2 for 1 angst

[jwhiz]

Hi, both my PCs seem to suddenly have hardware issues. I'm using a 5 year old Mac laptop for work starting tomorrow, I''d really love to get one of my desktops going again as my main workstation and save the lappie for a back up system.

PC #1 - XP/Linux multiboot. Was sitting for some time, then I needed an XP system to reset refilled ink cartidges and the system won't start - case fan spins a few times, power button or reset light will flash, then nothing. Can't even get that much without turning Power supply off and on again. Tested power supply, showed a bad molex connection. Put power supply back in (was that a mistake?) and used other connections, same thing - no start. Computer was working well when I last used it four months ago. Power supply is so new was thinking of swapping it into other system (about a year old). Two hard drives, wondering if master drive fried.

PC #2 - Vista system. Was fine Friday until Vista update. Black screen. Could hear Windows starting up. Waited a while and tried restarting. Black screen. Was able to get a POST screen once and went into safe mode, undid update with system restore. Then I made a serious error. Rebooted into normal mode, had CD ready to back up files. Let Vista update again without backing up. Ack. Black screen, no POST screen. Got something after rebooting with Vista recovery disk, it did a system restore. Still black screen when it rebooted itself. Assuming Vista, or at least the windows loader, now toasty toasted - no longer hearing windows start up, one long beep at boot (don't remember which BIOS,but it either means a normal start or a bad graphics card. Hmm) Have NVidia graphics card, think 8800, also about a year old. Fan on it was very dirty, cleaned it and replaced card (this was the first time I got a POST screen, when I should have saved everything and NOT allowed it to update again!).

Ideas for what to try? Is there anything or am I stuck with trying new components? Or even a new (and cheaper than I'd like) system (after first pay cheque - and after tuition for next totally online course....oh boy...) Any suggestions for testing components in each system? (I can't remove the video card from the XP system, the board doesn't really fit the box and it's really jammed in there - ironically, since it came from the Vista system when it was new - don't know how I got it in but it's not coming out without damage.)

 

[Ian]

For system 1 it does sound like it could be a faulty PSU, so if you can try another one in the system that would be ideal .

The problem with PC#2 sounds a little more complex. If it worked after removing an update it would seem to suggest a software problem, however if nothing appears on boot then it sounds like it could be something more. As soon as you turn on the PC, do you see the POST information anymore? Are you able to boot from the Vista DVD to perform any operations from that?

 

[jwhiz]

For system 1 it does sound like it could be a faulty PSU, so if you can try another one in the system that would be ideal .

The problem with PC#2 sounds a little more complex. If it worked after removing an update it would seem to suggest a software problem, however if nothing appears on boot then it sounds like it could be something more. As soon as you turn on the PC, do you see the POST information anymore? Are you able to boot from the Vista DVD to perform any operations from that?

For PC#1 , that's kind of what I think too (upsetting since it is less than two years old). I don't have a 'test' system at the moment, so will keep that system for parts, not sure I can use hard drives in newer system (and would want a bigger PSU, with both ATA and SATA leads too!) since newer system is SATA and I haven't worked with that much yet. Reluctant to pull PSU from computer #2 while I'm using it everyday right now.

For PC#2, it turned out to be a (suspicious) coincidence - bad video card (maybe the restart was the last straw?) This card was also not very old, about a year. Replaced it with a new one (still less than a new system) and it seems as happy as it ever gets (but video generally looks better, "Sacred" now looks fantastic and its cinematics run without jerkiness). Maybe 'old' card was half a dud to begin with.

To answer your question about the POST display, I got it twice after physically jigging the card, which led me to try a new one (and hope it wasn't a bad slot!) The first time, able to boot into Safe mode (did system restore), the 2nd time, had Vista Recovery CD in and it initiated another system restore - the subsequent boots were into a black screen though. Fortunately, able to use this computer now for less than a hundred dollars.

"Technology is great when it works"! Thanks for help.