PC won't turn on.

Terry

I'm guessing it's a problem with the PSU.
There is power going to it.
The only light that comes on is the one at the back of the PSU. The fan doesn't turn on though.

According to the owner, it had a nasty virus. The usual virus stuff like sending e-mails through outlook express and such. Then it just stopped working.

Any ideas?

mjsmyth

Hi Terry,

Chances are that the power supply may be gone alright, but it is just coincidence that it happened in and around the same time as getting a virus.

If you are confident, you could open the PC up and check all the cables are seated and so on, if not, message me and I can give you details of a local PC Repair option.

mj

Terry

The cables are all seated properly.
The only light on is the one beside the PSU.

mjsmyth

Well I guess its the power supply then.. Just check the wattage on the power supply and buy an equal or better.

http://www.komplett.ie/k/kc.aspx?bn=10057

mj

Terry

Will do. Thanks.

J K

By the way, just while your messing with it, unplug that fan from the board and try and boot the machine then. unplug mouse and everything else as well

marco_polo

Paperclip time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W-NxoDjxG4

Outside chance it could be power swich problem either could try and short the two powerswitch pins with a screwdriver.

Overheal

marco_polo wrote: »

Paperclip time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W-NxoDjxG4

Outside chance it could be power swich problem either could try and short the two powerswitch pins with a screwdriver.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Goblin_Jumper_Cables

marco_polo

Overheal wrote: »

http://www.wowwiki.com/Goblin_Jumper_Cables

LOL

Ah 12V won't do much damage unless you are already on the way out

Next week: how to fix a toaster with a fork.

Terry

I'm already on the way out, so I'm not going to screw with electricity.

I tried a different PSU and it didn't work, so I'm guessing that it's being shorted by something.

Auvers

pull the CMOS battery wait 30 seconds and put it back in and try to boot again

roberthurley14

woooow that video should be renamed: "PSU JUMPING: The Suicidalists Dream" lol

Standard Toaster

Remove all hardware from the motherboard except the CPU and power supply. Also disconnect all peripherals too and power up.

You *should* get a number of beeps indicating there's no RAM....but that's exactly what you want to hear.

I have seen USB mice stop pcs from powering up before.

marco_polo

Terry wrote: »

I'm already on the way out, so I'm not going to screw with electricity.

I tried a different PSU and it didn't work, so I'm guessing that it's being shorted by something.

I could be worth checking if the risers on the screws are still keeping the motherboard from touching the case. Aside from that I would do as suggested above and remove the CMOS for 30 seconds. Also to rule out the power button change the reset and power switch wires around and try powering on with the reset button.

Terry

So I removed the CMOS battery. Nothing.
Checked every periphiral one at a time. Nothing.
Risked my life by jumping the PSU with a cable tie stripped at both ends. Nothing.

Then I followed the advice given by The Edge.
Having removed everything, I noticed that the connector for the on switch was not seated properly.
I swear to God, you couldn't make it up.
I hadn't seen it before because other cables were covering the view.

I asked the owner if anyone else had opened the pc (my clue was that the 56k pci modem had a fingerprint on in (a bit dust covered) and he told me that he had asked someone else to look at it and it didn't work afterwards.

Dude obviously unplugged the power switch and reseated it wrongly. It's a solid block and was only sitting on half the pins.
He must have just pulled it out completely because the on button won't sit in properly now. Pressing the on switch just pushes the button back.

I'm using it now and it's working fine apart from the on switch problem and one driver that I can't be arsed looking for because I'm half shot.

Thanks to all who helped.

Overheal

Im glad you got it working. Finding the fix always brings a wash of smug satisfaction

Terry

I wouldn't call it smug satisfaction. It is a great feeling though.

I worked for years as a tiler (still do, even though jobs are thin on the ground), but I never felt fully satisfied after a job.

What never fails to crack me up is that if you can read and comprehend what you are reading, then you can fix a computer. Most people are too scared to even read up on how to fix one though.

[Smug]I've had no formal education, but I built a pc from scratch a couple of weeks ago[/smug]
I just read the ****ing manual and asked one question here about the polarity of the connectors.

A great feeling? Yes. So much better than I ever got from tiling. However if anyone asks how I did it, I'll gladly share the information.
Then again, when you start spouting terms like SATA connections and RAM, people tend to stop listening.

Standard Toaster

Happy days. Nice one Terry

Overheal

interesting: I've always been a tech head and now im working at a Tile/Flooring store.

Webmonkey

I'm a tech head too and I'm so sick of computers at this stage that I think i'd like go do some tiling. I truly believe I'd get more satisfaction out of that

Terry

Overheal wrote: »

interesting: I've always been a tech head and now im working at a Tile/Flooring store.

Do you sometimes get someone coming in asking for 172* tiles? They used to piss me off. The tightest of the, well, tight people. Usually the ones with the most disposable income too.

Just a tip. Always add One square yard to the order. Most people fail to account for breakage. Also, always make sure the tiles are from the same batch.

Tile manufacturers tend to use only one machine. They'll make a batch of, let's say a 12" x 12" tile. Then they'll change the settings and do a run of 15" x 15" ones. When they go back to the first batch, the settings are never the exact same. A 1mm difference in size in just one box can cause lots of problems. The shading on the tiles tends to be different too.
It happens more often than people think.

Webmonkey wrote: »

I'm a tech head too and I'm so sick of computers at this stage that I think i'd like go do some tiling. I truly believe I'd get more satisfaction out of that

How are your back and knees? Fine, you say?
Give it 5 years.

If you really want to do it, I may be able to sort you out with a course.
The guy who got me into tiling is just about finished his teaching course. He's currently doing relief work for the other teachers. I'm sure I could fast track you. I really wouldn't recommend it at the moment though. Ther'e very little work in the construction industry at the moment.


On topic, lots of people complain about them, but Dell are awesome when it comes to drivers. It couldn't be easier to find the right one on their website.

My friend bought one an hour ago. I'm waiting for him to drop over and ask where to find the appropriate driver that he will most likely delete within minutes.


*Random number. Could be anything.

Overheal

Terry wrote: »

Do you sometimes get someone coming in asking for 172* tiles? They used to piss me off. The tightest of the, well, tight people. Usually the ones with the most disposable income too.

Just a tip. Always add One square yard to the order. Most people fail to account for breakage. Also, always make sure the tiles are from the same batch.

Tile manufacturers tend to use only one machine. They'll make a batch of, let's say a 12" x 12" tile. Then they'll change the settings and do a run of 15" x 15" ones. When they go back to the first batch, the settings are never the exact same. A 1mm difference in size in just one box can cause lots of problems. The shading on the tiles tends to be different too.
It happens more often than people think.

We do 99% of our business as special order via displayed sample with our own laser measure anywhere from 5-10% waste factor and if possible get re-orders from the same dyelot.

When it comes to tile the most annoying one is the ones wanting strange ass colors ("Blue on White streaks") in a 6x6 floor tile "Because it makes the room where I take a **** look bigger"

Thats still better than the customers I've gotten recently that want to carpet their bathrooms. Gross.