MRRIGGA said:
Hi Malke
Sorry in delay replying had problems with ADSL supplier.
However swopped the power supply, HD, internal battery and graphic card
still nothing begining to think it is the motherboard, only thing havent
got
spare I can swop.
Shame I dont live near you there in the USA could bring it in for you to
check out. Unfortunatly I live in the UK and winter in the Canary Islands
If any other ideas would be greatful if not thanks for your help once
again.
MRRIGGA:
It could very well be a problem with the HDD. I assume you haven't checked
out the HDD to date with a diagnostic utility that's generally available
from the website of the disk's manufacturer. So if you haven't done that
yet, I would advise you to do so.
I believe you indicated in a previous posting that the system had been
working without any problems whatsoever but had been lying dormant over some
months before this problem arose. That's right, yes? So this problem
occurred "out-of-the-blue" so to speak and you have no clue as to why it
happened. That's right, isn't it? No chance, for example, that the PC was
physically moved during that period of inactivity that might have caused the
problem?
Anyway, assuming the drive checks out OK...
You seem to know your way within a PC's innards (incidentally, I'm assuming
you're working with a desktop PC), so do this...
1. Disconnect (uninstall) all the components from the machine with the
exception of your processor, RAM modules, graphics/video card, and the power
supply,
2. Make certain that the heatsink has been properly installed and that the
RAM module(s) & graphics/video card are properly seated. Check these things
*carefully*. And try to determine as best you can that the motherboard is
properly & securely connected to the case.
3. Ensure that if your motherboard contains a 4-pin 12V connector, the
appropriate lead from the PS is connected to it. And make sure you've
connected the CPU fan to the proper connector.
4. Connect your monitor, keyboard & power up.
5. Hopefully you'll get a screen display at this point. It's not important
what's on the screen. All you want is a display. Assuming you do get this
display let the system run for a half hour or so. During this time access
the BIOS and check the temps to determine they're in a normal range.
6. If you do get a screen display there's a good (but not absolute) chance
that the problem is not with any of your basic components.
7. If there's no screen display than you could be dealing with a defective
component which could be any of the ones presently connected. Since you
already changed the PS and graphics/video card it's safe to assume it's not
one of those components. So it could be the processor/heatsink or RAM or
the motherboard itself that's defective or improperly connected.
8. It's possible that the motherboard (although non-defective) is "shorting
out" because it's not properly secured to the case. It's more of a common
problem than one would think but it usually arises in new installations and
not in situations like the one you've described. (That's why I asked you
earlier whether the PC has been physically moved during its period of
inactivity). We frequently learn this when we disconnect the MB from the
case and make all the connections while that component is outside the case.
9. The problem here is as Malke described - the only way for the end-user to
definitively tell what, if any, component is causing the problem at this
stage is to replace the components one-by-one.
9. Anyway, if you *do* get that screen display, continue to add your
components - starting with the HDD & optical drive(s) and see how it goes.
Good luck and let us know how it goes...
Anna
