I would you check your BIOS. It may be a Virus in the BIOS.
This issue does happen, If you check your BIOS settings some do have protection and some don't. Some are not set to protect by default, It may fix it if you re Flash your BIOS.
I would check this issue out first, then if it is still happening you can use the "CheckIT" program to analyze your motherboard to see if there is a problem with the USB or PCI bus.
how do i do that on a machine that won't even post?
Last ditch effort:
Since Antman lists Video card/Ram in that order, and you seem to 'trust' the ram:
If your video is in fact plug-in, I would try pulling it out, inspect contacts,
rub with dry cloth towel to "clean" contacts.
Then, I would "pro-actively"
plug-it-in, pull-it-out,
plug-it-in, pull-it-out, several times. Theory here being that contacts are assisting with burnishing each other.
Then, if the BIOS is removable, GENTLY/Cautiously remove/insert a few times. Same theory.
A last place that nobody seems to look at is the "grounding"...
AFAIK, Ground contact is made by MB screws that bolt to the chassis. These need a good electrical 'contact'.
Seem to remember 'lock-washers' scraping MB traces, when screwed down.
Maybe they're all a little loose. You could check those, maybe "sand" lightly for better electrical contact. Fixed the 74 Alfa more than once, this way.
Remember, the BIOS is nothing more than a computer-program that the CPU runs when it comes out of 'power-on-reset'.
It looks like "something" is being executed, with a lite-flash here and there...
But "something-else" is not being executed properly, be it ram-to-store-data, output to video-card for first-screen, etc.
Don't know anything about Budapest, but maybe you have high-humidity, causing corrosion ("oxidation").
Maybe salt-air environment, whatever.
The fact that both home and work are affected makes the environment suspect. (to me)
If nothing here works, you're out an hour of time, maybe -- No "Negative reps" please.
Maybe you'll get another idea from this post...
Maybe something 'different' will happen. Who knows?
Good Luck!
hey thanks for the suggestions ChuckR! of course no bad rep, that's just absurd.
the machine is quite new, so i don't think much of this applies, but i'll have a look anyway. i've basically stripped down to a bare mobo and inspected things pretty good trying to get it to work the past few days.
as for vid card, i've removed it and tried booting on integrated graphics, but it doesn't help...
at this point though i think i'll just take it in someplace. i need to find a shop near where i live where people speak english, which could prove to be quite a task. i'd hate to have to haul it all the way into Budapest on the bus... or maybe i can at least one that is open on weekends so my wife can come translate for me...
/offtopic - i see your location is listed as a denver suburb. i grew up in colorado, in the small town at the edge of RMNP, then lived in CU town while i was going to school there. oh how i miss the mountains! don't get me wrong, Budapest is great, but it's just not the same. anyway do me a favor and drink a Fat Tire on my behalf
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