KenB

Hi Mokles, You say that the monitor isn't working. Presumably the screen stays blank ? Are you sure that it is the monitor and not the PC itself? Have you tried a different monitor ? You say pressing F8 invariably works. You must get something on the monitor screen when you do this ? Can you give a fuller explanation please? Which option do you select from the Startup Options Menu ? [ after you press F8 ]

Strange that your router should affect boot-up time. Glad to hear that your machine is behaving itself again :)

Hi Annie7 and welcome to ExTS If the System Restore was successful then the M$oft update would have been removed. I have a few questions: Is it slow booting up from a complete shut-down ? If it boots up OK ,,,, What is it like if you turn AVG off ? Do you have any other Anti-Virus running [ Defender for instance ] ? In the Search Box type ......defender .... Windows Defender Settings will pop up on the left side of screen. What is the exact Model number of your Asus laptop ?

Hi Bringe - you would need a Win7 product key as you found - your XP one will not work.

XP is a very old Operating System and the hardware inside the case will be too. You may be able to upgrade to Vista or even Win7 but certainly not Win10 due to hardware compatibility problems. Basically, sorry to say this, but your machine has had its day. Also support for XP has been removed so you are getting no security updates etc. This means that your machine is more vulnerable. I have to agree with Rustys - if you can afford a new machine you are better doing this than spending money on an out-dated system.

Your location says China. I have no idea what you can buy there for 500 Euro but if it is anything like the UK you will not be able to buy a gaming machine for that amount.

Let's hope that you now have a computer that behaves itself :)

I hope that the new board solves your problem.

Cheers - let us know how it goes :)

Hi - and welcome to ExTS If you are getting no POST then it is probably a hardware problem. I wrote a tutorial some time back on "No POST" Take a look here - click here Don't take the CPU out - yet.

Hi Jim, Just because the RAM etc were connected to the M-Board doesn't mean that they WILL have been taken out. Do you mean the Central Processor Unit [ CPU ] and attached fan? It could be that the original is OK. If it were me - I would get the M-Board first and see what happens from there. If the CPU has gone west too then a basic replacement could be about £50 - £60 4GB RAM would cost about £25 Do you have the original Win7 disk ?

I did see a new board here - click here The PSU could have taken out RAM / CPU and any other hardware that was attached to the board.

Not that important - you would have seen some evidence of life. It does look like the M-Board was taken out when the PSU died. Where do you want to go from here ?

Hi Jim, ??? If your PSU doesn't have an 8 pin ATX 12v connector you will need to use one of the 4 pin to 8 pin leads as you suggest. [ unless the PSU has 2x 4 pin connectors that would do the job ? ]

Hi Thanks for the photos - they are a bit blurred - but I did manage to locate the Model Number. Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 The manual can be found here - http://download.gigabyte.asia/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-78lmt-usb3_v.5.0_e.pdf There is an ATX 12v connection on this board. [ see image ] Try the following: Assuming that you left the M-Board in the case ? 1. Unplug from the wall. 2. Connect the 24 way connection. 3. Connect the ATX 12v connection. 4. Put in 1 RAM module Now be VERY careful again .... 5. Plug in the PSU to the wall socket and switch on 6. Press the On / Off button on the case. [ Keep your eyes away from the PSU / M-Board ....just in case ] Is there any life showing now ?

Hi Jim, Can you post some close-up pics of your motherboard please ? Before I suggest that it is dead there is something I would like to check.

Hi Jim - those voltages look OK. The -5v [ no connection ] is nothing to worry about. Some of the very old motherboards used it - but not modern ones. I have added to my previous post for what to do next.

Hi Jim, Check the voltages on the 12v - 5v - 3.3v wires. [ There are negative voltages on a couple ] Check that the "Ground" wires are not reading any voltage. The recorded voltages should be pretty close to the diagram. Make a note of the pin number and the voltage recorded. If the PSU checks out OK - unplug from the mains - and remove the shorting link. Take the RAM out of the Motherboard and remove the Video Card too - if you have one. Remove any other cards that you may have [ Sound ? - Network ? - etc ] DO NOT remove fans - just hardware that is plugged in to the Motherboard. Also remove any leads connected to the Motherboard from the Hard Drive / DVD etc. Make a note of where they were removed from. Disconnect any external devices - monitor / printer etc. Still with the PSU unplugged ..... Check the Motherboard for burn marks or blown capacitors. If there are no obvious problems [ burn marks / capacitors ] then ...... Assemble the PSU into the computer casing [ don't connect any of the cables yet ] Connect ONLY the 24-way socket to the motherboard. Be VERY careful here as you said that you got sparks etc ....... Switch on at the wall. The PSU fan should spin and the Case Fan / CPU Fan should spin.

Hi Jim, Unplug the lead to the PSU from the wall. Take off the motherboard the 24 pin connection. Locate pins 15 and 16 [ black and green ] and use a metal paper clip or piece of wire to short them out. [ Connect them together ] This fools the PSU into thinking that it is connected to the Motherboard. Plug in at the wall again. Check the voltages now.

Cheers Bob :)

I doubt you would find a new machine with Win7 - you may have to look for second hand / re-furbished machine or a version of Win7 CD that has not been used. This would seem to indicate a PSU / motherboard problem NOT a RAM / Hard-drive or VideoCard problem. This hardware could well have been damaged too BUT the symptoms explained indicate a PSU or Motherboard Let's see what happens with a replacement PSU :)

Take it easy Jim and look after yourselves :)

When you get the new one check it out before you put it in the case. Just plug it in to see if the fan rotates and check that the 12v supply is working. I hope that there isn't a problem within the case causing the PSU problems.

Yes it is Jim - leaving it in the case assumes that the PSU being tested is already mounted in the case and there is no need to remove it for testing. The PSU fan rotating simply indicates that power is getting to that part of the PSU. The voltage check on the 24 way connector checks out the 12v and 5v and 3.3v wires. Are you checking the old or the new PSU ? [ I thought it was the new one :) ]

Hi Jim I wrote an article a few years back on how to test a PSU. See here - Test a Power Supply Unit - Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Magazine From what you say re: the yellow leads your PSU is suspect as you say. I suspect that you will have a 24 way connector [ alternative is 20 ] so refer to the appropriate section of the tutorial. Take a photo if you need to of where the connections are. Unplug all of the PSU leads from the motherboard and other hardware.