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Computer problem, need help !!!
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FluterEx
22nd Black Rise Defensive Unit
#1 - 2011-10-18 17:05:58 UTC
Right now i have a little problem with my PC and since there seem to be enough ppl on these forums who know lots of things about PCs i thought i might find some help here.

A few days ago while i was playing, my screen went black and the PC shut itself down seemingly without any reason.
I tryed restarting the system, all the hardware seems to be running but the screen stays black and nothing happens.
Now i thought that my VGA-card died (the system is ~5y old after all), so i ordered a new one.
Today i installed it in the hopes that everything would be ok but after trying to start the sytem once more,
everything seems to start (all fans are running and all HDs as well as far as i can tell) but the screen remains black.
I turned the screen on manually but it says "No signal".

The mainboard doesnt look like anything is damaged and the green LED on the board is also glowing.
The old VGA-Card doesnt look like anything is damaged either.
Im no PC specialist but i think maybe after 5 years of service that little BiOS-battery might have died.
So i wanted to ask if that could be the problem im searching or not.
And if not what else could it be?
Sturmwolke
#2 - 2011-10-18 17:25:15 UTC
Depends if you get the POST beep, if you do, it could be monitor cable fault (though very rare).
If you don't, reseat your all your memory sticks - try a few times if it doesn't work the first time. Old mobo tend warp a bit.
FluterEx
22nd Black Rise Defensive Unit
#3 - 2011-10-18 18:24:00 UTC
Sturmwolke wrote:
Depends if you get the POST beep, if you do, it could be monitor cable fault (though very rare).
If you don't, reseat your all your memory sticks - try a few times if it doesn't work the first time. Old mobo tend warp a bit.


I tryed that.
I even switched the monitor cable and the ram sticks but it didnt work.
And i noticed that it does not beep on startup.
Lithalnas
Dirt 'n' Glitter
Local Is Primary
#4 - 2011-10-18 20:05:21 UTC
I think this might be a "he's dead Jim" moment

Try unplugging everything but 1 ramstick, and the vga(not PCI-e?). If your board still has life it should try and at least show a bios screen. Try a clear CMOS, on older boards it is usually a jumper somewhere that you can short to clear bios settings. Try a new battery.

If that doesnt work, well you may be out of luck.

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FluterEx
22nd Black Rise Defensive Unit
#5 - 2011-10-18 21:59:12 UTC
Lithalnas wrote:
I think this might be a "he's dead Jim" moment

Try unplugging everything but 1 ramstick, and the vga(not PCI-e?). If your board still has life it should try and at least show a bios screen. Try a clear CMOS, on older boards it is usually a jumper somewhere that you can short to clear bios settings. Try a new battery.

If that doesnt work, well you may be out of luck.


It is a PCI-e card.
I did almost all the POST-error checks already.
The only thing that i can check is, if it works after i unplug the hdd and the DVD-player.
But i fear that my Mobo might have died.
Sturmwolke
#6 - 2011-10-18 22:00:13 UTC
FluterEx wrote:
I even switched the monitor cable and the ram sticks but it didnt work.
And i noticed that it does not beep on startup.


If you don't get a PC POST beep, dont bother messing around with the monitor cable or monitor, they're both fine Smile

It's typically the RAM sticks getting jarred out of proper contacts in their sockets, clean the edges (using an eraser or better yet, contact cleaners for electronics) and re-seat properly as best as you can.
They usually work in pairs, so if you have 4 sticks, try with only 2 sticks. You'd want to confirm if one of the sticks went bad by trial of elimination.
Other favourite suspects are CPU contact issues (I rarely see this one though) or jarred PCI cards (one of your PCI card is causing this issue - seen this one on occasions).

PSU fault (output voltage below normal) or even mobo power connector contact problems are also good possibilities, but I usually put these second last.
Confirming this is messy.

Last is a motherboard fault (bulging/discoloured/disfigured electrolytic caps usually, so look around).
There's not much you can do the above case, things will get expensive.

Isolate as much as you can to narrow down the issue. Try turning on the system with only the video card + mem only.
Disconnect all drives (just their power cable will do) and peripherals (keybs, printers, USB sticks etc.)
Vicker Lahn'se
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#7 - 2011-10-19 00:18:55 UTC
I have had this happen to me twice. Both times it was the power supply crapping out. Sometimes one of the voltages within the power supply can die, leaving the others running perfectly fine. This creates some odd behavior of some things turning on and other things not working right, and not all motherboards have a BIOS beep for this.

It's easy to test and easy to fix. Use a multimeter to check each of the lines coming out of your power supply and check to make sure they correspond correctly to the documentation. If you don't have a multimeter, find a friend who does. They're easy to come by. If this is the problem, fixing it is as easy as spending $50 to $100 on a new power supply and sticking it in there.

If your system died spontaneously while you were playing Eve, I would strongly suspect the power supply. Problems with poorly inserted chips or damaged cables usually present themselves after picking things up and moving them.
Sir Substance
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#8 - 2011-10-19 04:35:23 UTC
FluterEx wrote:
Sturmwolke wrote:
Depends if you get the POST beep, if you do, it could be monitor cable fault (though very rare).
If you don't, reseat your all your memory sticks - try a few times if it doesn't work the first time. Old mobo tend warp a bit.


I tryed that.
I even switched the monitor cable and the ram sticks but it didnt work.
And i noticed that it does not beep on startup.


My money is on the PSU. My computer did this occasionally, when it had a cheap PSU installed. I found that leaving it turned off for anywhere between 12 hours and 4 days would cause it to start working again, usually for another year or so.

Basically whats happening is your PSU is delivering enough charge to make lights come on, but not enough for the computer to boot.

To troubleshoot, borrow someone elses power supply and plug it in, see if it boots.

The beatings will continue until posting improves. -Magnus Cortex

Official Eve Online changelist: Togglable PvP. - Jordanna Bauer
mogwai
Gremlin Mining and Exploration
#9 - 2011-10-19 12:04:48 UTC
Had this the other day on my second eve rig.

Take out the RAM sticks and put ONE back in - Reboot the puter - Rinse / Repeat through all slots + RAM sticks till you find the dodgy slot/stick.
Christopher AET
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#10 - 2011-10-19 13:08:32 UTC
I had this before. I ended up having to send the computer back to the store in the end but I can tell you a few things they had me try.

First try reseating your RAM and your graphics.

Next bet is to shut down and unplug computer. Then remove MOBO battery and leave it at least half an hour.

I was told to try "barebonesing it" which is starting it with no ram and no graphics card. See if you get a beep.

Beyond that I was just smiling and nodding so that's about the limit of the help I can provide.

I drain ducks of their moisture for sustenance.