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Basically, I'm having the same problem I've seen a few users having here, but I haven't been able to find the solution.
Last night, I hooked up a second HDD to my computer to format it for a friends Computer I'm working on. Randomly, my computer froze, so I reset. It SOUNDS like it's starting up normally, but there is no video coming out of the computer. CD-Rom, HDD, everything seems to be booting up, but the monitor remains in sleep mode.
I am running a VPRMatrix 2020, which is now just one week over its one year warranty. Lovely, huh?
Anyway, I have tried everything I've seen posted elsewhere. Switched Power supplys, no go. Switched out the video card, no go. Reset the CMOS with the jumper, no go. Removed the Mobo battery and replaced, no go. Removed all PCI, no go. Unplugged all the IDE devices, no go.
Basically, it leads me to believe that (for some reason) either my processor or my mobo is fried.
I swear this morning I was getting the boot up beeps, but now I am not getting them. I don't know if this means I will need a new Mobo, or a new Processor. I don't have ready access to extra ones of those, so any advice on which one is more likely to have caused the problem so I can go out and buy a new one?
Thanks in advance for any help.
No beep at all means the CPU is not running and the system is completely dead..
Beeps are a good sign, it means the system is at least running but has a problem.
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A few suggestions:No beeps:
I see you tried removing pci cards and the like. Did you also try re-seating the RAM cards?Can you enter the BIOS?
If so, there may be a setting to "auto detect hard drives" or something simalar.
Can you boot to Safe Mode? Start the pc, tap the F8 key every half second. Once in safe mode, check the Device Manager for any conflicts (prehaps the monitor has been changed to the wrong choice)
Do you have the XP CD? If you can enter the BIOS, set the cdrom as the 1st device in the boot order, boot to cd, run the "Repair" option.
LL
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Yes, I have tried changing the ram around. I have 2 sticks of 256 MB DDR ram, but no luck there.
And no, I have been unable to enter the bios.
Would no beeps signal more of a Dead motherboard, or a dead processor?
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"Would no beeps signal more of a Dead motherboard, or a dead processor?"
Either one could be bad and causing that. The only way to determine which one is by swapping.
By the way, you will normally get beeps for bad RAM or a bad video card.
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It could be either mobo or processor; my guess would be the mobo. If you pull the processor out, check for burn marks, if it has them it may be fried, but this isn't a definite sign of a cooked processor. A good LCS will test it for you, in hopes of course that you will buy the replacement from them.
+++++++++++++++++++
A little know fact: if you purchased the computer using a Titanium, Platinum or Gold Visa or Master Card, the credit card companies will double your warranty for up to 3 years. IOW, a 1 year warranty is good for a second year; a 2 year warranty is good for a 3rd year. What the card companies require is your original proof of purchase on "their card", you pay the repair cost, and the card company will reimburse you by check for the amount. Call your credit card company an inquire. ------ Yes, I have used this added perk from Master Card.Sorry I don't have any better news.
LL
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That's alright. I'll head out to Fry's in the morning with my processor and mobo and ask if they'll test it for me.
That credit card thing is very interesting news, but I actually paid cash for it, so no luck there.
Just a question though, could a faulty hard drive actually cause the processor/Mobo to fry? Right when I went to format the other HDD, my computer crashed. I told my friend he's going to need a new HDD, because I am not going to risk putting it into my computer when I get it up.
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I've had exactly the same problem before. Well it sound exactly the same, this may sound far fetched of an idea but it worked for me. Get a new hard drive, try it. Like get a friend's hard drive and just try booting it(this could be a risk for his hard drive). Or just get an empty HDD and try it. I got the EXACT same problem from the same exact reason. and this Worked, what I did is I formatted MY HDD on another guy's comp, then plugged it into my comp, and installed windows...
I cant promise u this will work, and if u get the hard drive form a friend tell him its a risk. But it worked for me. Good Luck
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Oh yeah and try ur video card on a friend comp just to see, cuz if that the problem, just change the video card, its that simple.
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Yeah, I've already tried changing the video card so that was all good. I don't know if it could be the HDD, since even without a HDD attached it doesn't even start to POST as far as I can tell.
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I was just reading on another website discussion thread about a similar problem, and it ended up being a faulty power supply. The other power supply I tried was a REALLY old one, like 3-4 years old, and it might have been fried because that old computer no longer worked.
I'm gonna try switching it with my friends Powersupply before heading to frys really early. I'll keep everyone updated in case somebody else has the same problem.
--Steve
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Your Mobo is indeed fried... Why? Because you installed another harddrive but not adequate cooling. O.k., maybe that's not the only reason but I had a similar problem and had to replace my motherboard.
When I got my new one.. that's when I started paying attention to the temps and stuff.
I'm sure you mentioned removing the second harddrive.. but you may want to remove it and try it.
One of the things I did to get my computer to start up was to turn the computer off at the powerstrip (with monitor attached.) Wait about 5 or 10 seconds... and then flip it on (or have someone else flip it on). Your monitor will come on... Power on your computer immediately and hit the enter key and click the mouse at the same time... repeatedly.
If it works.. .your computer should come on within a few seconds. If the monitor goes back into suspend mode... catch your breath and try it again. Sometimes it takes a few tries.
Soon as you get it... go into your Bios and make the appropriate changes. If you have a board with CPU Temps and stuff... check that out. Blow a fan inside too... I got a feeling things are getting hot in there...
Goodluck Pimpdaddy.
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I bought a P4 2.66 ghz with motherboard combo today for $200, and now I can get my computer booted. I also managed to test my old processor in the new mobo, and I was also able to get it to boot up. This leads me to believe it was indeed the Mobo that was fried.
So what I have now is my old HDD, the video card, and the new processor/mobo. The computer boots up, goes past bios, and then goes to load up windows. When it gets here, it resets itself.
I took it to the Best Buy tech guys, and he was going to charge $60 an hour for diagnostics. Of course I didn't want to pay it, but I'm sick of it. He plugged it in and checked it out, and said that it looked like I needed a windows re-install. since I didn't want to leave it there (since pretty much they couldn't do anything more really without paying $100 or so more), I have it at home now.
When I try to boot up via the windows XP CD, I didn't get a re-install option, just an "Install drivers" or "repair system." The repair system asks for a floppy disk I don't have on my.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, I'd rather avoid re-formatting because I have some important business stuff on there I don't want to lose, but if that's what it takes then so be it.
However, would booting from an older windows version let me install it, and then I could go in an re-install windows xp?
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BTW, I ended up not having to pay the $60, the guy was cool enough to just do the quick check for free. I know a couple of people probably thought I would have been crazy to pay $60 for that (as would I).
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Just for closure, I got it to work.
This site has helped me SOOOOO much over the past 2 weeks troubleshooting both mine and my cousins computer. Without it, I'd be lost.
The problem seemed to be with the CD-drive I was using to install windows. I switched the drive to an older one, and it installed fine.
Seems like computer problems like to snowball!
Thanks again to the webmasters, and to everyone who took their time to help me out.
--Steve
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