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Thread: Help Needed

  1. #1

    Unhappy Help Needed

    hey like my comp recently started acting up,when i switch on the power it will not start for a ew mins,but the power led will glow,then after a few mins it will switch off,then when i switch it on it will start fine.whats the prob....
    [/color][glowpurple]The ladder of sucess is never crowded at top:Napolean[/glowpurple]

  2. #2
    Disgruntled Postal Worker fourdc's Avatar
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    I would contact the manufacturer as this sounds like a component didn't have a long enough burn in at the plant, it's a warranty issue and you'd want their advice before you void the warranty.

    But if you don't care about the warranty....
    Where you say it's new, this is what I would do:

    1. disconnect power
    2. open the box
    3. reseat all cables
    4. reseat memory cards
    5. while you're there it wouldn't hurt to reseat the video or other cards but I don't believe that they would cause this problem.

    there's a gremlin in the shipping world, his name is Murphy, he likes to loosen things while they are being shipped.

    My gut instinct is you have a bad power supply. These can be hard to troubleshoot as with today's power supplies there is feedback from the motherboard on the connector. You can buy or build a rig to allow a power supply to power up with out a computer. You could also have a bad motherboard. Power supplies are cheaper than motherboards so if I were to roll the dice and take a chance that is what I'd replace first. You need to match or exceed the wattage of your current power supply.

    welcome to the world of hardware troubleshooting... good luck
    ddddc

    "Somehow saying I told you so just doesn't cover it" Will Smith in I, Robot

  3. #3
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi,

    I think that AC/DC is close to the mark. The first thing that I would try is a new power cable........just borrow one from a friend?


  4. #4
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    Is it a lap top or a pc?

    This looks like either:

    Power cable problem : Try different power cable
    Power supply problem : Check with vendor about this if it's still under warranty. If you're experienced enough and have an extra PSU lying around then change it.

    Electrical wiring is faulty somewhere in your home : Depending on where you live, your AC output fluctuates by a variable amount. When AC dips below 120 it's not considered a blackout but a brownout and can have detrimental effects on your pc. If you're using a cheap non-UPS powerbar, I would suggest you to disconnect all other devices to the outlet besides your monitor.

    If you're using a UPS then you can rule out this problem.

    Another possible issue is you've been infected with a virus has issues a timed shutdown command on your system. Does your system shoud down exactly at the sametime everytime?

    Hope this helps.

  5. #5
    Tried it all,I got my motherboard replaced once,even now its the same
    [/color][glowpurple]The ladder of sucess is never crowded at top:Napolean[/glowpurple]

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    blah
    ...This Space For Rent.

    -[WebCarnage]

  7. #7
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    No, not "blah" more like "yeuk"! ..............one of "those problems"......... all I can say with total honesty is "thank God that they are tax deductible".

    OK......to business......

    1. You have replaced the PSU?
    2. You have replaced the motherboard?
    3. You have replaced power cable?

    So what does that leave us with?

    1. Try a different monitor cable
    2. Try a different monitor

    If you watch the boot, the box tries to find a monitor pretty much first off? That is a remote possibility.

    Would I be correct in assuming that this is all hard wired? If you have anything wireless, please get rid of it until we fix the problem..........

    Remove stuff that you don't need:

    1. Network card.
    2. Modem.
    3. TV and Radio cards
    4. Detach similar peripherals such as scanners, cameras and the like.

    Realistically you have to go to a basic "bare bones" setup, like:

    1. Case and PSU
    2. MoBo
    3. Memory
    4. Hard Drive
    5. Graphics (onboard if it is there, otherwise a card)

    See how that behaves.............. if it works, then you start adding stuff one by one until you find the "problem child"


  8. #8
    Disgruntled Postal Worker fourdc's Avatar
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    To take Nihil's "bare bones" one step further, install a minimum of Ram, if you have multiple banks of memory only install 1. If it then doesn't work remove that bank of memory and substitute another.

    Have you plugged the computer into another outlet? If your using a power strip, try a different one in a different outlet.
    ddddc

    "Somehow saying I told you so just doesn't cover it" Will Smith in I, Robot

  9. #9
    IT Specialist Ghost_25inf's Avatar
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    I would check the voltage comeing out of the wall. Also check to see if the CPU is bad.
    S25vd2xlZGdlIGlzIHBvd2VyIQ

  10. #10
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    I have given this some more thought, and it is indeed strange, given what phoenixmajestic has already tried.

    I do not think that it is the voltage/current CPU or RAM as he implies that it does not even attempt to boot the first time yet works fine the second time he boots it?..............at least that is how I understood his original post?

    I am beginning to suspect that there is something wrong with the I/O switch (the one that connects to the motherboard) and/or the dry joints of the wires that connect to it.

    It is just possible that the slight increase in temperature caused by the first boot attempt is sufficient to close the cracks in some of the dry joints, so the machine boots normally the second time.

    To test for this I would suggest:

    1. Boot machine as normal and wait for it to shut down (first boot attempt).
    2. Turn off the power at the mains/unplug from socket.
    3. Leave it for one hour.
    4. Reconnect and try to boot it again.

    If it fails the first attempt, then I would say that it is certainly an I/O switch and dry joint problem.

    BTW "dry joint" = "soldered joint" also known as "hard wiring" in some contexts.

    Good Luck!

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