computer problems again

[Alram]

For a few days I have bee getting intermittent freezes; the machine needs to be manually shut down. Now it won't boot up at all. The lights come on, and the optical drives go through their little light show, but then everything stops. I never even get to any of the bootup screens.

A week or 2 previously the system hung up when shutting down and lost the internet connection. I ascribed that to updating my AVG software. After removing AVG and running AVAST instead thatttt problem seemed to disappear--I don't know if that is related.

What could be the culprit and how and where do I start?

Thanks.

[GhastMaster]

For a few days I have bee getting intermittent freezes; the machine needs to be manually shut down. Now it won't boot up at all. The lights come on, and the optical drives go through their little light show, but then everything stops. I never even get to any of the bootup screens.

A week or 2 previously the system hung up when shutting down and lost the internet connection. I ascribed that to updating my AVG software. After removing AVG and running AVAST instead thatttt problem seemed to disappear--I don't know if that is related.

What could be the culprit and how and where do I start?

Thanks.

Have you tried booting from your xp cd? That's pretty strange. I wish you luck.

[Wyrm]

I never even get to any of the bootup screens.

Flash the BIOS maybe?

There's always the end-all solution: kick the thing.

[roguebanshee]

I never even get to any of the bootup screens.

When you say bootup screens do you mean BIOS startup (RAM check etc.) or Windows startup?

[Alram]

When you say bootup screens do you mean BIOS startup (RAM check etc.) or Windows startup?

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.

There's always the end-all solution: kick the thing.

It has no tires.

[roguebanshee]

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.

Could be a loose connection, bad RAM, faulty gfx card or a bunch of other problems.

If your computer beeps a couple of times you could always try to look at this to see if you can determine the cause.

[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?

[Alram]

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?

It sounds like good advice, and the computer goes on the kitchen table Friday when I have some time. BTW, there are no "cheap" components. It is an Antec Neopower power supply and an ASUS motherboard.

[kandrathe]

It sounds like good advice, and the computer goes on the kitchen table Friday when I have some time. BTW, there are no "cheap" components. It is an Antec Neopower power supply and an ASUS motherboard.

I was only reflecting on my own experience. I've just found that if you don't actually design the system from the Mobo up, with adequate power, adequate cooling, really solid components with the latest stable drivers, that the entire system suffers stability issues and an early death. The tendency is for the builder to try to skimp on something to make a extra buck or two. For example, I typically end up replacing or adding heat sinks for chips that run hotter on most stock motherboards. And... After my last DELL was designed so poorly, I decided that I could do better myself and that since I'm in the computing business having a stable and reliable machine was worth the extra effort.

[Alram]

I was only reflecting on my own experience. I've just found that if you don't actually design the system from the Mobo up, with adequate power, adequate cooling, really solid components with the latest stable drivers, that the entire system suffers stability issues and an early death. The tendency is for the builder to try to skimp on something to make a extra buck or two. For example, I typically end up replacing or adding heat sinks for chips that run hotter on most stock motherboards. And... After my last DELL was designed so poorly, I decided that I could do better myself and that since I'm in the computing business having a stable and reliable machine was worth the extra effort.

The way I skimped was by buying a motherboard that only has 1 slot for an SLI video card. At the time it seemed like a wise choice, but for only $30 more... Anyway, thanks again for your suggestions; I'll be working on the box tomorrow.

[Alram]

That small fan atop the motherboard's onboard chip does not spin. I manually twirled it around (with the power off) and unplugged it and replugged it back into its power source, but it does not spin. I guess that is the problem. So now I need to practically rebuild my computer by removing and replacing the motherboard. Oh well...

[kandrathe]

That small fan atop the motherboard's onboard chip does not spin. I manually twirled it around (with the power off) and unplugged it and replugged it back into its power source, but it does not spin. I guess that is the problem. So now I need to practically rebuild my computer by removing and replacing the motherboard. Oh well...

You might be able to find a replacement. Do you think heat stress has made the component fail? But, it would definitely explain some of the flakiness.

[Alram]

You might be able to find a replacement. Do you think heat stress has made the component fail? But, it would definitely explain some of the flakiness.

I actually had trouble with it early on -- it made awful noises. After a time the noise stopped and I assumed that it was running ok, but it might have simply stopped functioning and caused some overheating damage.

[Roland]

I actually had trouble with it early on -- it made awful noises. After a time the noise stopped and I assumed that it was running ok, but it might have simply stopped functioning and caused some overheating damage.

Try replacing the fan before the whole motherboard. A $5 fan could save you 15% or more on... wait...

Seriously, try the fan.

[Flymo]

Try replacing the fan before the whole motherboard. A $5 fan could save you 15% or more on... wait...

Seriously, try the fan.

I suspect that's too late. From the history, it sounds like the motherboard has been fried. Otherwise it would boot up and not crash until it got too hot.

[Alram]

This is proving to be more complicated than just a fan not spinning on the MB.

It turns out I don't have a suitable substitute power supply to try; my power supply does meet the specs however. Anyway, I emailed ASUS, the MB manufacturer. I received a reply which I am posting at the bottom of this post. Following their directions, I still got no post when I removed the MB from the case. But after I removed the CPU, I was able to force a post/vocal post error to the effect there was no CPU. The MB fan still does not spin. A couple of times during my multiple starts it tried to spin, but did not succeed in spinning. So -- I could have an issue with the CPU as well as the MB fan? How do I test the CPU? Remove the old thermal paste, apply new paste and retry it?

Dear Sir/Madam,
There are a couple of reason that your system may not be sending a signal to your monitor or giving you any post beeps. The first thing to try is to insure that we are not having something as simple as a grounding/emi interference problem. Start by taking the motherboard out of the case you have it in, set it back up on the cardboard box that it came in straight to the card board(do not use the antistatic foam, plastic, or an antistatic mat as these can keep your system from posting) if you do not have the box then use a phone book, newspaper or some other completely non-conductive material. Connect up to the motherboard just the bare minimums needed to post your system up the cpu(w/heatsink and fan), video card(connected to monitor), memory, power supply and powered speakers if your board has our vocal post reporter. Power the system up outside the case, if you are now getting video and post then we need to take some extra steps before mounting the board back into your case to prevent it from not posting again, the easiest remedy for this is to get some standard black electrical tape and make a cross over the brass or metal standoffs you are mounting the board into, this will accomplish 2 things, it will insure against a metal to metal contact and it will lift the board up away from the case insuring that no solder points are sitting to close to the case generating an emi field.

If out of the case you are still getting no post/no video then we need to try and force a post/vocal post error, remove your cpu from the socket and power the system up if you then get post/vocal post errors such as no cpu installed then we will need to have the cpu tested to insure that it is functioning properly, go thru each of the main components that we had left connected to the board to verify they are working. Another reason your board may not be posting is if your board came with a bios on it that will not support the cpu you have installed, please go to the link provided below and check to see if your board required a bios update to work with your cpu:

http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx.

Power can also be a factor when you are having a no post/no video situation as each power supply manufacturer differs in the way they rate their wattages you can have huge difference in the actual amount of power the power supply can push out. When choosing a power supply the best method would be to check the side of the power supply under DC output and verify what each of the voltage rails can distribute. We recommend that the +3.3 voltage rail which powers your cpu and your video card can supply at least 28 amps, the +5 voltage rail which powers up all of the IC chips on your motherboard be able to supply at least 35 amps, the +12 voltage rail which powers all drives and fans be able to supply at least 18-20 amps and the +5VSB which will be the determining factor for bringing your system out of standby mode be able to supply at least 2 amps.

You may also want to try clearing your CMOS settings using the CLRTC(CLR_RTC) jumper or solder points and removing the battery this will set the bios back to factory defaults and may resolve a bios conflict that can cause the problem you are having. To do this first locate the CMOS battery and the CLRTC jumper/solder points in your user manual on the page with the drawn motherboard layout this is usually in the first section of your manual, next unplug your power supply cord from the back of the computer, pop the battery out and move the jumper cap or short the solder points for fifteen seconds after doing this then reverse the procedure.

After trying all of these steps and verifying all other components as working then please contact our RMA dept.

[Drasca]

Even good components eventually wear out, they're just much less likely. I've had an enermax Power supply wear out on me in 1-1.5 years, and was the unknowing source of my problems for a long while.

Please do consider trying a new (or different) power supply... but I'd consider Kandrathe's bigger advice:

You need a new computer!

[Alram]

Hurrah! Hooray! Yippee! Huzzah Huzzah!
My computer works again! Thank you everyone for your suggestions.
1st of all I sent the Motherboard back to ASUS. They replaced the faulty onboard chip fan with a heatsink; apparently that particular ASUS mb has a known problem with the fan. They also changed out some unspellable component n-mosfet-etc. However, the computer still would not boot nor would the fans spin; I fiddled with the wires from the power supply and the fans spun, but it still wouldn't boot. I bought a new power supply and Voila: MY COMPUTER BOOTED UP! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[DeeBye]

I bought a new power supply and Voila: MY COMPUTER BOOTED UP!

Just out of curiosity, what power supply did you get?

[Alram]

The original PS was an Antec NeoPower. I bought this one because of its modular nature--allowing you to leave unneeded cables in the box.
The new one is an Antec Earthwatts. This was the best name brand PS for the price that compUSA had on the shelf when I went to buy a new PS.