serious boot problem

[garbanzo]

ok this isn't exactly windows 7 related but i need help anyway...

the last few days, when i hit the power button on my machine, it turns on but does not boot. i hear the fan on the psu, but nothing else kicks in.

after hitting the reset button a couple of times, then the boot sequence finally begins.

and here's the really weird part - it's happening at home and at work! well, it happened at work once yesterday. i suppose it could be a very strange cosmic coincidence...

what on earth is causing this?

 

[FullyLoadedMan]

Possibly a BIOS issue?
Are the computers the same at work and home??

 

[Antman]

Indicative of bad video card or bad RAM. In that order.

 

[garbanzo]

no, the computers are very different. nothing in common.

how can i troubleshoot this? why would bad components prevent the boot process form even starting?

 

[Blackhawk7188]

How hot did the PCs get. You could have overheated them and caused some serious damage to the motherboard, it is a possibility. Before thinking that...remove the GPU and RAM and reinsert them, they may be loose or dirty for some reason. If this doesnt work then the GPU or RAM could be bad or the motherboard itself. Alot of things could be wrong in that situation.

 

[FullyLoadedMan]

He does have a point, i test motherboards without RAM or a Video card and they go into the boot sequence just fine.

Edit..
Do you have any other hardware you could test the Motherboard out on??

 

[garbanzo]

my temps are ok, i keep an eye on them.

my home machine is a prebuilt and i have never opened it because i didn't want to break the seal which voids the warranty. i never really checked before but peering through the vents it looks to be incredibly dirty inside. i've only had the machine for many 9 months, but i have a cat, so lots of dust.

so now what? it's a half day journey on busses and trams to get to the place where i bought this. my wedding anniversary is this weekend, so i won't be able to take it in until next weekend at the earliest. should i open the case and clean it? i've been dying to get a new hard drive in there anyway.

in fact i don't even know when the warranty is up. i should check on that...

FullyLoadedMan - no other hardware. nothing.

 

[FullyLoadedMan]

Hmm, if you dont mind voiding your warranty then crack the case open.

Have you moved the case around lately?

Edit..
I have done some thinking, if you have been moving the case around lately possibly one of your RAM sticks may have come loose.

Or maybe the BIOS battery is flat or has come loose.
I know they are supposed to last for years but a week after i got my PC the battery died.

 

[garbanzo]

no it stays in one place.

i guess i'll dig in there later and clean it out. i'm really amazed at how dirty it is. i'll reseat the ram/video card while i'm in there too.

any other suggestions?

 

[FullyLoadedMan]

BIOS Battery?

If all else fails try and reset the CMOS.

Read you manual for that!!

Edit...

Yeah, give it a clean.
Watch out for static, that stuff can stuff your whole PC up.
Wear some rubber soled shoes and do your work on a bench not on the floor.

 

[garbanzo]

thanks for the suggestions.

been googling around and found a big thread of others with a similar problem. many solved it with a clean. several solved it by cleaning the contacts on their ram with an eraser. hmmm...

 

[LarryLaser]

Hey garbanzo

A few points/step-by-step instructions.

If you are going to clean-up your PC. And test it yourself.

1. Go to a store (like a Wal-Mart, Office Depot, K-Mart etc...) and pick up a couple cans of Air Spray (not HAIR SPRAY) Keyboard cleaner.
Like "FullyLoadedMan" said,

Watch out for static, that stuff can stuff your whole PC up.
Wear some rubber soled shoes and do your work on a bench not on the floor.

2. When you Open your case, lay it down (Open side UP) and set your vacuum cleaner, like a Dust Buster or Cleaner Vacuum (not a carpet vacuum), next to the back of the case by the vents exhaust port.
3. Before You Touch any thing inside the case, Put your hands on the case, this will remove any static from YOU. Also, whale you are working on it, make a habit of keeping part of you touching the case (your hand , arm or elbow) this will keep you grounded and low to no static, (or you can by an anti static Wrist Band that has a wire that you can clip to the case).
4. Remove the exhaust Fan and start the vacuum and place it at the exhaust vent, then take the Air Spray can and start dusting, blowing to the rear vent.
5. Check the RAM and Vid and any other cards plugged in to the motherboard. You cad see and/or feel if they are loose by lightly touching them and wiggle your finger. If you find one loose, that is the problem.
6. Start by removing the RAM chip cards. Stand the case up, Plug in One RAM chip card and plug it back up, Power, Mouse-Keyboard and a monitor. Power up (monitor) PSU (Power Supply Unit) and boot up and see if it goes through POST (Power On Self Test) process, If it works, Shut down PC before Boot-Up, (you can do Ctrl+Alt+Del before the OS boot starts then push the power button), turn off the PSU and Remove the RAM card and try the next one (on every one your system has), if your system finally won't POST with one of them then you found the bad one, Get a new one that matches the others.
7. If No POST with any of the RAM tests then you have to replace the Video Card with another one that is compatible with the motherboard and run the POST test (with at least one RAM card). If the POST works its the Video Card, if not, its either the Motherboard or the Power Supply failing.

At this point you will need to clear the "CMOS", and or replace the Mobo Battery. This you will need to find out from the Mobo Manufacture manual.

Also, you must have surge protection, without it this is what causes the Motherboard and or the Power Supply to fail.

 

[garbanzo]

thanks so much for the detailed suggestions. i'll do that later today.

are there any diagnostic tests i can run in windows or is it better to just run the tests you suggested? i only ask because once the computer boots it runs without issue.

 

[LarryLaser]

Diagnostics

Yes there are Quite a few, Free and Expensive.
To start with when you boot up and the POST works use the "F8" key to go to select mode and you can run a memory diagnostics test that is part of the Windows 7 Operating System, after the Memory Test then it will boot and give you the results. This is the best way.
Or you can Start from within Windows 7 (not as efficient cause your Operating System is using some memory)

Memory Diagnostics Tool

or this one
CheckIT
I have this one (for many Years and It works pretty good, but it was free. The new one has not made many changes, but now it is focused on MAC) and it is floppy diagnostics, It still works on my new computers also.

Here is my old copy, its a freebe, and floppy copy, just burn it to a floppy by (un-zip it and double click it, It will tell you to insert a floppy disk, format and install) reboot with floppy in A drive and follow instructions.
Here is also a copy of the Manual

 

[FullyLoadedMan]

Hope i helped!

Tell us how you get on with it?!

 

[garbanzo]

it was bad ram... the machine won't post with one of them. so now i'm running on a measly 1gb until i can upgrade.

but... at least it's a good excuse to buy more! unfortunately i noticed just two slots which limits me. that's what i get for buying a cheap computer i guess...

thanks to all who helped!

 

[Antman]

Hmm.

 

[garbanzo]

Hmm.

is that an "i told you so"?

 

[garbanzo]

well i spoke too soon. i hit the power button this morning with the "good" ram in there, and it didn't post. i had to hit reset 3 times before it would boot.

when it doesn't boot, the psu fan starts, the hard drive light flashes red once, and the read light on my optical drive blinks a few times. after that, nothing. when i hit reset, the same things happen, but after a few tries, the boot process finally begins.

grr.

 

[garbanzo]

well... it's not the PSU. i just put in a brand new one and the problem persists.

1. press the power button
2. hdd light flashes once
3. dvd light flashes several times
4. nothing

a few days ago, i could get it to boot after pressing reset several times. i knew when it was about to boot because the lights on my keyboard would flash, and the power light on my monitor would turn from orange to blue. then it would post/boot. but i'ts not been up for a few days...

cpu and gpu fans run
ethernet light in the back flashes
but no power through usb...

where from here? i guess it's the motherboard? maybe i should just bite the bullet and take it in someplace... i can't afford to keep playing 'guess the faulty component' Smile