TSGL: Computer dead?

Sat Nov 10 06:29:46 EST 2007

Heidi,

you sure that this PC is doing absolutely nothing ? No fan running in the PSU (look in there from behind)? CPU cooling fan not running either? Not any other fan...? If so, this would indeed indicate a dead PSU (or a missed or badly applied connector?)

With at least the PSU-fan/s running but nothing else, you might have a dead / killed Mobo.

Can't recall what an empty battery does, just from what I know it would simply not remember any settings, but otherwise NOT block the PC from booting. Since this PC doesn't do anything, you can't check the Bios either. One way to give the Bios a chance would be to *remove* the battery for a while. The Bios would then revert to the defaults, the PC might (just - might!) start again.

I would probably apply a volt meter and check the voltages the PSU delivers. If the PSU appears to be fine, then the Mobo might indeed be dead, any of the chips killed, a shortcircuit somewhere, etc. I would probably take it all to the computershop and let them check things. OTOH - I would imagine that your son is quite eager to get a new machine rather than a repaired one ;-)  These days you could get a new and quite good one for about 300-500 Euros (and of course much more too). A new Mobo might be some 40-80 Euros instead, a PSU about 20 Euros .... Video cards would be in the higher ranges for a gaming computer though, meaning from 100 or even 200 EU upwards.

Tilman
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Computerfee 
  To: Tech Support Guy Mailing List 
  Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 10:13 AM
  Subject: Re: TSGL: Computer dead?

  Hello Russ, John and Tilman!

  Only got hold of my son last night for a longer discussion about the 
  computer - all your great ideas did not help as the computer just will do 
  nothing. My son has now even tried to take out all and everything to try 
  which part might be dead and cause all the trouble and it still does 
  nothing - my last guess now was that maybe the battery is all empty but then 
  if that could happen within seconds, I think it would tell something and not 
  stay completely  dead? So we have to believe the motherboard is dead or 
  what?

  Have a nice weekend

  Heidi

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: "Tilman Brandl" <tbrandl2 at chello.at>
  To: "Tech Support Guy Mailing List" <list at tsgserver.com>
  Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 11:43 AM
  Subject: Re: TSGL: Computer dead?

  Hi Heidi,

  my main PC is about the same age, with XP too ...... Difficult to tell 
  what's wrong from a distance with not too many details to go on. Sounds like 
  your son had set up an 'overclocking' test site (my son did all these things 
  too)    ;-)

  Given that the power supply unit is fine, these are my ideas:
  I Check video card - making sure it's ok:
      1- Try to install in a different (known good) machine. This way you can 
  find out whether it's been hosed or not. If it's dead, swap it for a good 
  one.
      2- install & run a known good video card in your son's PC. Either the 
  old card after checking, or a new one.
      3- Just to be sure - check the monitor, either with a different one 
  attached to his PC, or with attaching his monitor to a good+working machine.
              Result: You've got a working video card + monitor attached to 
  this machine!

  II System not booting. My guess is that his system has been shot somehow. 
  Probably software only, but maybe also hardware - some shortcircuit or such 
  ...
      0- try to boot and run in save mode; although, you may have told us the 
  machine doesn't boot at all ...?
      1- Get a Bart PE or other PE CD which would allow to boot up and 
  afterwards check the machine thoroughly . This would show you whether the 
  machine's hardware basically is fine. If corrupt, it wouldn't bootup/start 
  from such a CD
      2- If it was a pre-installed system, try to run the restore from the CD 
  that came with the PC, if there was any  *)
      3- if it was not, insert an original XP CD and try a repair install 
  (non-destructive) 
  http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/personaltech/189500364
      4- with 3 not working, reinstall XP from scratch   *)

  *) Both methods will destroy all data on the system HD or partition. 
  Therefore try to save any data on the affected HD by e.g. moving the HD into 
  a different machine temporarily and copying away any important stuff (not 
  the XP system).

  That's all for now....

  Schöne Grüsse von Wien nach Berlin
  Tilman

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Computerfee
    To: TSGL
    Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 9:38 AM
    Subject: TSGL: Computer dead?

    Hi there everybody,

    my son just "lost" his computer - as usual when I am asking something, I
    don't
    know many details but want to ask before anyway as I know you guys usually
    can come up with some idea. It is definitely a 3 years old Windows XP
    machine. My son wanted to get it working a bit quicker and therefore tried 
  a
    lot of things that have helped a lot already - last now was that he
    uninstalled something I never heard of but it was a kind of accelerator 
  for
    the video card or video card driver. When he was asked to re-start the
    computer to make the change work, he saw the program (or whatever it
    actually is) was still there and in a minute of unconsciousness clicked on
    it. Afterwards all went dead now - don't recall whether he said the 
  computer
    shut down correctly or not then, but at least he could not restart it. 
  Once
    it worked as if it was starting, you could hear the fans working but 
  nothing
    visible happened and no beeps either but afterwards then obviously nothing
    does happen when he presses the start button. My first guess was something
    might be wrong with the video card of course but he told me some reason 
  why
    it could not be that - probably the missing beeps - and he was sure it was
    the power supply unit, so went to have it checked in a shop and it was 
  okay
    and he came here and tried it in another computer where it did work
    perfectly. Then he went home again and I told him no matter what he thinks
    to try to take out the video card -which I hope he did- but nothing did
    change, no beeps, and no booting computer.

    So what could be the problem, what could he try out to solve the problem.
    You know, it always is a problem with this youngster, he always knows 
  better
    and right now he knows the computer is not fixable while I will try until 
  I
    don't know what makes me really sure nothing can't be done.
    Hope you can come up with an idea or two!

    Have a nice day
    Heidi from Berlin
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