Hi,

I am having some problems with my computer i am runnin suse linux but a week ago my compute froze all of a sudden and now when i start it it just starts for 5 seconds and shuts down by itself,
and there is no bios screen or start up screen or anything its just blank screen i can just hear the fan workin for about 5 seconds and then it shuts down.
I ve thought it is the motherboard but i bought a new one and its not working either and then i bought a new power supply as well tryed that and its not working ........ anyone has any suggestions ????

So you have a new case/power supply, Mother Board and CPU? Did you get new RAM? Also it could be a video card problem... If it is AGP or PCI have you tried re-seating them... but If you got a new MB you probably already did that... If you did get a new MB and PS then the problem is problably with CPU,RAM, or Video, or could be HD problem...

We need more information

KC

Hi,

I know this may seem obvious but is the power switch stuck in? I have seen this in about three different computers with the symptoms you are describing. I see you replaced some hardware but I don't see that the case was done, just the power supply.

No i haven't change the case just the power supply, ive tryed 2 different memorys as well as two different hard drives to put in the system and ive also tryed to change a cpu and tryed to boot withouth a cpu as well and it is exactly the same with or without the cpu its just that without the cpu it beebs and then shuts down and with the cpu it just shuts down without a beeping noise, the power swich on my old case wont even power at all and at my current non working system it goes for about 5 seconds on and goes off by itself.

Have you tried booting it with only the bare minimum hooked up to the system? CPU, Video, memory and kbd. When you do this make sure the hdd, floppy cd rom etc are not hooked up to the power supply as well as the motherboard. If one device is draining the power too much it could cause the problem. If it boots with only the bare min. start adding devices one a t a time untill you can no longer boot. That device is likly the cause of the problem.

without doubt it is something related with the power supply, this happens to me with 2 old computers, the most common it's when you add new hardware to your system like a DVD recorder this kind of hardware sucks more power, try to change the power with one with higher capacity...

The most common reason for this type of problem is that the power good signal is never asserted in the power supply. When the PS starts, it expects to settle and have outputs within tolerance within a certain fairly short period of time; if this does not happen, then the PS shuts itself off in order to protect itself and the computer, and to prevent a possible fire.

Since you have changed the PS and the mobo, but the symptoms remain, you should be looking for a short circuit someplace in the computer. The best way to find this is to unplug everything (except the mobo) and start the computer. If the PS still powers back down, then unplug the mobo ps connection and start the PS by momentarily jumpering pin14 of that connector to ground (this assumes an ATX supply).

If the PS comes up and runs, then check the mobo for a short to ground; perhaps a metal standoff where a plastic one is needed, or a missing fiber washer, or something like that. If the PS doesn't run, change the PS.

Once you have established that the PS and mobo are OK, then start plugging devices in one at a time and powering the computer. When you find the shorted device, the PS will shut itself off. You can then proceed appropriately to either clear the short (maybe a missing screw rattling around in the case has gotten itself someplace it shouldn't be?) or replace the shorted device.

Alternatively, as previously suggested in this thread, the PS isn't large enough for the system and the power good never gets asserted because the load on the output is just too large.

whoah whoah whoah! 2 year old thread folks! I'm sure they've fixed whatever problem they may have had

how was this thread even found??

Gee, I hate it when that happens.

I didn't even notice the earlier dates; usually I catch that.

In any event, what I wrote remains valid for the specified condition.

Thanks jiml8,(even if it was answered years later )

That was a great answer, and I'm hoping it will help me revive an old beast I have recently acquired. Power of some sort comes on, but in a second or less it shuts down. Nothing will happen when the power on button is pressed after that until the power cord is unplugged from the PSU. Then it will try again once but fail, until the power is removed.

I'll repost if I get this figured out, just to have a thread on the net with some closure for anyone else who reads this with similar issues.

Cheers.

Did the pin 14 shortout test. The fan made a little death shudder but that was it. Out to buy a new PSU tonight.

To finish the issue, the new PSU worked perfectly.
Computer boots up as it should.

Hi, I just started experiencing this issue as well. It definitely appears to be power related, but unless the gods have it out for me, it is not my power supply. I just bought a brand new one and installed it today. Real nice Thermaltake 1KW model.

Anyway, many others have described being able to unplug it then plug it back in to get it to boot. That doesn't seem to work anymore for me. At first I thought it might be related to my video card. I'd play with the PCIE connectors then try it again and it would boot. Now I'm not so sure. I tried unplugging the PCIE cables altogether and well... the card apparently has an alarm on it to let you know it doesn't have enough juice. I couldn't get the PS to shut down fast enough. Geez that thing is loud!

So then I thought maybe it was because the video card's fan was not running. Well, if you hold reset and press power at the same time, the computer will turn on without actually trying to POST, and the gfx fan does turn on then. When I release the reset button, it starts trying to POST then shuts down, just as before.

During the few times when I had managed to get it working before after it misbehaved, I could keep it running all day, playing 3d games, decoding video, etc. So it's not a heat issue. And when I do have issues starting it, it's typically cold (been off for multiple hours).

I remember reading a while back that bad capacitors on mobos could cause all sorts of headaches. This mobo is brand spanking new, and it has been working for several weeks before it started doing this. But bad caps could still be a possibility. I'll have to call Asus tech support and see what we can come up with. Will keep the board updated.

System specs are:
AMD Athlon X2 3800+
BFG GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB
4 sticks of 1GB DDR2 memory
ASUS M2N32 SLI Deluxe mobo
Seagate SATA drive
WD SATA drive
Samsung SATA DVD-RW
Sony IDE DVD-ROM
Sound Blaster X-Fi
Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W PSU modular cables, PCIE connectors, multiple 12V rails, etc

Well, I guess there is value in providing an answer on an ancient thread...based upon subsequent posts.