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Old 03-01-2004, 11:04 AM   #1
ksgill
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computer wont start


I cant power up my computer for some reason. It was working fine and then it suddenly stopped working, I am thinking its the power supply. Any ideas on what it could be? Mobo is Asus P4S533 with P4 2.0 processor. Thanks in advance
 
Old 03-01-2004, 11:40 AM   #2
michaelk
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What do you mean by can't power up? When you push the power button does anything happen? Any lights blink, fans turn or beeps etc?

You verified that you have power to the PC? Did you accidently turn off the power supply switch?

I'm not familar with the motherboard but it could be the power supply. Since the BIOS also monitors the CPU fan speed and CPU temp if the CPU fan isn't operating or temp exceeds the upper limit the PC will not power up.
 
Old 03-01-2004, 12:41 PM   #3
ksgill
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no lights, no fans, no nothing. I push the button and nothing happens, it had been working fine for a year. I dont think the cpu temp. theory is valid because it was turned off for atleast an hour before i tried to turn it on...hmm, i will replace the power supply and see what happens..
 
Old 03-01-2004, 05:51 PM   #4
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This happened to me once before, and the problem was that something shorted out on the mobo. Replacing the power supply is the logical first step, but if that doesn't solve the problem you may need a new mobo like I did.

Other questions from the Obvious Dept: I assume the power cord is plugged in, the surge protector is On and plugged in too, etc. Good luck with it -- J.W.
 
Old 03-01-2004, 06:00 PM   #5
JaseP
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Try switching the power switch on the back of the power supply, if your power supply is the modern type. Sometimes they switch off if there are spikes and what-not. I had that happen recently due to a brown-out.

Other than that, go with a step by step process of switching things out,.. power supply first, MoBo second...
 
Old 03-01-2004, 06:11 PM   #6
Mathieu
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Even before that...

Check the wall outlet and power bar to see if they still function.
Once, I had a computer that would not power-up. I moved it to a new power bar and everything worked fine.

Did you open your case at any point ?
If you did, you may have disconnected the power button wire... That's a long shot.

If the computer does not turn on (no power, no lights, no fans, etc), then it may be two things:
The Power supply or the Motherboard.
 
Old 03-02-2004, 12:47 PM   #7
ksgill
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hmm.. i hope its not the motherboard. I will check both of those things out over the weekend and post the results. thanks guys
 
Old 03-02-2004, 01:24 PM   #8
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Just FYI - in my case it was pretty obvious when things went south. I was booting up the PC, and then there was a pretty loud popping noise, and the screen immediately went black. When I opened up the case the distinct reek of burned plastic was evident, and although I tried putting a spare power supply in there, that machine was just plain dead. Unfortunately this incident also injured my hard drive as well, but it was only a backup machine so I didn't lose anything critical. If things smell like they're burned, I would say that it's almost certain that something shorted out, which increases the chances that the mobo was damaged. It doesn't sound like anything as dramatic has happened with your box, so hopefully it is just a failure of the power supply. -- J.W.
 
Old 03-02-2004, 01:34 PM   #9
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Many power supplies have a fuse in them as well. And a selct few will even let you change that fuse externally.
 
Old 03-03-2004, 09:30 PM   #10
ksgill
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It was the motherboard. I am looking for online deals on motherboards right now.
 
Old 03-04-2004, 04:37 PM   #11
ksgill
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Okay, its not the powersupply because I can see a green light on my motherboard (which means the power is getting through). I replaced the motherboard with a brand new one and the problem is still there, now i see a light on the new motherboard and still nothing boots up.I also reset the CMOS by taking out the battery for 5 minutes. I tried turning it on with bare minimal stuff (cpu, RAM, Videocard), and nothing powers up- no fans, nothing. I am scratching my head right now.. any idea how i can fix it.
 
Old 03-04-2004, 04:37 PM   #12
ksgill
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oh and i tried using power supply from the other computer, and it still shows me a green light on the motherboard and nothing else
 
Old 03-04-2004, 06:42 PM   #13
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I assume you also are connecting the hard drive and keyboard, in addition to the monitor. If you are using the new mobo and the new PS, then I assume that the fan on the PS is blowing, so you can conclude the PS is good. If the green light on the mobo is on, then at least some power is being sent to the system, which also is a good sign. If pressing the power button has no effect, then it may simply be that the power switch itself is stuck in the off position. Have you tried removing the front panel to expose the actual switch itself, and to manually press it? Also, are you certain that the wires from the mobo to the power switch are still firmly seated? Perhaps they've been jarred loose. Also, my P4 has its own power line - verify that it is correctly connected too. (Is the CPU fan on?) Finally, if you have only one stick of RAM, is it in the first slot (my mobo won't start if it's in the second) and is the ribbon cable from your hard drive correctly plugged into IDE1 (rather than IDE2). These ideas might not solve the issue but if they can be eliminated as factors then that might be helpful too. Good luck with it. -- J.W.
 
Old 03-04-2004, 07:14 PM   #14
ksgill
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I connected hard-drve and monitor, they are not essential for the post. My computer is not even getting to the point where it beeps. I took out the motherboard and power-supply and tried running it outside ...still nothing.
-- cpu fan is not on and yes its connected to cpu power supply
-- RAM is in the first slot, i have two sticks and I even tried switching them.. nada.... this is driving me nuts. I think I will have to take it in and show it to some repair guy (Although I built this machine myself ). Any other ideas guys?
 
Old 03-05-2004, 10:49 AM   #15
Mathieu
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What about the "Reset switch" and "Power switch" wires.
Are they plugged-in on the motherboard ?

Every motherboard has these two wires goes from the power and reset buttons (switch) on the front of the computer case to the motherboard.
If these wires are not plugged-in, the computer will not turn on.

Last edited by Mathieu; 03-05-2004 at 10:50 AM.
 
  


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