help needed please

[D22D]

my pc has been working fine but just recently when i go to turn it on power goes on fan comes on but no BEEP! and machine does nothing

have checked all conections etc

does anyone out there have any ideas as i am stumped

using vista premium

thanks

[Seth]

Welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help D2.

 

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do other than swapping parts to find the culprit.

 

1) Unplug the computer's power connector for 30 minutes and try it again.

 

2) If you have more than one ram stick, then try the computer with one at a time.

[D22D]

thanks for the reply

i have done that with the memory 3 sticks and nothing still comes on but no beep

all i have in machine is graphics card 2 hard drives and 2 dvd writers

could my main hard drive be faulty?

will try power off for 30 mins

anything else help wise would be great

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Even though the PSU is powering up it may only be doing so partially. The board could also be at fault.

 

Have you EVER seen an onscreen error messages at all?

[Seth]

Wolfey is correct. The two most likely cuplrits are the psu and the mobo.

 

If you have onboard video, then remove your video card and try it...or another card if you can.

 

BTW-No, the hard drive doesn't have anything to do with the post (bios) screen.

[Seth]

You can also reset the bios by pulling the mobo battery for 30 minutes. It's a long shot, but worth trying if you have no other options.

[D22D]

i have just instaled a new graphics card on tuesday there and machine was working fine untill this morning

i am not pc tech minded

so machine was working fine but it will power up but no first beep

i have not had any error messages at all

[Seth]

i am not pc tech minded

The fact that you thought about the ram and swapped it out, is pretty darn good :)

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Have you made sure that the cable is securely connected at both pc and monitor mate?

[D22D]

Yes, its secure. I'm really at a loss now. Do you think a new hard drive would solve the problem?

 

Really grateful for all your advice!

[Guest Wolfeymole]

No I would definitely not buy a new hard drive.

 

Both Seth and I would concur I feel, that it is either your power supply unit or the motherboard.

The PSU could have caused issues with the motherboard and both could be cooked.

 

Can you hook the monitor to a friends pc to check that that is ok.

 

To be honest D22D my moneys on the PSU.

 

What make and model of pc do you have?

[D22D]

hi

going to take out chip and get it tested tomorrow and will let you know

pc is fuijitsu seimens pentium 4

 

can i just say thanks for all info etc and to say one of the best forums i have been on

[Seth]

You're welcome.

 

Are you referring to the ram? If so, the only proper way to test it is by trying one stick at a time. Which you've already done.

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Thank you for your kind words D22D, they are most appreciated.

 

However I still think it's either your PSU or the board that is shagged.

[Tony D]

We introduced a new video card. Maybe it draws more power than the PSU is willing to give easily causing the PSU to eventually fail.

[D22D]

well guys who had there money on the motherboard well that what it was it blew and destroyed all memory sticks.......got new one so back to normal

 

anyway just thought i would keep you upto date on this prob and to say thanks as i would have rushed out to buy new parts when i did not need them......thanks again and keep up this great forum

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Thanks for the kind words D22D, good to see your back up and running once more. :)

[Seth]

Thanks for the update.

 

As a side note, my computer shop no longer replaces motherboards.

 

Reason being, the whole process is very precarious and you don't know what other devices the mobo pooched until you replace it.

[D22D]

hi again

as you know i have replaced motherboard and memory so when i turn on pc and is working fine it now says i only have 2 days left to activate my windows vista...but when i do it says this key is already in use ?

any help on this one please

[maynardvdm]

Hi

You will have to call Microsoft to activate it again.

Here is the link to the Microsoft Website.

[AdvancedSetup]

That error dialog box should give you an option to contact Microsoft and provide a free phone number to call.

 

Troubleshoot activation problems

 

Protect yourself from Piracy

 

Microsoft Product Activation

[the shed man]

thanks for the reply

i have done that with the memory 3 sticks and nothing still comes on but no beep

all i have in machine is graphics card 2 hard drives and 2 dvd writers

could my main hard drive be faulty?

will try power off for 30 mins

anything else help wise would be great

 

hi, it's not a good 2 have 2 dvd-rw in the same computer..

[the shed man]

hi, if you take the ram out do you get any beeps?? what happens with no hard drives pluged in??

[Guest Wolfeymole]

hi, it's not a good 2 have 2 dvd-rw in the same computer..

 

Hows that Shed man?

I heard it's not advisable to have two optical drives on the same IDE cable, however you could set one as Primary Slave and the other as either Secondary Master or Slave.

[the shed man]

hi, its because of the softwere you can get config probs. maybe not today or in one month but it does and will on about 90% of pc's. why you need to dvd-rw any way, if i am right then unless you have some thing that i don't then you can only back up one dvd at a time..