PC won't start!

[Torper]

Today, buoyed by my success with something similar a few weeks ago, I installed a new SSD in my wife's PC and then did a clean install of Windows10.  All went reasonably well.  I then started installing programmes.  Again all went well until after I loaded one perfectly reputable programme the computer suggested that it restart.  I duly did, but the computer didn't.  It tried repeatedly, the fans starting up for no more than a second or two, then failing, then after a few seconds trying again, and so on.  Obviously it got nowhere near the stage where I could try starting in safe mode or anything like that and it wasn't on long enough for anything to appear on the monitor screen.  I've tried disconnecting the hard drives and DVD drive, the monitor, the wifi adapter, etc, and inspected the interior to check that everything seems properly seated, but to no avail.  I don't think it's the switch-on button - It seems to work, blue light goes on, holding it down makes no difference.  Mobo is a Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H.   I can only think it's the power supply or possibly the mobo, but before I take it into the repair shop has anyone any ideas as to what else I might try?

 

DT

[monkeysarefun]

Maybe faulty fan/connection.? If the fan isn't running  the PC will not start up.  (I had the same issue in a laptop.)

Edited July 17, 2019 by monkeysarefun

[SRman]

Try unplugging then holding the on/off switch down for around 10 seconds (while still unplugged). Then plug it back in and try the switch normally.

Edited July 18, 2019 by SRman

[Colin_McLeod]

[beast66606]

Sounds like the power supply being dragged down by a faulty component (or failing itself)

 

Try SRMans suggestion - which should fully discharge power from the machine.

 

Reconnect everything.

 

Do you hear any beeps ?

Can you get into the BIOS setup ?

 

Leave the main unit off but connect the monitor and power the monitor on - it should, after a short time, show no connection or go to sleep or something similar.

Hit the power button -  what does the monitor do ? does it spring into life - even if the screen is blank ?

 

[Reorte]

Happened to mine a little while back, after I'd moved it. Opened it up and gave everything a push (even though nothing seemed to be loose) and it's worked fine since.

[Torper]

Thanks for all the help.

I've tried SRMan's suggestion.  No joy.

I've unplugged the SSD, the HDD and the DVD and checked that the memory is properly seated.  No difference.

Plugged in and switched on, the monitor does what it always does in such a situation with its switch slow flashing red. It makes no difference to the computer whether the monitor is conncted or not.  Hitting the power button makes no difference - the computer fans start, but after probably less than a second everything goes off.  There's really no time either for the monitor to react - it usually doesn't do so until the computer has been on for a few seconds - or for me to get into BIOS.  There are no beeps.

 

I think that the next thing to do is call the repair man.

 

DT

 

PS    Actually, I did see a difference in the monitor.  With its hdmi cable plugged into the dead computer the screen was completely black, showing nothing.  Unplug it and the screen showed signs of life, the background lightening to grey and the "no connection" message coming up.

Edited July 18, 2019 by Torper

[beast66606]

Normally a graphics card failure would make the POST (power on self test) beep but ..

 

If the BIOS is not coming up then it looks like either the power supply has gone, or there is a component that has gone and is causing an overload on the supply so that it immediately shuts down.

 

Take it to the repairman - he should be able to diagnose it easily enough.

 

 

[kevinlms]

2 minutes ago, beast66606 said:

Normally a graphics card failure would make the POST (power on self test) beep but ..

 

If the BIOS is not coming up then it looks like either the power supply has gone, or there is a component that has gone and is causing an overload on the supply so that it immediately shuts down.

 

Take it to the repairman - he should be able to diagnose it easily enough.

 

 

Agreed, a couple of months ago, my PSU died. Pressing the power switch did nothing, except a faint click from the switch itself. Wriggling the power cord in its socket caused some crackling through the speakers.

 

Suspected the PSU all along. Took it to the repair shop to buy a PSU on Saturday late morning. Decided after discussion to leave it with them, in case of a motherboard failure. Hard to test yourself, if you don't have replacement parts for trial and error.

 

Picked it back up Monday morning, with a new PSU. No trouble since.

[Torper]

In my case pressing the power switch does do something - a little led on the switch lights up when it's pressed and the fans come on, but literally one second later everything shuts down again.  For that reason I'm inclined to the view that the first suspect is a component that has gone and is causing an overload that causes the system to shut down but hopefully the repairman (when i catch up with him) will be able to diagnose that.

 

DT

[polybear]

I've never had cause to take a pc to a repair man, and wouldn't feel happy doing so.  I deliberately don't leave financial data etc on my machine but I'm sure there will be things (no - no dodgy videos!! Shame on you) that some people may try to take advantage of.

I'd be tempted to gamble on buying a replacement psu and fit it yourself.  You might get lucky and save a few quid in the process.

[Torper]

The trouble is that I don't know that it is the PSU and I have no diagnostic equipment, though I'm confident I could fit one if required.  In any event, the die is cast as the machine is with the repair man who appears to be very reputable.  I'm not worried about the contents as it's got a brand new SSD in it and there's no data that is remotely confidential - only newly installed programmes that haven't even been used yet.  He's going to test it tomorrow, but at the moment he's betting it's the PSU.  If it's not that, it's probably the motherboard.

 

DT

[Torper]

It's turned out to be an expensive tale.  It wasn't the PSU - it was the motherboard.  Now the motherboard could be replaced by a brand new one, but neither my CPU not my DIMM memory would have fitted that and the cooler might not.  Also I'd have to load Windows 10 afresh, but probably not for free as Microsoft would not recognise the OEM licence I had on the old computer if applied to a brand new one.  So, on Repairman's advice, I've bought (not from him) a new Dell for £499 which does far more much more quickly than the old machine at a price only a little more than the work and replacement required for the old one.

 

DT

[njee20]

Unless your system was incredibly old I'd be surprised if you couldn't buy a new motherboard, probably for <£50 that did fit all your old components, you just need to get the right socket for your processor and memory.PC Part Picker has a handy guide with all the relevant filters which will get you down to a selection of models that work with your existing components. Buy a licence key for W10 on eBay for £5 and you're away.

 

That said, sounds like a result in the end, as you've ended up with a better machine, without messing around with a hotch-potch of potentially obsolete bits.

 

[kevinlms]

32 minutes ago, Torper said:

It's turned out to be an expensive tale.  It wasn't the PSU - it was the motherboard.  Now the motherboard could be replaced by a brand new one, but neither my CPU not my DIMM memory would have fitted that and the cooler might not.  Also I'd have to load Windows 10 afresh, but probably not for free as Microsoft would not recognise the OEM licence I had on the old computer if applied to a brand new one.  So, on Repairman's advice, I've bought (not from him) a new Dell for £499 which does far more much more quickly than the old machine at a price only a little more than the work and replacement required for the old one.

 

DT

At least you didn't waste your money on a new PSU that you didn't need!

 

At around 7 years old (according to reviews), it's just not worth messing about with.

 

Good luck with your new PC.

[Torper]

3 hours ago, njee20 said:

Unless your system was incredibly old I'd be surprised if you couldn't buy a new motherboard, probably for <£50 that did fit all your old components, you just need to get the right socket for your processor and memory.PC Part Picker has a handy guide with all the relevant filters which will get you down to a selection of models that work with your existing components.

 

Thanks.  Out of interest I've had a look at PC Part picker, searching for a motherboard that was compatible with Socket LGA1156.  I only found one, a Gigabyte board selling at £367!  To be fair, Repairman told me that there are a number of Chinese clones available, including an almost exact replica of the old motherboard.  He'd tried some - some were OK, some weren't.  His advice, which I shared, was to go for a new one.

 

DT

[njee20]

Yep, you're guaranteed to have something new and shiny now (and a spare SSD for it!), which is easier than risking dodgy compatibility issues!

 

Interestingly I had something similar a while ago, mobo seemingly just died, I assumed I somehow shorted it whilst fiddling inside the case.

[Torper]

Yes - trouble is that this is in fact my wife's computer and it is now going to be sickeningly faster than mine (which is even older than her broken one).  Because I'd just upgraded it to Windows 10 before this happened, I felt a bit guilty and had to buy her the new one! I can maybe pinch a couple of her old DRAM memory cards and upgrade my machine slightly - I'll check the motherboards for compatibility.  I can't think of anything else useful to get out of it (except of course for the new SSD).

 

DT

Edited July 19, 2019 by Torper

[alastairq]

As an aside...I have a Dell computer, just over a year old now.

 

Their online fixit setup is really good.

However, Dell used an app for graphics...one of Intel's graphics utilities..which is in-built [rather than a separate card].

There is a problem with the Intel set-up....which Dell are supposed to have sorted...[but really haven't....I guess it's a snotmifault scenario?]...whereby only the basic Intel graphics driver actually works...all the updated drivers create issues.  The issue manifest itself as 'monitor blinking.'

All throughout the warranty period, I could get the Dell fixeruppers to access my computer remotely, where they would remove the Intel graphics app, and re-load it with its original driver.

Now it is out of warranty, I have to do this myself.....which is getting awkward, as access to the original driver is now difficult.

The updates can be controlled, up to a point. But W10 [microsoft, really] seem intent on making sure users can't decide when to update, or what to update....it merely happens.

So, if an update occurs, and the monitor starts blinking....get onto Dell Customer Connect...and if it repeats itself, make an unholy stink!

 

Lots on tinternet about the issue.....many fixes..none of which provide a foolproof solution.

Dell, otherwise, are a good bunch....[I am a casual tyro user, but have always had Dell....]

[Izzy]

I bought a Dell tower just last week, the small case type with vertical dvd drive, i5 hex core/8gb ram/128SSD Boot/1Tb main. To go with it a Philips 24” monitor. Not had a desktop since around 2003. 

 

It came with W10 v1809 but has now updated to 1903. Quite fast with no screen flicker, which I hope has thus been fixed, but I’ll watch out for any sign of it. Thanks for the warning.

 

Only surprise was no advice on moving W10 folder location to the D for those not aware it needed doing. Suppose they assume anyone buying a 2 drive unit knows what to do.

 

Izzy

[SRman]

9 hours ago, alastairq said:

As an aside...I have a Dell computer, just over a year old now.

 

Their online fixit setup is really good.

However, Dell used an app for graphics...one of Intel's graphics utilities..which is in-built [rather than a separate card].

There is a problem with the Intel set-up....which Dell are supposed to have sorted...[but really haven't....I guess it's a snotmifault scenario?]...whereby only the basic Intel graphics driver actually works...all the updated drivers create issues.  The issue manifest itself as 'monitor blinking.'

All throughout the warranty period, I could get the Dell fixeruppers to access my computer remotely, where they would remove the Intel graphics app, and re-load it with its original driver.

Now it is out of warranty, I have to do this myself.....which is getting awkward, as access to the original driver is now difficult.

The updates can be controlled, up to a point. But W10 [microsoft, really] seem intent on making sure users can't decide when to update, or what to update....it merely happens.

So, if an update occurs, and the monitor starts blinking....get onto Dell Customer Connect...and if it repeats itself, make an unholy stink!

 

Lots on tinternet about the issue.....many fixes..none of which provide a foolproof solution.

Dell, otherwise, are a good bunch....[I am a casual tyro user, but have always had Dell....]

I work in a large high school in IT Support: we have had similar problems with Intel graphics driver support for Lenovo (student) and Acer (staff) laptops. I have found workarounds for the staff ones, but it is still not ideal. With your experience with the Dells, it looks like the computer manufacturers and Intel are not communicating with each other properly. The Acer issues I have date from mid-2018 and are still ongoing.

[Torper]

Oh dear, I'm a bit anxious about having ordered this Dell now!  I should say however that Spouse's old computer  (the one that's just died) has had an Intel i5 processor throughout its life and integrated intel graphics on the Gigabyte mobo.  She's had no problems of the type mentioned.  At least I'm heartened by Izzy's post as the machine I've ordered sounds very similar to his although I don't understand why one would have to move the W10 folder location to the D drive.

 

DT

[Izzy]

5 minutes ago, Torper said:

Oh dear, I'm a bit anxious about having ordered this Dell now!  I should say however that Spouse's old computer  (the one that's just died) has had an Intel i5 processor throughout its life and integrated intel graphics on the Gigabyte mobo.  She's had no problems of the type mentioned.  At least I'm heartened by Izzy's post as the machine I've ordered sounds very similar to his although I don't understand why one would have to move the W10 folder location to the D drive.

 

DT

 

By default all folder locations are on the C/boot drive. Fine if it is the only drive and is large enough, but the whole idea of a multiple drive computer is that the boot drive only contains the O/s and any installed program files, and all saved files go on the other, normally larger, drives, docs/photos/music and so forth.

 

My first desktop in 1999 was a Tiny with a - then - massive 13Gb drive which soon got used up, being the only machine in the house at the time, so later a 32Gb was added for storage and where I learned about folder location.

 

I am amazed at the current offerings with only 32/64/128 Gb SSD drives, I would struggle with 256Gb. Originally I was looking for a replacement laptop but wanted at least what I had now, i3/8Gb/750Gb but balked at what such spec cost today. Very few around with 512Gb storage at present. I guess it’s all part of the push to using/paying for cloud storage, which I won’t do.

 

Izzy

[njee20]

SSD costs are absolutely plummeting presently though; 550gb Samsung drives are £75. If you fancy something a little less mainstream you can get Kingspec SSDs from AliExpress (I’m using one in my desktop) for £35 for 480gb. 

[Oldddudders]

 Sh*t happens to computers - and Apple is not immune. The 27" 5k retina-screen iMac I bought in 2015 went pop in late 2018. Being  a very long way from an Apple shop, I eventually found a PC shop near me. He tried all sorts of things - having bravely unglued the screen as you have to to access the internals - but found no fault in PSU or HDD. So motherboard it was. Yes, a new one would be a thousand smackers. We agreed that was not the way to go, but he didn't want to charge me for the work, or indeed for spare parts he'd bought. So I asked him to put the HDD in a case, and he made a bit of money doing that. 

 

Now 27" iMacs are rather friendly, in that the owner can simply open a little door in the back and add memory, so my machine had 32GB, instead of the original 8GB. Of course, its 2019 "Coffee Lake" (where does Intel get its processor names from?) replacement requires a different and much faster DIMM, so I can't even re-use the memory. Sigh.

Edited July 20, 2019 by Oldddudders