silly computer

[jamesearljones]

yeah ok. so i woke up yesterday morning (afternoon) and i go to turn on my computer, it works... except not really. The power works, the fan kicks in, but that's it. The screen stays shut off, and clearly it isn't loading anything, because one push (rather than a push and hold) of the button, and it's off again. wtf do i do? at first i thought it was the screen, but i attached it to my laptop and it was working, as i was cssing, but my laptop can't handle css. so it looks like i'll be gone until i can figure this out. sadface.

HELP!

 

[iSeize]

does the computer beep when you turn it on? if not, then the BIOS isnt posting.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Ya mon. +1 Listen for beeps. If there's no beeps, you can try clearing the CMOS.

 

[jamesearljones]

yeah, there is no beeping. how do i do that?

 

[iSeize]

try taking the battery out of your motherboard (it looks like a watch battery) and leave it for 15 minutes or so. then put it back in and try again.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Right next to the battery, you should see a small jumper. It's covering 2 out of 3 pins. Remove the battery, and move the jumper to cover the OTHER 2 pins. Let it sit for 15 mins. Reset the jumper where it was in the first place, then put the battery back in, and reboot.

 

[jamesearljones]

is it the white box? http://tinypic.com/r/urigw/7

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Here's an example. Look to the top right of the circle, you'll see 2 small pins (there should be three)... NOT the white fan connector.

[lightbox=http://www.technibble.com/articlecontent/2007/12/remove-battery.jpg|||]CLICK ME[/lightbox]

 

[jamesearljones]

ah ok. yeah i see two of them.

 

[jamesearljones]

if you mean the three pin set on the white piece there, then i see that as well, but it's not anywhere near my battery. argh, wish my brother would answer his email or phone. :|

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Its a set of three pins, 2 of which are covered by a small jumper. Disregard any set(s) of white-block connectors with 3 pins exposed. If you cannot find this, or if it isn't present, don't worry about it. Just remove battery for 15 mins n put it back in and try a boot.

 

[jamesearljones]

still nothing. :|

 

[47]

mobo died

 

[OG buckshot jr]

if you have any old parts, replace them one by one. Old power supply, old graphics card, etc. Best thing, if you have old ram that will fit. Try that.

Also, you said you have 4gb ram, remove all of them but one. Try to boot then.

 

[DrUgZ]

sometimes if you re-seat the video card it can fix a no video error like that, but it sounds like you have a bad video card or ram. also, most boards are dual channel these days so you can't run it off just one, you need 2 on the same channel. most boards that require this have 2 different colors per channel, but they alternate so the one closest to the chip, and the one 2 over from that are the same channel, as are the one second from the CPU and the one on the end.

the BEST way to find out the problem is via the PC speaker which it sounds like you don't have installed. remember that little black cylinder with a short wire coming out of it that came with your case? plug that in on the bottom right of your board where the power/reset/HDD LED wires from your case go into the board.
then you just go by this:

1 short beep Normal POST - system is ok
2 short beeps POST Error - error code shown on screen
No beep Power supply or system board problem
Continuous beep Power supply, system board, or keyboard problem
Repeating short beeps Power supply or system board problem
1 long, 1 short beep System board problem
1 long, 2 short beeps Display adapter problem (MDA, CGA)
1 long, 3 short beeps Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA)
3 long beeps 3270 keyboard card

my guess tho is that it is the video card. check the power connectors if it has any and if not, see if you can borrow a different one from a friend if you don't have an alternate one to try.
Good Luck!

 

[3xtr3m3]

I bet it is a fried mobo or Power supply

You need spare parts to figure out what exactly it is.

Try removing all the ram modules and just install one.

If that doesn't work find a power supply from somewhere and try that. If it still doesn't fix it, change your motherboard.

 

[Dean]

test monitor with another device, reseat videocard & ram.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Here, I'll lay down some general shit.

Try some barebones shit.
- disconnect cd/dvd drives.
- Run only your main hard-drive (if you have more than one hard-drive).
- Take out all extra pci-shit like tv-tuner, soundcard, lan-card etc.
- Leave only one ram stick in, preferably the slot closest to the cpu heatsink.

Basically, just connect the very essentials for running your computer. Try to boot. If it's still a no-go, try restarting and power cycling a few times just to "kick it" into booting.

Post back results, and do note any beeps, IF you hear any beeps.

 

[jamesearljones]

alright, so still nothing. i disconnected both cd drives, took out two of my three ram sticks, and disconnected my second HD. i have no idea what my graphics card and other shit looks like, though.

also, there's a click, but i figure that's just my speakers. no beeping at all.

 

[DrUgZ]

graphics card is easy to find. its the one that you plug your screen into. I am fairly sure that it is the graphics card that is your problem because I had the exact same thing happen to me 2 weeks ago, i swapped out cards and now all's well.