Hi all

I know there was a post similar to this posted already but my problem is slightly different.

Basically i have a custom built PC which has wrked fine for atleast a year, maybe two, the other day it didnt turn on but i saw a little orange LED inside which meant there was power to it so i inplugged it and plugged it back in at the mains and it booted up fine. I got home today and tried turning it on, same thing happened, nothing. Except the little orange LED which is always on when the computer has power. so i tried the same old trick of unplugging it but this time nothing again. i tried it a few more times and still nothing.

I can think of one thing that the BIOS might be fried but i cant think or a logical explaination as to why. The OS installed is windows xp home, or possibly pro, i dont know of any malware on it as i scanned it fully less than a week ago.

Any ideas? i dont want to have to pay out for a new motherboard and its really annoying because its my PHP machine and this one im on now is a little screwed because i spilt drink on the keyboard and its never forgiven me!

Thanks

 

 

 

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I think it is a power problem, do you have any UPS, this may be the problem, once my computer didn't start, so I removed the UPS and it worked just fine.
Did you made any BIOS changes? Because you can change the electricity voltage from you computer.
Maybe there is some dust on the motherboard and it won't initialize. If you had you computer from years, and if you never cleaned it, then I think that is the problem.
It could also be a cable problem, so the cable that connect your PC to the power source may be malfunctioning. Changing it may fix the problem. i hope my advices help you, and good luck.

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My power supply is external because the machine is a compact one and theres a little light on the transformer box thing and that lights up as normal, i havent made any BIOS changes so i dont think that is the issue, i was thinking of opening it up and having a look see if the problem is just a dodgy button and ill give it a blow to take out the loose dust and such, see if it helps.

thanks

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It sounds like the power supply has went dead, you should replace it and that will solve the problem.

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i agree with fallenfirebanshi, its most likely a power supply problem. try a different power supply and see if it works, if not then you might have some internal hardware problems. the motherboard may be at its life peak, hell mine only lasted about 2 and half years before it died on itself. before that i had blown my psu twice... they were all below average quality though, besides my motherboard that is. this time around i'm investing in a far better psu to go with my pc. its not worth cheaping out on a quality power supply... but i'm not saying yours is ;p just try and get it checked with another unit first, you might end up replacing the wrong thing otherwise.

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I suggest getting a UPS(Uninterruptable Power Supply)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply

Along with a new power supply. A UPS won't fix the problem, but it's a good idea to have. Just incase you have a power surge, the first thing to go will be the UPS, not the computer. It also provides 60+ minutes of reserve power(depending on what you get), incase the power does go out.

Hadi, I think the problem with your UPS was it's bad. Well, obviously since you unplugged it. Good idea to try what Hadi suggested also. But if you're worried about power outages, get one.

I can almost 100% gaurentee you that it's the power supply, I've dealt with this a few time. Orange light = Bad Power. It's been said...3 times?

If you don't have a surge protector, get one. And even if you do, make sure it's a newer one. My motherboard and power supply fryed once because my Surge protector was bad, and guess what, surge. So you could have had a power surge.

 

 

 

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I tried opening the case of it earlier but i couldnt!! Its crazy, i cant find hardly any screws only screw holes suggesting they have been taken out, probably by me infact. But i couldnt slide the case or pull it open atall. As it was custom built we will phone the guy who made it and see what he can do if anything, It will be annoying if the motherboard is gone, if its the BIOS i think that could be replaced and if its the power supply, which thinking about it is the most logical reason, then that can be replaced too. Im fairly sure the HDD and other components are fine which is usefull because it means my data isnt destroyed, only unreachable!

Thanks for the suggestions, lets hope the guy can srt things out, and a UPS sunds good, ive just never used one because i rarely get powercuts but i guess a badly timed powercut could cause the software a lot of damage which wouldnt be good

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Since you are saying your PSU is external, maybe one of the cables on the mainboard will be a bit loose.
There are normally 2 connectors connected on the mainboard (1 with 4 pins and 1 with 20(24) pins).
Mostlikely the big one is not completely connected.

Open the case and check the cables.
When the case has no screws , you have to use a trick to remove the top cover.
Mostly this is the case with brand computers (like HP/COMPAQ, Dell , ... ).

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I'm posting late, so you may have already gotten this suggestion:

Try replacing the power supply. If that doesn't work, then there is probably a problem with your mobo. I reccomend switching the parts around to different computers that you have, so you can test with different parts and not have to buy anything new.

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I'd definately say to try a new power supply, if you have a power supply to another computer in your house you may want to try it. Even if its too small for what your wanting to add try to just power your motherboard and hard drive and graphics card. Add other things as you go. If the previous setup works add another component, if not, then you know where your problem lies.

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