Sick or just dead

[Smedly]

I built a system 3 yrs ago a7n8x deluxe 1 gig ram 2 60 gig hds Radeon 9700 and Amd 2800+.I went away to work for 6 months and when I came home I had 16 viruses after refomating and fresh install it woked great for 3weeks then started to have trouble when booting then would only click click click (hd?????)changed hd and same click click click with a slight diming of lights then nothing at all wont boot ! I installed a new 500 watt psu and still nothing . Please help mobo????cpu???? Im not very comp literate and dont know what to do .I dont want to build a new comp yet as the new Amd format is still new and want to wait a little while longer.in future I will go big ,sli and lots of horse power refrigerated water cooling etc. No more kids on comp !!!! I like gaming and a little video gaming mostly.Can it be resurrected or use it as a door stop??? thank you in advance for your HELP. Smedly.

 

[Guest]

Normally Click/Grinding sounds are from the HD.

The best way to make sure thats the case, is to open the side panel and try to isolate the source of the sound..
if you did put a NEW hd and the same click sound appeared quickly, then it might be the IDE controller/power supply killing the HD, but never heard of a new HD dying instantly.

Could it be that both HD were dead?

 

[BustedSony]

I built a system 3 yrs ago a7n8x deluxe 1 gig ram 2 60 gig hds

What Hard Drives? IBM GXP75 Deathstars? Maxtors? When you say "changed" the hard drive do you mean from one 60 to the other as Boot Drive?

Also others have been having trouble with systems containing the A7NXX boards going buggy, capacitors maybe?

 

[BustedSony]

Normally Click/Grinding sounds are from the HD.

The best way to make sure thats the case, is to open the side panel and try to isolate the source of the sound..
if you did put a NEW hd and the same click sound appeared quickly, then it might be the IDE controller/power supply killing the HD, but never heard of a new HD dying instantly.

Could it be that both HD were dead?

Yes a bad drive can kill a system, whether it's the Boot or not, that's why I'd like to know if the fellow took out the old drives completely, thus removing the original drives as the source of the problem, or just swapped them within the system.

 

[sailer]

a slight diming of lights then nothing at all wont boot ! I installed a new 500 watt psu and still nothing . Please help mobo????cpu????

That slight dimming of the lights sounds like the psu might have shorted out. If that's the case, the motherboard, cpu, and other components may have gotten fried in the process. Putting in a new psu is kind of like closing the barn after the cow got out. Too little, too late.

The only easy way I know to test components is to try them one at a time in another computer. You might find one is fried and the rest are good, you might find all are fried.

As to having a bad hard drive and having it still hooked up, that can keep a computer from starting too. Had that happen to me once, when one of two hard drives took a dive and the computer just sat there. Don't know if that's the case for you. Wish you luck on this.

 

[Smedly]

I did change out both hds and installed a new one ! Dont laugh too hard but I dont know what an ide controller is and I also would be hard pressed to think the new hd was dead too how can I test the components mobo cpu gpu etc?Is there any burn marks on mobo usually,or swaping in new parts the only way .I hate parts changers when it comes to mechanics BUT will If I have to .As you can see Im lost and getting frustrated.

 

[marneus]

If you disconnect, all drives (HDD & all optical drives, both data & power leads) & turn on the PC, can you get it to load into the BIOS screen ??

if so, shut down & connect 1 HDD with power & data leads & then turn back on & load back into the BIOS... does the BIOS recognise the HDD under devices ??

 

[Guest]

smelling is the best way to know what fryed, a fryed PSU does have that nice burned silicon/electronic smel!!

The ide controlle ris what you connect ide Hard drive to, it's the interface between the cpu and the HDs... If the motherboard is 'dead' then it might kill stuff you put into it.

And yeah dimming of light does sound like a short circuit/ dead PSU.

 

[Smedly]

Let me start by a heart felt thanks to you all I see that there is much to learn and you have given freely to a totale stranger and Im impressed ! I did disconect the hd power and ide cable but alas nada, zilch, dead in the water, nothing and besides that it wont start.It seems all I got left is a sense of humor and a door stop ! I have my kids comp with same mobo but not deluxe and I could swap my cpu into it,but it is still working good and my daughter will not like me to do that for sure .I havnt given up totally maybe 1% left.