Hi, I've had a read of previous posts and attempted to troubleshoot the problem myself, but haven't had any luck, so I decided it might be worth creating a thread.
[/The Symptoms/]
I'm having problems with a PC that won't POST. Since the PC froze - during the middle of an .avi file and required a 'hard' restart the computer has failed to boot (with an exception).
The PC has power - the power LED comes on and fans all come on as normal. However, nothing appears on the display and there's no 'beep'.
EDIT: The DVD drive light also comes on. Every few seconds the DVD drive makes a sound as if it is being accessed accessed over and over.
[/Background Info/]
The PC has had overheating problems - due to dust build-up - for a while if doing anything intensive (gaming or avi watching etc) but that was resolved by a decent clean.
There have also been some intermittent problems booting into Windows, with the PC 'stuck' on the loading screen. These have been 'resolved' by a hard restart.
There have been no recent hardware changes, power outages, etc.
[/System Specs/]
AMD 64 3400+
Gigabyte K8NS
Antec TruePower 450W
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
2 x 512 (or 1GB) RAM
Seagate 320GB HDD
1 SB Live Soundcard/2 DVD Drives/1 Floppy
[/What I've Tried/]I've tried to resolve/isolate the problem by checking all connections, unplugging the power for a period of time, taking out the battery, removing RAM and drives, etc.
None of this made a difference - the system failed to POST even with (virtually) everything disconnected.
Unfortunately I don't have a spare PSU or motherboard to substitute in, so I was thinking of taking it to a PC store for them to take a look at.
[/The (Temporary) Fix/]
However, I did manage to get it to boot twice. In a couple of forum threads with similar issues, users suggested removing the power plug, holding down the power button for 30+ seconds, replacing the power and then turning the PC on.
On the first occassion the PC did POST, but then gave a system disk error as the HDD was still disconnected. After reconnecting the HDD the computer again 'POSTed' but then froze loading Windows.
Unfortunately, the PC didn't POST again - the 'trick' hasn't worked again. How did it work in the first place?
[/The Solution/]
So, this is where you guys come in...
Have I missed any obvious troubleshooting steps?
What's your bet on the cause of the problem?
Its prob trying to read your CD drive on start-up because it cant read the devices ahead of it on the normal boot list. Dont know, though...maybe try a new CMOS battery?!
"Its prob trying to read your CD drive on start-up because it cant read the devices ahead of it on the normal boot list." I thought checking for system disks to boot from comes later in the start-up. (Note that this is occurring before the computer even displays anything, or gives the normal beep that indicates it's POSTed.)
Also, when I did get the PC to POST on the two occassions, the drive wasn't accessed in the manner I described.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to reply. Anyone else? :)
You try CMOS battery?
Thanks for the reply. As I mentioned, I have no substitute parts on me. Unfortunately that includes a spare CMOS battery in my pocket.
I'll be heading to the store shortly though.
Heh, well ya. Didnt expect/suggest that you had a spare one in your pocket...was just trying to help.
For sure - worth trying. I replaced the CMOS battery and had no luck - the PC still won't POST.
I'd be putting my money on a PSU, but I think I've reached the end of what I can troubleshoot myself.
Hello
try removing all hardware connections, including VGA as well as power supply connection to all drives and hardware.
or replace your VGA card. unset your CPU and reset it and try.
'try removing all hardware connections, including VGA as well as power supply connection to all drives and hardware.
or replace your VGA card.'Thanks for the reply. As I mentioned in my post, I'd already tried removing all drives etc.
As I mentioned in my post, I didn't have any substitute parts and didn't want to purchase a new video card on a hunch (particularly given it's an AGP system).
Anyway, turns out a pin on the CPU was bent. I'm not sure how that happened, but it's been fixed and the system's up and running now.
Thanks to all for taking the time to reply.
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