PC Will not boot, will not Post actually

[Sandan]

Need some backup here, if anybody has an idea I could use it.

Known symtoms below

• The system has been getting flaky for a few weeks [I think].
• Flaky system was noticed will playing 3d games, assumed it was a video going bad as games tend to stress the video
• Over the space of 8 hours went from flaky to will not post
• No beep codes or LED display suggesting a dead video, sound, memory or hdd
• Power is on
• LED on MB says it has checked basic items eg power and BIOS is about to start
• I have not flashed the BIOS

I am going to start ripping out cards this morning to see if I can isolate this but it's looking awfully like a MB or PSU problem to me..

Any ideas you might have are appreciated as I'm looking at having to build a new system if I can't figure this out.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

First thing I would do would be to rip out the video card and use onboard video if the motherboard has it.

 

[Sandan]

Yep I'm ripping out cards as I type [almost]

Unfortunatly no onboard vid and no spare cards bui the video was my first suspect

 

[Sandan]

Where to buy parts in town ?

Frys still there ?

Might have to debug by buying and replacing

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Where to buy parts in town ?

Frys still there ?

Might have to debug by buying and replacing

Fry's is probably the best place. They have one off of the I-10 and Baseline and one off of the I-17 and Thunderbird.

 

[Sandan]

Ok, I pulled the vid.

Obviously I get beep codes now but that suggests to me the MB is working.

I see a lot more values on MB led now, before I don't think the BIOS was getting started, in fact the last good codes said it was handing off the the bios.

Opinion ? Do you think the Video is dragging down the bus, shorted out ?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I'd say that the video card is gone. I think replacing it will get you back up.

 

[Sandan]

Thinking the same, researching alternatives at Tom's and Arstechnica atm

Am typing on Linux box, I use as nfs backup target for my other servers

 

[Sandan]

Fry's prices are insane and their selection is limited.

Have to go 2 day from newegg

 

[KloD]

I wouldn't assume video card. Everytime this has happened to me (I've built hundreds of computers), it's been the mother board. Of course it could be the card, but IMO it's more likely the board. I just threw out 3 boards that wouldn't post and each time the video card worked fine in other machines.

Do you have another computer you can test the VC in? I'm sure you thought of that... maybe a friends? Might save you a return trip to Fry's.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I might have a PCIExpress video card laying around that you can test with.

 

[KloD]

There you go!

 

[Sandan]

I wouldn't assume video card. Everytime this has happened to me (I've built hundreds of computers), it's been the mother board. Of course it could be the card, but IMO it's more likely the board. I just threw out 3 boards that wouldn't post and each time the video card worked fine in other machines.

Do you have another computer you can test the VC in? I'm sure you thought of that... maybe a friends? Might save you a return trip to Fry's.

My video card is real old anyway so getting a new one is not a huge hardship. On order from Newegg. I can't believe what Fry's charges

Then I'm facing the possibility of a rebuild *&^(&^, built lots as well and then I have to decide do I try to fix or build all new. As if I try to fix I might till get nuked by a bad PSU.

 

[Sandan]

Found a vid, unfortunately its in Brighteyes PC.

Gonna try it while she is out tomorrow

 

[HeavyB3]

What kind of video card is it? PCI Express? AGP?

 

[Brighteyes]

Is Pcie but that wasn't the problem.

Am on Brighteyes PC so her vid works. Tried this card and no luck just got a new set of errors from MB led.

So bite bullet and sent to Newegg for MB, CPU, memory and PSU.

 

[KloD]

Is Pcie but that wasn't the problem.

Am on Brighteyes PC so her vid works. Tried this card and no luck just got a new set of errors from MB led.

So bite bullet and sent to Newegg for MB, CPU, memory and PSU.

I'm glad you checked before ordering something and finding out it wasn't the problem. I keep an extra set of everything around for testing.... I learned the hard way a long time ago. Yeah Newegg is great for returns, but you still have to wait that extra time which I lack the patience for.

Enjoy your new build! I went nuts this year and updated my main machine, the new board allowed for multi video cards, I put two 4870's, a quad, and 8 gigs of PC8500 in and this baby rocks! Fun stuff!

 

[Sandan]

Still getting new videos as current ones are really old.

Been rolling my own systems for a decade, once in a while I make the mistake of buying one for a 'deal' and always regret it. At least I always know what is in it and what the upgrade paths are, not to mention that 'bought' systems usually suck unless you pay a small fortune.

I don't need to upgrade the CPU really but you never know that could be the problem. Its probably the mb but I really don't want to go another week without a system. 1 night was bad enough.

 

[Sandan]

The best place I have found to start for many years has been with the 'Hot Rod' [vs the budget or god] build at http://arstechnica.com/

Google that site + Hot Rod.

Then I make a few tweaks, saves a lot of research

 

[Sandan]

I keep an extra set of everything around for testing...

That's why I build 2 1 for me and 1 for Brighteyes. In the midst of the confusion I'd forgotten that when the roller coaster ride started

 

[Darth Llama]

Just FYI, not that it matters now but...

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me, and the problem was a bad CPU. I still don't know how or why, but it just.. went bad. It was an AMD Athlon X2 4200+ and it was the same way. No beeps, nothing. I hit power, all the lights came on, all the fans started and nothing else happened. The only difference is that one in every 15 or so times I tried, the PC would actually post and would freeze up within 10 seconds or so. I was running an Asus Nforce 4 Motherboard at the time.

I wasn't sure the problem at that time, and I ended up doing exactly what you did and built a whole new system. I ended up with an Intel Quad Core so I was pretty happy when it was all said and done. I still to this day though have no idea what caused the problem.

 

[Sandan]

Yep thats what was going on close enough and its been getting worse for weeks.

After my initial oh **** I kept posting here so others can see the steps I went though.

It could be the MB or the CPU or both ... Have new Wolfdale CPU arriving soon

 

[Sandan]

Looks like this was bad memory.

I put the ram from my pre built pc in Brighteyes, that got a little shaky, then went hard fail the same

 

[BillsCarnage]

Looks like this was bad memory.

I put the ram from my pre built pc in Brighteyes, that got a little shaky, then went hard fail the same

Do you get any lights on the front or does it appear to be trying to access the CD/DVD?

I had an almost exact same problem recently. Before buying new parts try this...

Pull out all of the cards and ram, and clean the slots and try and eraser or alcohol to clean the cards' connections. I used an eraser and when cleaning the cards the they turned the eraser black from the gunk.

After you've cleaned everything re-seat them and maybe even switch the slots they were originally in.

It's amazing what a little dirt and dust can do to an electrical connection. It made a huge difference w/ my box.

 

[Sandan]

Yes I know it is the ram, part of the problem was the post process was behaving very strangly

After rebuilding the system, I added the now spare ram to wife's PC when went immediately on the fritz.

Brighteyes was not a happy camper