computer problems again

[kandrathe]

No BIOS, no RAM check, no Windows startup--nothing. The monitor is blank--the monitor is not the problem--the machine just stops. I should probably add that it has done this intermittently ever since I had it, but would always then go boot up normally when it hung if I pressed the cute little reboot button.

It has no tires.

When things act like you are describing, I begin with the basic power train. I would suspect that some crucial component is no longer working. If you cannot get through the POST, then I would begin by stripping the computer of all it's unneeded add ons. Start with the basic Power supply, Motherboard, RAM. Use on board video configured in VGA mode if possible. If you still do not get through the POST, then if you have more than one RAM stick pull one, test. If that fails, swap to the other, and test. If you have only one, find a friend who has a similar stick you can test with. If it comes down to a problem with either the Power supply or Motherboard... This is like your cars engine and transmission. It sounds like you've got power, so at this point I would suspect that whatever the motherboard component was that was marginal has now failed completely. It sounds like your system has been barely working for a long time. I used to have a DELL system like that with a flaky sound device, but since I've been building my own I've avoided the "cheap" component issue.

You need a new computer. Have you been "Naughty" or "Nice" this year?