crappy PC

[pnagames]

quick question for any techies out here.

my personnal PC has packed up.

motherboard works (gets power). the usual sounds at the start when cds / hdd start.

PC on occasion will go to windows. most times however it just freezes at the start. no display at all. monitor has power but it seems it does not get any signal. tried a game yesterday and the game looked like it was missing some graphics.

based on my knowledge i think it is the graphics card that needs replacing.

can someone comment pls

[Duncan Rounding]

Some hardware fault I would suspect.

It could be many things but initially try taking the cover off and putting a desktop fan on max blowing inside - it may be something overheating. See if the graphiocs card fan is turning - and your processor fan for that matter.

Likely suspects I would say are
Graphics Card
Power Supply
Network Card

You could also try and boot into safe mode.

[pnagames]

Hi Duncan

the pc when it freezes it does not even display the starting bits so i cannot even go to bios.

it definately is hardware buti cannot put my finger as to whether is a graphics card or the CPU.

fan of the CPU is working. graphics card does not have a fan. main fan also working.

[acompton]

When its powering-up, watch the three status lights above the numeric keypad. Do they all flash ogether once along with the high-pitched 'beep-beep' sound? If this happens, then the CPU is going through its Power On Self Test (POST) which is the first thing it does. This means the CPU is running ok.

Does the HDD light flicker when Windows is loading - if so the drive is probably ok.

After that it sounds like the graphics card. These are very prone to failure (I've experienced similar symptoms and it was the graphics card). If you got a PC World handy, you can nip out and buy one quite reasonably. If its an older PC, you won't need a high-end one. The cheapest thing they have would probably do.

Alan

[ChrisL]

I had a similar problem, which turned out to be the motherboard (mobo).

You could try this: first earth yourself to discharge any static (eg bare metal at the side of the PC case), then unplug the power cable from the back of the PC, (because modern motherboards are partially powered at all times), and any network cable. Remove all ancillary cards (if fitted), the hard/cd/floppy drive ribbon cables from the mobo (note which way round they go), and the RAM chips -again noting orientation. You could take a snapshot with a digital camera, or make a rough sketch, before you start.

This takes your system down to the mobo, CPU and graphics display.
Now re-apply the power lead and try to start the computer -if you can get to the BIOS then it isn't the mobo. If you still get no response, you could remove the power cable again, and unplug the CPU as well. Then power-up -if you get a response taking you to the BIOS with the CPU removed, then it would look like the CPU is at fault.

Assuming you get a response with the CPU in the mobo, you would power-off, remove the power cable, then replace the RAM. Then retry powering up.
If you're successful you then power-of, remove the power lead and re-connect the hard drive, power-up etc.

You would cycle through this routine, re-connecting one component at a time until the PC again stopped working. This is somewhat labourious, but is the only way to isolate the component that is causing the problem.

[wjcampbe]

It may also be badly seated graphics card or even memory card(s).

You could also try unseating and reinstalling all memory cards, and graphics etc. before you throw any money away on new kit. I have one PC (actually it's the one assigned to the wife) that throws a wobbly every time it's relocated. Cover off, reseat the graphics card and off it goes again. [till the next time]

[pnagames]

I had a similar problem, which turned out to be the motherboard (mobo).

You could try this: first earth yourself to discharge any static (eg bare metal at the side of the PC case), then unplug the power cable from the back of the PC, (because modern motherboards are partially powered at all times), and any network cable. Remove all ancillary cards (if fitted), the hard/cd/floppy drive ribbon cables from the mobo (note which way round they go), and the RAM chips -again noting orientation. You could take a snapshot with a digital camera, or make a rough sketch, before you start.

This takes your system down to the mobo, CPU and graphics display.
Now re-apply the power lead and try to start the computer -if you can get to the BIOS then it isn't the mobo. If you still get no response, you could remove the power cable again, and unplug the CPU as well. Then power-up -if you get a response taking you to the BIOS with the CPU removed, then it would look like the CPU is at fault.

Assuming you get a response with the CPU in the mobo, you would power-off, remove the power cable, then replace the RAM. Then retry powering up.
If you're successful you then power-of, remove the power lead and re-connect the hard drive, power-up etc.

You would cycle through this routine, re-connecting one component at a time until the PC again stopped working. This is somewhat labourious, but is the only way to isolate the component that is causing the problem.

chris what u say is usefull but you have forgotten the fact that if it is my graphics card at fauly i cannot do any of the above

[pnagames]

When its powering-up, watch the three status lights above the numeric keypad. Do they all flash ogether once along with the high-pitched 'beep-beep' sound? If this happens, then the CPU is going through its Power On Self Test (POST) which is the first thing it does. This means the CPU is running ok.

Does the HDD light flicker when Windows is loading - if so the drive is probably ok.

After that it sounds like the graphics card. These are very prone to failure (I've experienced similar symptoms and it was the graphics card). If you got a PC World handy, you can nip out and buy one quite reasonably. If its an older PC, you won't need a high-end one. The cheapest thing they have would probably do.

Alan

hi Alan

hdd light falshes and then sounds like working.

keyboard as usual.

my stupid motherboard supposedly have a voice thing which should tell you what is happening but i think i never connected the basic box speaker to the mb so it cant say squat.

i believe if it was my m/b at fault it would not start at all and it would do all sorts.

i had similar experiences last time when my CPU crashed but this time the sounds of the POST are heard.

i think i have an old pc somewhere with a graphics card that i will strp to check

[ChrisL]

Apols! Figured that, as you can ocasionally get into Windows, your graphics card was not necessarily the issue. Many recent mobos have onboard graphics which you could change to.
I had the reverse graphics set up to you in the machine that had a similar problem. I thought it could be the onboard graphics, and tried borrowing a graphics card from another machine. Again sometimes could POST, sometimes get into Windows, sometimes into BIOS (with onboard graphics and with separate graphics card), sometimes nothing. Eventually diagnosed faulty mobo. Once that was replaced, and Windows re-registered, machine works fine.

[pnagames]

Apols! Figured that, as you can ocasionally get into Windows, your graphics card was not necessarily the issue. Many recent mobos have onboard graphics which you could change to.
I had the reverse graphics set up to you in the machine that had a similar problem. I thought it could be the onboard graphics, and tried borrowing a graphics card from another machine. Again sometimes could POST, sometimes get into Windows, sometimes into BIOS (with onboard graphics and with separate graphics card), sometimes nothing. Eventually diagnosed faulty mobo. Once that was replaced, and Windows re-registered, machine works fine.

hi there

unfortunately your diagnosis sound spot on.

just put different graphics card and... nothing.

also i was mistaken about the POST. no sound.

took off processor (which if i remember well the m/b suld be screaming when you start it but silence.

it get power but that about it.

so it sounds as a new m/b. (probably whole new box since i wanted to upgrade anyway)

[completerookie]

I've recently had a batch of power supply's fail, systems wouldn't stay on long enough to do anything, screen wouldn't light up etc

Maplins have a 14 day money back guarantee (on a lot of high streets), cheat a little bit, buy the correct power supply (make sure the connections are the right ones for your motherboard) and then disconnect the existing power supply to all its points of contact (plugs) - don't bother removing it from the case yet - not sure if its at fault.
then plug the new one in completely (just stand it on the floor or something long enough to test)

power up.

if it works, then its power supply. if so, remove the old one (four screws at the back) and pop the new one in.

if it don't work, then take it back and get your money back !

[pnagames]

i just bought a new m/b from ebuyer along with the paste needed for processor