Computer won't even load bios

  • Thread starter Thread starter TrevorW
  • Start date Start date
T

TrevorW

Trying my hardest not to say it's the video card.

I've had this computer running for a year, no problems. I'm not sure
if this is related, but I plug in a flash drive that I've used before,
windows says it cannot read it..no big deal..then the computer shuts
off.

And won't boot back on.

It will power on, fans spinning and all. But the screen stays black.
I bought a new mobo, no change. I bought a new PSU, no change.

I have a spare computer for a little bit, and am using the same
monitor/cable, so it is not that.

I do not want to dish out the cash to buy a new AGP video card, please
give me whatever suggestions you can. Think it's the hard drive?

Have a EPoX 8KDA mobo, AMD Athlon 64 3000, ATI Radeon 9600.
 
Could be. Pull off all cables .. data and power to the drives,
and see if it gives startup video. If not, pull the video card
and see if it posts ( just beep ).

johns
 
Trying my hardest not to say it's the video card.

I've had this computer running for a year, no problems. I'm not sure
if this is related, but I plug in a flash drive that I've used before,
windows says it cannot read it..no big deal..then the computer shuts
off.

And won't boot back on.

It will power on, fans spinning and all. But the screen stays black.
I bought a new mobo, no change. I bought a new PSU, no change.

I have a spare computer for a little bit, and am using the same
monitor/cable, so it is not that.

I do not want to dish out the cash to buy a new AGP video card, please
give me whatever suggestions you can. Think it's the hard drive?

Have a EPoX 8KDA mobo, AMD Athlon 64 3000, ATI Radeon 9600.
Click to expand...

There is no mention of beep codes in your post. Do you have the
computer case speaker connected to the motherboard ? The beep
codes can be very useful for getting some hints at what is wrong.

You can start with just a motherboard + processor + power_supply,
and if the processor is good, and the BIOS chip has code in it,
enough of the BIOS code can run, to make the speaker beep. If
you get a beep, it means the processor is doing something. As
you add components, you can listen for different beep patterns.
Without RAM, it should give a beep code for "bad RAM". Once
some good RAM is installed, but no video card is present, you
should hear a video card beep code. The beep codes from the
computer speaker can tell you a bit more about what is
going on. You start with an unloaded system, and add stuff a
bit at a time, listening after each power up, for beep codes.

Paul
 
Trying my hardest not to say it's the video card.

I've had this computer running for a year, no problems. I'm not sure
if this is related, but I plug in a flash drive that I've used before,
windows says it cannot read it..no big deal..then the computer shuts
off.

And won't boot back on.

It will power on, fans spinning and all. But the screen stays black.
I bought a new mobo, no change. I bought a new PSU, no change.

I have a spare computer for a little bit, and am using the same
monitor/cable, so it is not that.

I do not want to dish out the cash to buy a new AGP video card, please
give me whatever suggestions you can. Think it's the hard drive?

Have a EPoX 8KDA mobo, AMD Athlon 64 3000, ATI Radeon 9600.
Click to expand...
If there's no beeps, then it could well be the CPU.
If fixed three in the last six months where there was no display, fabs
working and no beeps. Every one was a duff CPU.

SteveH
 
Back
Top