O.K....My mothers computer wont work correctly since she
got it back from it being repaired under warranty......go
figure. Anyway, it was brought in to get a replacement of
the motherboard ( she bought the computer new two
years ago and
the motherboard is already bad? ) and c.d. rom drive.
Since we got it back the only thing it does when you plug
it in is the power button and c.d. rom light flashes
continuously. You can hear it doing something but no
picture/black screen.....just flashing lights. Oh yes, you
dont have to push the power button to get it going, it
does it automatically when you plug it in the wall. This is
the computer she has if this helps. Hp Pavilion
515n...don't know the ram. Thanks Christine

Hi Christine,

It was the HP repair center that started me on my way to building my own computers, which I have been doing for awhile now.

First, there was/is an industrywide problem with motherboards from recent years due to a bad batch(es) of electrolyte used in capacitors. It affected a lot of different motherboard manufacturers and I wouldn't be surprised if that is what went wrong with your mother's motherboard (never thought I'd be writing that combination of words even though it's not that odd).

Anyway, it sounds like some boards may have been jostled in shipping. With the power off, you will need to open the case and push on the edge of all the boards to make sure they are seated properly. Plug it back in to turn it on and then press the power button for several seconds until the power goes off. If it does not, HP may have replaced the motherboard with a reworked motherboard of the same type that doesn't work - you could try sending it back again (or start building your own computers).
If the power does go off, restart the machine, cross your fingers and see what happens.

Regards, Greg

LOL!!!! mothers motherboard ;} Thanks

Oh yes! One more thing Greg......Is it normal for the lights
to be flashing like that because my mother told me when
sha walked into the store, her computer was on and the
lights were flashing the same way except you could see
that it was working. They let her leave it there that way so
youd think it would be ok. ;} hmmmm?

Yes, the flashing lights are a good sign. They indicate that the hard drive is working.

but it never done this befor and we cant gett it working as
in viewing......it does sound like its running but like I said,
you cant turn it off or on.....it turns on as soon as u plug it
in and to stop it, you have to unplug it????? ;}

could it be the video card just happened to not work
anymore???

The video card may or may not be bad, but it wouldn't cause the powerdown problem.
At my work, we used a motherboard in our systems with the problem I described. We have been reworking them ourselves and there are 2 common failure modes after the rework. One is no video. The other is power always on.
Did your mother ever see the technicians turn her computer off?
You could try a different video card and a different monitor too. Perhaps a power surge took out the motherboard and the monitor but it still doesn't explain the power problem.

I hate to keep bothering u but it's both, no video and
always power ON (as in cant turn it off and only comes on
when plugged in/without pressing the power button )
flashing green lights on c.d. writer rom and power button
front and light on back. Anyway, if there is no easy way to
fix it im taking it back tomorrow. I will, like u said, try a
different monitor. Thanks again for helping me. Christine