pc wont boot up

[yusuf7]

hi,

my vista pc wont boot up, it isnt a specific make as it was ordered from the internet, a customised order, so cant provide many more details there.

the problem im having is that it wont boot up, i cant even get to the bios, as it will just hang, i can hear the pc powering up. i am able to plug the hard drive in externally to another pc, via usb and view my data and extract it.

also another problem im having is, no monitor will now work with that pc, this just happened recently, i dont know if this is linked or a separate issue, the monitors and vga cable are working, as they have been tested with other computers.

any kind of help would be appreciated

thanks

[mac_shinobi]

hi,

my vista pc wont boot up, it isnt a specific make as it was ordered from the internet, a customised order, so cant provide many more details there.

the problem im having is that it wont boot up, i cant even get to the bios, as it will just hang, i can hear the pc powering up. i am able to plug the hard drive in externally to another pc, via usb and view my data and extract it.

also another problem im having is, no monitor will now work with that pc, this just happened recently, i dont know if this is linked or a separate issue, the monitors and vga cable are working, as they have been tested with other computers.

any kind of help would be appreciated

thanks

onboard graphics card or dedicated graphics card - what wattage rated power supply has it got

if you disconnect anything you dont need ie PCI Cards etc does it power up then or still having issues ?

[OutToLunch]

hi,

my vista pc wont boot up, it isnt a specific make as it was ordered from the internet, a customised order, so cant provide many more details there.

the problem im having is that it wont boot up, i cant even get to the bios, as it will just hang, i can hear the pc powering up.

Swap out the memory, swap out the VGA card, swap out the PSU. If you test it with known good parts and it still doesn't work, sounds like your motherboard has fried...

[yusuf7]

mac_shinobi, im not sure about the wattage, i will find that out later on and post it up this evening.

i will also try what you have suggested outtolunch.

thanks for your replies and let you know how i get on.

[Michael]

It sounds like the PC isn't POSTing. This is normally due to a faulty motherboard, processor or memory generally as all these are critical components.

Usually (unless the CPU has been installed badly) it shouldn't drop out. What you could try (if it's a tower) is lying the PC flat and see if this makes any difference. If you're confident about doing it, you could try removing and re-seating the processor and memory. You can also try a different slot for the memory.
If neither of these methods work it could well be the motherboard is faulty. How old is the system? If it's under a year it will be covered by a warranty.

[mac_shinobi]

It sounds like the PC isn't POSTing. This is normally due to a faulty motherboard, processor or memory generally as all these are critical components.

Usually (unless the CPU has been installed badly) it shouldn't drop out. What you could try (if it's a tower) is lying the PC flat and see if this makes any difference. If you're confident about doing it, you could try removing and re-seating the processor and memory. You can also try a different slot for the memory.
If neither of these methods work it could well be the motherboard is faulty. How old is the system? If it's under a year it will be covered by a warranty.

exacta mondo

Just wanted to see if it was onboard graphics ( and no piezo speaker or speakers attached )

If it was may just be onboard graphics - long shot though as obviously the main compents are more vital

[ozzy]

sounds like what I came accross on Saturday, like these chaps have said, it was the memory was not seated right, the psu was running but would'nt post and the monitor looked dead.

[yusuf7]

cool thanks fellas, i'll give your suggestions a try and let you know how i get on.

thanks

[the_one_that_cant]

One thing that happened to me was that my motherboard needed flashing/firmware updating before it would pick the processor up. Thats another thing to try. It done exactly as you described.

[yusuf7]

morning,

sorry about the delayed update.

i did finally get a chance to try the things that were suggested above, i.e. check the memory, processor was inserted fully/correctly, also laid it down on its side to boot, but i am still having the same problem.

it gets to the screen which allows me to select a boot up option or bios, but then freeze's, i cant select any of the options either, it doesnt detect the keyboard or mouse.

i read on one the replies something about updating the motherboard firmware, is that wise and can that be done?

i have checked the motherboard and doesnt seem to be any obvious damage, so i think that may still be intact, also do you know what causes this?

thanks again

[mac_shinobi]

morning,

sorry about the delayed update.

i did finally get a chance to try the things that were suggested above, i.e. check the memory, processor was inserted fully/correctly, also laid it down on its side to boot, but i am still having the same problem.

it gets to the screen which allows me to select a boot up option or bios, but then freeze's, i cant select any of the options either, it doesnt detect the keyboard or mouse.

i read on one the replies something about updating the motherboard firmware, is that wise and can that be done?

i have checked the motherboard and doesnt seem to be any obvious damage, so i think that may still be intact, also do you know what causes this?

thanks again

I would check with the person / place who sold you the computer because if you do the firmware update on the motherboard and it does not work then you will get a dead motherboard and not sure how much come back you will have with regards to replacing it so best of checking that with the point of sale and if they can replace it then that would be an easier option - if its not under warranty and its a last resort then fair enough.

[yusuf7]

the pc is out of warranty, so that is not an option, however is there any chance it could be something else? is there any way of testing the motherboard?

[mac_shinobi]

the pc is out of warranty, so that is not an option, however is there any chance it could be something else? is there any way of testing the motherboard?

make sure machine is powered off and at least touch the case to make sure you dont have any static electricity unless you have one of those wrist straps - take the memory modules out ( RAM ) and then power it back up and test to see if it beeps about not having memory and if so then do the same again but this time with the processor and with the RAM ( memory in ) and see if it beeps about no processor.

If it does beep about both then thats a good start - you may require some isopropal or ethanol to clean the heatsink and some thermal grease / paste to put on the cpu to re seat the cpu if you are going to remove the cpu ( which is up to you )

[yusuf7]

ok thanks for that mate, i will give them a try and see how that goes.

thanks

[mac_shinobi]

np also make sure you dont have any extra things connected that you dont need ie a dedicated sound card , extra optical drives ( dvd or cd etc ) so its just the main components connected ie cpu, heatsink and fan, memory and one hard drive and if possible just onboard graphics card if you can enable that and take your original graphics card out if its a dedicated one.