokes]

But he prefers to act like a noob and post his dilemma on this forum instead of just swapping out the board.  But no I was being idiotic for suggesting that.

A #1, are you retarded? You didn't recommend swapping the motherboard. You recommended the exact opposite: stop wasting my time determining which part is bad and just buy a brand new complete system and throw out the broken one.

B #2, I have difficulty believing that you built and serviced PC's for so long. If you did, you were ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- at your job. Starting with swapping the motherboard, based on my computer's symptoms, is even more idiotic than I gave you credit for. It's a $300 motherboard, and while it turned out to not be the case, there is a far greater chance that the $1 battery had gone dead in storage than that the $300 motherboard spontaneously busted. And even if it was more likely that the motherboard was busted, even if there were only a 10% chance that it was the battery . . . it costs $1 and takes two seconds to swap out. The motherboard costs $300 to replace and is a right pain in the ass to swap. It doesn't take a genius to figure this out.



p.s.

Trust me, whatever funny thing you think you found in there is only going to make you look stupid. We've been down this road before.

[dre-w]

I had this same problem with my computer a year ago, I just poured a cup of warm water on it.   

seriously tho..  hope it gets fixed, I was without mine for 2 months.. seemed like an eternity

[ark_ader]

But he prefers to act like a noob and post his dilemma on this forum instead of just swapping out the board.  But no I was being idiotic for suggesting that.

A #1, are you retarded? You didn't recommend swapping the motherboard. You recommended the exact opposite: stop wasting my time determining which part is bad and just buy a brand new complete system and throw out the broken one.

B #2, I have difficulty believing that you built and serviced PC's for so long. If you did, you were ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- at your job. Starting with swapping the motherboard, based on my computer's symptoms, is even more idiotic than I gave you credit for. It's a $300 motherboard, and while it turned out to not be the case, there is a far greater chance that the $1 battery had gone dead in storage than that the $300 motherboard spontaneously busted. And even if it was more likely that the motherboard was busted, even if there were only a 10% chance that it was the battery . . . it costs $1 and takes two seconds to swap out. The motherboard costs $300 to replace and is a right pain in the ass to swap. It doesn't take a genius to figure this out.



p.s.

Trust me, whatever funny thing you think you found in there is only going to make me look stupid. We've been down this road before.

Who buys a $300 motherboard?  In 2009? What a joke.  Did you have a job in 2009 Shmokes?  To waste $300 on a motherboard that is dead.  Water cooled AM3 was it?

I'm sure he means combo.  I quoted $199 in today's money for a bare bones system as an example and he goes off the rails.  Classic Shmokes.  Mr attention seeker.    

[AtomSmasher]

Who buys a $300 motherboard?  In 2009? What a joke.  Did you have a job in 2009 Shmokes?  To waste $300 on a motherboard that is dead.  Water cooled AM3 was it?

I'm sure he means combo.  I quoted $199 in today's money for a bare bones system as an example and he goes off the rails.  Classic Shmokes.  Mr attention seeker.    

Now I understand why you always had problems with your motherboards, you always bought bottom of the line crap.

[lilshawn]

LETS TURN THIS INTO AN APPLE VS PC WAR! 

no... really.


insert not useful picture here-----^

<useless>i did purchase a relatively decent motherboard for 100 coulda bought one for 300 but, you know </usless>

[ark_ader]

Who buys a $300 motherboard?  In 2009? What a joke.  Did you have a job in 2009 Shmokes?  To waste $300 on a motherboard that is dead.  Water cooled AM3 was it?

I'm sure he means combo.  I quoted $199 in today's money for a bare bones system as an example and he goes off the rails.  Classic Shmokes.  Mr attention seeker.    

Now I understand why you always had problems with your motherboards, you always bought bottom of the line crap.

I think I mentioned that above. 

[shmokes]

Who buys a $300 motherboard? 

Some people use their computers for more than posting idiotic messages on message boards. My wife is a professional graphic designer.

[ark_ader]

Who buys a $300 motherboard? 

Some people use their computers for more than posting idiotic messages on message boards. My wife is a professional graphic designer.

And she doesn't have a Mac?

Figures. 

[DaOld Man]

Well, I picked up a new motherboard, using the CPU from the one that quit, and it doesnt work.
No boot up, fans come on. No video output, no beeps from the PC speaker.
So looks like my problem is the cpu, or it could be the motherboard too.
Im junking both and getting a new cpu to rebuild my rig.
BTW, I tried a brand new power supply too.

[ark_ader]

Well, I picked up a new motherboard, using the CPU from the one that quit, and it doesnt work.
No boot up, fans come on. No video output, no beeps from the PC speaker.
So looks like my problem is the cpu, or it could be the motherboard too.
Im junking both and getting a new cpu to rebuild my rig.
BTW, I tried a brand new power supply too.

Get one of these with a tasty monitor and a side of fries.   

[shmokes]

New motherboard arrived. Problem solved. Finally. I about danced a jig when I saw output to the monitor. 

[Samstag]

That's the good news.  The bad news is it'll probably fail again before too long.

The last Asus motherboard I had was sent in for warranty replacement 3 times.  By the time I finally replaced it with another brand, MB #4 had 2 bad USB ports, 2 bad ethernet ports, and a bad PCI slot.

[DaOld Man]

Update on my fiasco.
I ordered a new (refurbished) cpu and the new mother board still wont boot.
I sent motherboard back for RMA, but Im thinking the CPU I bought could be bad (I ordered both from same company, they suggested I send motherboard back first, go figure).
If the motherboard is bad, then Im thinking my old cpu I first tried in it took out the new motherboard (is this even possible?).
Im tossing the old cpu, cant take any more chances with it.

[lilshawn]

If the motherboard is bad, then Im thinking my old cpu I first tried in it took out the new motherboard (is this even possible?).

absolutely.

the voltage regulators on mobos are pretty sensitive. if the cpu is hooped then it can take out a regulator as soon as you power it up.

Im tossing the old cpu, cant take any more chances with it.

^^^this^^^ and smash it with a hammer for all the grief it gave you.

[ark_ader]

Just get the new Mac Mini.  The thing doesn't even have a DVD slot. 

The less you can ---fudgesicle--- with it by installing junk software, the chances of it going wrong is minimal.

My next PC is going to be a Mac Mini.