Please please can i have expert help!! :(

[m3ch]

My computer has been fine for over a year - worked like a dream. Until yesterday when I shut down Windows as normal. Now, it won't turn back on! Here are the specs

Asus P5b wifi deluxe
core 2 duo e6600 @ 3.15ghz
2gb Geil PC6400 Ultra
Hiper Type R 580W PSU
WD Raptor 75Gb
SB X-Fi ExtremeMusic
Geforce 8800 GTS 640Mb

I tried clearing the CMOS to no avail. When I turn off the switch on the power supply and back on again the light on the switch comes on so I know there is power there. Also I can see that the blue light on the motherboard is lit. When I press the power switch on the case, the fans start to spin for less than a second then immediately turn off. If I press the power switch again they won't do this until I turn off the power supply and turn it back on again. Weird.

Please can anybody help?
I would really appreciate it.

 

[kitchenshark]

Do you have another PSU to test your computer with? My first thought is that the PSU died. If you have/can find one, try it. Next it might be the motherboard.

 

[badge]

My computer has been fine for over a year - worked like a dream. Until yesterday when I shut down Windows as normal. Now, it won't turn back on! Here are the specs

Asus P5b wifi deluxe
core 2 duo e6600 @ 3.15ghz
2gb Geil PC6400 Ultra
Hiper Type R 580W PSU
WD Raptor 75Gb
SB X-Fi ExtremeMusic
Geforce 8800 GTS 640Mb

I tried clearing the CMOS to no avail. When I turn off the switch on the power supply and back on again the light on the switch comes on so I know there is power there. Also I can see that the blue light on the motherboard is lit. When I press the power switch on the case, the fans start to spin for less than a second then immediately turn off. If I press the power switch again they won't do this until I turn off the power supply and turn it back on again. Weird.

Please can anybody help?
I would really appreciate it.

Please can anybody help?
I would really appreciate it.

I would look to the MB or PSU as having failed, but it could be any number of things causing the problem. You are going to need spare parts to test your system's components with. It can cost a lot of money to just start replacing things. Having another working system to swap out your hardware with and test is your best option. MB would be my best guess from what you said.

 

[jackluo923]

I would check if any capacitor on the mobo leaked. I would also take apart every non-essential parts off the computer and try restarting windows from there. I think there's a short in your system somewhere because my computer always behave just like yours when there's a short in my system.

 

[DrMaV]

Hi m3ch,

Change your power supply! Should be that simple.

 

[wlczsf]

please check your power supply

 

[speed4life]

I had a similar problem with my latest build. After lots of trouble shooting I decided to remove my motherboard from the case then try it. Sure enough it powered right up.

So what I did next was remove all the screws that I used to attach it to the motherboard and repace them all with ones that had a smaller head on them. After putting everything back together in the case it powered right up. So make sure and check the screw heads aren't over sized if they are they could be shorting out the motherboard.

Good luck!

 

[goldragon_70]

I sugest you take the mobo out and put it on a cardboard box, and only run it with the PSU, and CPU and HSF installed and see if it give you beeps or a bios indication that it doesn't have ram. If not then try another PSU, if it does add back the RAM, and check for bios indicating that the GFX card is not installed. If not then it may be a ram problem if it does then add the graphic card, connect the monitor and see if it starts up. If not then it's the GPU or the PSU (possible the Mobo, but that's rare). If it showing the display hook up the drives and see if that works. If it works then you have to reinstall your mobo and make sure it can't short on the case, If it doesn't work, then it could be the drives, cables, or PSU (also the mobo may be suspect, but again that's rare). Hope this helps.

 

[dragonsprayer]

1) hardware issue - disconnect all things hook up 1 at a time
2) virus or such - safe mode and no internet run programs anti this and that and hijack this
3) os melt down - run repair with cd

 

[nvalhalla]

I have a computer that displays some of the oddities yours does. When I unplug my computer for a little bit (more than 2 minutes) I have to leave it pluged in for a while (more than 20 minutes). If I do, it powers on no problem and works like the day I built it (nearly 4 years ago). If I try to turn it on right away, it blinks the LEDs, spins the fans a few times and goes dark. After that pushing the power button does nothing. Leaving it plugged in for 10 hours does nothing. If I unplug it and plug it back in (no switch) it will do the same little power up thing and turn off again. It does this over and over again until I unplug it, plug it back in and leave it plugged in for a while. It's ALWAYS done this, and I have never figured out why...

YOUR problem sounds like a dead PSU. I had the same thing happen on an old PSU long ago. Pretends to have power but won't turn on. Multimeter confirmed I had no 12v or something (it was 5 or 6 years ago).

 

[bumster]

Another suggestion that may work for you and is very common for all laptops is to unplug the power for 10 to 15 minutes and then try it again. For the laptops that do this you would remove the battery and external power for a few minutes and then plug in only the external power to get the system running again. Sometimes this can be caused by the motherboard getting the "wrong" message while shutting down and therefore getting stuck in limbo between hibernation and shutdown modes.

The others here have made good suggestions with trying another power supply and trying it "barebones" to see if it is something plugged in that is keeping the MB from powering on. I have experienced it being as simple as the front USB ports for the case causing it to not turn on.

Good luck.

 

[Major_Trouble]

I am sorry bumster but if you read has spec properly you would realise it's a desktop machine he has and not a laptop.

To OP:
It sound like a PSU problem. I had a machine that I forgot to unplug while doing a little electrical work around the house. I did switch the breaker off before the work but when I switched it on again the PSU had gone and showed signs similar to yours.

When PSUs go they can often take out other components which makes troubleshooting a bitch. I ended up replacing the MB as well. It's always handy to hang on to the old parts from an upgrade that you might be able to use in a situation like this.

Recheck everything is seated correctly i.e. memory, gfx card, power leads and try booting.

If still no go, unplug all the bits you don't need to post like DVD, floppy etc. Try from there putting parts in one at a time till it won't post and 'there's yer problem'. If you can't post with bare minimum you're going to have to swap parts out to find the cause/causes out that reduced bunch i.e. memory, PSU, CPU, gfx.

Good luck and I hope it turns out to be simple.

 

[nvalhalla]

I think he realizes it's a desktop, he's just giving an example of what happens on laptops and drawing a correlation, that his desktop might be having the same problem some laptops do. I don't think that's the problem, but I understand what he was trying to say.

 

[bumster]

You are correct nvalhalla, I do realize that he is dealing with a desktop and not a laptop, I did mention unplugging things from the motherboard to see if something else was causing the issue. I have seen a few desktop MBs get the wrong shutdown message just like a laptop and that is all I was saying.

 

[m3ch]

First of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone for your comments and suggestions for fixing my problem. I honestly really appreciate it.

So I'm going to do the following today, based on what you have suggested.

First of all I will try and find another power supply - it seems that most of you suspect this component so I'll go for that first. I will also disconnect all non-essential hardware from the motherboard. Failing that I will remove the motherboard and try and run it outside of the case. And if that still doesn't work I will try replacing memory and CPU by borrowing from my friends! I think I agree it will probably be the power supply or the motherboard.

So wish me luck! And thanks once again to all of you for helping!

 

[Major_Trouble]

You are correct nvalhalla, I do realize that he is dealing with a desktop and not a laptop

I do apologise, but you have to admit, you were not very clear on that. Laptops do have motherboards as well. They are put together by tiny, tiny people.....with small hands. Can't say I'd enjoy messing about to fix one.

To OP:
Please come back and let us know how you got on so those that guessed right can go 'I told you so' and those who were wrong can learn something new.

Good luck

 

[m3ch]

OK I'm perplexed.

I removed my Hiper PSU and replaced it with a cheap, generic 400W. My computer powered up. Yay I thought. However, I tried the Hiper PSU in a different computer and it powered that computer no problem. What the hell is going on here?

I thought it might be down to power issues, so I returned my Hiper PSU to the original computer and tried booting it without the graphics card, memory, hard drives, dvd drive... so all it had to do was power the motherboard and I should see the fans spin. I was wrong...it did the same as before... the fans spin for less than a second and ... nothing.

So... let me get this straight... the Hiper PSU refuses to power the computer it has been in for a year, but will power a different computer no problem. What the hell?

:?


Can anyone explain this phenomenon? I'm intrigued now!

 

[turpit]

OK I'm perplexed.

I removed my Hiper PSU and replaced it with a cheap, generic 400W. My computer powered up. Yay I thought. However, I tried the Hiper PSU in a different computer and it powered that computer no problem. What the hell is going on here?

I thought it might be down to power issues, so I returned my Hiper PSU to the original computer and tried booting it without the graphics card, memory, hard drives, dvd drive... so all it had to do was power the motherboard and I should see the fans spin. I was wrong...it did the same as before... the fans spin for less than a second and ... nothing.

So... let me get this straight... the Hiper PSU refuses to power the computer it has been in for a year, but will power a different computer no problem. What the hell?

:?


Can anyone explain this phenomenon? I'm intrigued now!

PSUs are just a collection of electronic components. Many electronic components actually lose efficieny as they get older. The rate at which they will lose efficieny will depend on what %of max load they run at, and how long they run. So if you have a 400watt PSU carrying a 380 watt load, it will lose the capacity to produce max wattage faster than if it was only carrying a 300 watt load. If you run it 12 hrs a day, it will lose efficiency slower than if you run it 24 hrs a day.

How does it lose efficiency? The capicitors will "wear" out and conductors will eventually begin to experiance increased resistance to name a few problems. The speed with which this happens can be accelerated due to heat/high temperatures.

Capictor "wear"

 

[jackluo923]

Maybe the powersupply's capacitor has aged and can't provide enough power for your computer anymore. It happens to every powersupply no matter how good the quality is. Good powersupply takes many years for its capacitors to degrade and cheap powersupply may only take 6 month to loose half of its power. So keep in mind as a general, What you pay is what you get. There very few shortcuts.

 

[mitch074]

in short: your PSU can't deliver the wattage it's rated for (maybe your computer pulled on a line that the other doesn't tax, and said line has gone weak - capacitor wear), making another system able to use it (for now) but not yours.

Solution: get a new PSU. Preferably not a cheapo one (if only because a good PSU will have niceties such as pluggable cables, large size/adaptive sped fan...). Enjoy.

 

[goldragon_70]

OK I'm perplexed.

I removed my Hiper PSU and replaced it with a cheap, generic 400W. My computer powered up. Yay I thought. However, I tried the Hiper PSU in a different computer and it powered that computer no problem. What the hell is going on here?

I thought it might be down to power issues, so I returned my Hiper PSU to the original computer and tried booting it without the graphics card, memory, hard drives, dvd drive... so all it had to do was power the motherboard and I should see the fans spin. I was wrong...it did the same as before... the fans spin for less than a second and ... nothing.

So... let me get this straight... the Hiper PSU refuses to power the computer it has been in for a year, but will power a different computer no problem. What the hell?

:?


Can anyone explain this phenomenon? I'm intrigued now!

Does the other computer have a Graphics card that pulls as much power as the one you have in your current system?

 

[tencz1]

i really hate to disagree with all of you'll . but i feel his bios chip took a dump ! . what i would do first is . clear cmos jumper and take out battery for bout 5 minutes (some peeps leave it out over night , up to you). make sure power cord is un-plugged from your rig . re-flash your bios chip from your floppy . i alway keep a fresh bios flop just for the express purpose of quick flashing . also you can try holding down F1 during post , sometimes that will work to help start her up .
Guys i feel his rig is just old enough to be burned in well . but not old enough to have bad cap's , it is a asus mobo which is well made .
if it's a bad bios chip that can't or will not reflash , then RMA that sucker. course asus will sell you a new bios chip for your mobo for like $12 plus ship with the lastest bios version already on it . which would be alot faster fix than shipping your mobo to them .
i feel your pain . been there , done that . good luck

 

[goldragon_70]

i really hate to disagree with all of you'll . but i feel his bios chip took a dump ! . what i would do first is . clear cmos jumper and take out battery for bout 5 minutes (some peeps leave it out over night , up to you). make sure power cord is un-plugged from your rig . re-flash your bios chip from your floppy . i alway keep a fresh bios flop just for the express purpose of quick flashing . also you can try holding down F1 during post , sometimes that will work to help start her up .
Guys i feel his rig is just old enough to be burned in well . but not old enough to have bad cap's , it is a asus mobo which is well made .
if it's a bad bios chip that can't or will not reflash , then RMA that sucker. course asus will sell you a new bios chip for your mobo for like $12 plus ship with the lastest bios version already on it . which would be alot faster fix than shipping your mobo to them .
i feel your pain . been there , done that . good luck

I've never heard of a Bios not like one PSU and liking another, without the PSU really being the Issue. Please read the full thread.

 

[gomerpile]

580 watt psu for your system is not enough to do the job, Your are over heating the transformers in the psu. Just like coils in a motor bike, if they get overheated the bike will shut down and now in effect the coils have been overheated and cannot produce the same current.

 

[rammedstein]

actually, that psu is quite capable of powering that system