Custom Desktop Killed Itself [Help]

Sprrratt

Okiedokie so ive had some very generous help from IrishMetalHead who originally very kindly helped me build my custom pc in the first place. However with all due respect i'd like to get a second opinion on the issue.

Bought in April 2011

PC Specs

Heres the story,

The other night I was sitting beside my desk whilst playing xbox and the computer running beside me. It had been running for around 5/6 hours (usually left on for way longer). These are the exact programs I had been running at the time:

Google Chrome - Probably 3 tabs.
Adobe Photoshop CS5
Adobe Dreamweaver CS5

So im sitting there playing xbox and the corner of my eye I notice that the monitor had gone black slowly as if it had been going into hibernation or sleep. The power button led which is usually solid blue is now flashing slowly. I had never seen this before so I attempted to drain the power by holding down the power button for 15-30 seconds. When that hadn't worked I switched off the socket but the led was still flashing slowly. This is when I realized something was fúcked. I immediately felt the back of the case and noticed it was quite warm, not sure however if more so than usual.

I decided to just leave it to cool and hopefully it would turn back on later. It didnt however and nor did it in the morning.

My next move was to unplug everything and open her up. There was dust all over the fans so this made me convinced that it was in fact an overheat. Cleaned it all checked every component (which all seemed in perfect condition, it is after all a fairly new computer) and proceeded to try turning it on again. No luck.

Googled around and tried a few things.

Removed every component except mobo, cpu, psu and ram. No luck.
Jump started psu with a paperclip on its own plugged in. Seems like thats in perfect working order.
With the advice of IrishMetalHead I cleared the cmos by both reseating the lithium battery and the jumpers. No luck.

In the mist of all this I read in the mobo manual that there are a set of 4 leds which should light when there is some sort of power. None were lighting up. Although it did say in the manual [optional] in the header so maybe that means it may or may not depending on configuration or something?

My fear is that either the cpu or mobo is failing or fried and the psu is being told not to power up. When the power has been drained and the power button is pressed it gives a very quick flash of blue then any press after that without being drained does nothing.

If anybody has any ideas on what I can do it is greatly appreciated

On a side note I cannot actually get by without a computer. Ive thought about getting a laptop for portability and such. This laptop wont be for much heavy duty use however I would require that it can run both Photoshop and Dreamweaver smoothly at the same time.

www.saveonlaptops.co.uk seem very good and cheap. Recommend something?

Odaise Gaelach

Sprrratt wrote: »

Removed every component except mobo, cpu, psu and ram. No luck.
Jump started psu with a paperclip on its own plugged in. Seems like thats in perfect working order.

The PSU might seem like it's working okay, but it might not be able to generate enough power to run your computer, even if all fans and LEDs in it are working correctly.

I would try a different PSU first, and try your old one in a different computer if that's possible.

Sprrratt

I will try that, thanks for the suggestion.

yoyo

Sounds like PSU failure, I would try get your hands on another PSU & try it, its rare for a mobo/cpu to break/go faulty, it can happen, but PSUs are the more likely culprit, my 2cs anyways!

Nick

u140acro3xs7dm

Something similar happened me a few years ago. What happened was the PSU blew and took the Mobo and CPU with it. Hopefully you arent that unlucky. Although if you where sitting beside it you would have known if it had blown.

Sprrratt

Draven Loose Videotape wrote: »

Something similar happened me a few years ago. What happened was the PSU blew and took the Mobo and CPU with it. Hopefully you arent that unlucky. Although if you where sitting beside it you would have known if it had blown.

I think I am that unlucky. The psu seems to be still working tho. I tried another psu like suggested above however to no avail. Still the same issue. The fact that the motherboard LED's arent functioning with the power plugged in at all tells me that its perhaps fried.

One thing struck me tho. The ATX cord plugged into the motherboard seems to give power to the actual power button on the outside case itself. So would that not suggest that the motherboard is still functioning?

I also tried taking out the ram and leaving one in, swaping slots, etc.

Any other ideas?

Overheal

The parts are in Warranty so long as you peg the problem down.

Ciaphas

I currently have a pc with the same problem, the only sure way to find out which is actually alot of hassle is to try all your parts in a different computer, mainly the cpu, psu and motherboard.

The ram shouldnt stop motherboard booting to bios at least. unfortunately in my case the motherboard was fried, look for any black discolouration around the southbridge/ northbridge.

The reason you still have the front leds turning on is because power is passing through the MB to that particular area, to my knowledge this is something basic and can happen even if the motherboard is fried. Becuase the psu is new it may have also broken as I have heard of dodgy psu's being sold that would work for a small amount of time and then give in, depending on how reputable the retailer was that you purchased the psu from this could be the case. Best of luck getting it sorted hope it doesnt cost too much!

u140acro3xs7dm

When mine went it seemed like the PSU powered up the system as normal except the screen was turned off. From what i remember the cpu socket was where it blew on the mobo. The rest of the mobo seemed fine. The fans came on and led worked too. I had it extensively tested with different mobos, cpus ram etc. But my PSU actually blew, had smoke coming out of it. I understand now why people told me to get a good PSU. A mistake i wont make again.

Sprrratt

Is there anywhere in Dublin I could drop it in and they can tell me the exact problem?

u140acro3xs7dm

Sprrratt wrote: »

Is there anywhere in Dublin I could drop it in and they can tell me the exact problem?

I would ring a few places and explain your problem and ask how long it would take. When I dropped mine in they said they would have it ready in 2 days, it took nearly a month. I dont think they had the right parts in stock and had to order them in.

Sprrratt

Draven Loose Videotape wrote: »

I would ring a few places and explain your problem and ask how long it would take. When I dropped mine in they said they would have it ready in 2 days, it took nearly a month. I dont think they had the right parts in stock and had to order them in.

Well im not actually looking for them to repair it. I want to know what exactly is the problem. Then go from there.

u140acro3xs7dm

Sprrratt wrote: »

Well im not actually looking for them to repair it. I want to know what exactly is the problem. Then go from there.

Thats all i had them do. The only way to find out whats wrong is by trying different parts in it. I didnt know anybody with a similar set-up as me so i had no option. Most places will charge at least €50 just to look at it so if you can find somebody with a similar system you will save money and time.

Sprrratt

http://www.computerambulance.ie/

These are in my area, say they'll collect it and diagnose for €20. Wow nice.