Computer was working fine yesterday and will NOT Start today. I get Lights and fans but NOT EVEN a BIOS screen? Anyone?! Thanks Dave in Atlanta

Apparently your computer, if it's the model listed above, is a desktop (tower) computer. If you have NOT been fiddling inside your case lately with components or connections, and have NOT changed which ram you have installed ... Failing power supplies are common and can cause your symptoms. Check your PS. They often partially work, fans and hard drives spin, leds come on, yet you get no video and the mboard will not boot all the way. See response 4 in this: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... NOTE: Some HP computers have BESTEC PSs - if the PS brand is BESTEC they are a lot more likely than average to malfunction, and when a BESTEC PS fails completely, it is a lot more likely than average to fry someething else, often the mboard - if it's a BESTEC, if it's failing, I advise you to use the computer as little as possible or DO NOT use it - if you use it until the PS fails completely, it may fry the mboard. ..... A common thing that can happen with ram, even ram that worked fine previously, is the ram has, or has developed, a poor connection in it's slot(s). This usually happens a long time after the ram was installed, but it can happen with new ram, or after moving the computer case from one place to another, and I've had even new modules that needed to have their contacts cleaned. See response 2 in this - try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules, and making sure the modules are properly seated: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... ....... If you HAVE just changed which ram you have installed........ Ram that works in another mboard , or any ram you buy or have lying around, may not work properly, or sometimes, not at all - even if it physically fits and is the right overall type (e.g. SDram, DDR, DDR2, etc.; PCxxxx, xxx mhz) for your mboard. In the worst cases of incompatibilty your mboard WILL NOT BOOT with it installed, and the mboard may not even beep - the ram has to be compatible with the mboard and it's chipset. If you still have the ram that was installed before when the computer worked fine, try removing the new ram and installing the old ram. See response 5 in this for some info about ram compatibilty, and some places where you can find out what will work in your mboard for sure: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... Correction to that: Mushkin www.mushkin.com Once you know which module ID strings work in your mboard, you can get them from anywhere you like that has ram with those ID strings. If you have brand name ram, it is usually easy to look up whether it's ID string is in a list of compatible modules found by using your mboard or brand name system model number. If the ram is generic, that may be difficult or impossible. It is easy to test for incompatible ram that has caused your mboard to fail to boot. Make sure you have a speaker or speakers connected to the mboard so you can hear mboard beeps (see your mboard manual). Remove the AC power to the case/power supply. Remove all the ram. Restore AC power. Try to boot. If nothing else is wrong, you will hear a pattern of beeps that indicate no ram is installed, or a ram problem. E.g. for an Award bios or a bios based on one, that's often a beep of about a half second, silence for a half second, a beep of about a half second, silence for a half second, continuously. ...... If you do a ram test, do that AFTER having tried cleaning the contacts and making sure the ram is seated properly - otherwise any errors found may be FALSE. If the ram is incompatible with the chipset, it will likely FAIL a ram test - that is NOT a true indication of the ram being faulty - there is probably nothing wrong with it, and it will pass the test if installed in a mboard it is compatible with. If a ram test DOES find errors, if you have more than one module installed, try the test with one module at a time - sometimes they won't work properly when more than one is installed, but it will pass when by itself. If you want to try a memory diagnostic utility that takes a lot less time to run a full pass than memtest86 does, this one is pretty good - Microsoft's Windows Memory Diagnostic: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag... It can be toggled to do a standard or a more comprehensive set of tests - use the default 6 test one first - if it passes one pass of that, use the latter one. A few of the tests in the latter set are intentionally slower.

I checked - your PS is HP part number 5187-1098 "Power supply - 250-watt, regulated (Zinfandel)" When I search on the web with that part number I find the original PS and often the replacements ARE BESTEC. If the PS has failed DO NOT buy another BESTEC. Your computer can use ANY decent, standard sized (PS/2 sized - 5 7/8"(W) x 3 3/8"(H) x 5 1/2"(D) inch)ATX power supply with a 250 watt or greater capacity. Most new PSs have a dual purpose main wiring connector that can be used with either a 20 or 24 pin main socket on the mboard, so if your socket has 20, or 24, positions the PS will work if the specs for the new one says it has a 20+4 or a 20/24 main connector. Since your mboard has no PCI-E X 16 slot or AGP slot, you don't need any more than 250 watts capacity.

THANKS ! I took the computer apart and re-assembled it carefully. It worked fine for 2 days and did not boot this morning. I'm quite sure NOW that it's the Power Supply going low down on me. I appreciate your help. It confirms what my latest "guess" was. Dave

OK, good to hear you solved your problem. But - I advise you to NOT use the computer until you get another PS - if it fails completely (no sign of life at all) BESTEC PSs often damage the mboard while doing that.

10-4 Off to buy a new Power Supply today ! AND N-O-T a BESTEC