boot problem

On Sun, 15 May 2005 07:29:29 +0800, "jg"
<jgs.DeleteThis@westnet.com.au> wrote:

 >My computer has suddenly refused to boot up. (Athlon 1.2Gh, XP Pro)
 >The power lights and fans go on but thats it. No beeps or anything.
 >Nothing on the monitor except "DPMS going to sleep", then black.
 >I tried several other monitors and the same thing.
 >All cables are ok.
 >So ..... does it look like motherboard or CPU? or something else?
 >Thanks for any opinions.
 >
 >

Not CPU unless the heatsink had fallen off or it's fan had
failed. With an obvious problem a CPU almost never fails
before (most of a system).

Check the motherboard for failed capacitors. Signs include
domed or vented tops, leaky liquid or residue on top or
bottoms. If there is no outward sign of cap problems then
I'd begin focusing on the power supply, taking voltage
readings with multimeter and replacing it with a spare if
you have one available.

Also clear CMOS as Mickey suggested.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

I had the same problem, taking out the RAM and reseating them worked.
Eventually I replaced the RAM and haven't had the problem since.


"jg" <jgs RemoveThis @westnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:42868a89$1@quokka.wn.com.au...
 > My computer has suddenly refused to boot up. (Athlon 1.2Gh, XP Pro)
 > The power lights and fans go on but thats it. No beeps or anything.
 > Nothing on the monitor except "DPMS going to sleep", then black.
 > I tried several other monitors and the same thing.
 > All cables are ok.
 > So ..... does it look like motherboard or CPU? or something else?
 > Thanks for any opinions.
 >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

On Sun, 15 May 2005 07:29:29 +0800, "jg" <jgs.RemoveThis@westnet.com.au> wrote:

 >My computer has suddenly refused to boot up. (Athlon 1.2Gh, XP Pro)
 >The power lights and fans go on but thats it. No beeps or anything.
 >Nothing on the monitor except "DPMS going to sleep", then black.
 >I tried several other monitors and the same thing.
 >All cables are ok.
 >So ..... does it look like motherboard or CPU? or something else?
 >Thanks for any opinions.

I have you beat. I managed to bugger an old Dell Dimension to the
point where it won't even bring up the BIOS.

I hate proprietary computers.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

I agree with kony. Check the mobo for leaky caps! If by chance you have an
EpoX mobo, look no further...

--

/\/\UF/-\S/-\
"jg" <jgs RemoveThis @westnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:42868a89$1@quokka.wn.com.au...
 > My computer has suddenly refused to boot up. (Athlon 1.2Gh, XP Pro)
 > The power lights and fans go on but thats it. No beeps or anything.
 > Nothing on the monitor except "DPMS going to sleep", then black.
 > I tried several other monitors and the same thing.
 > All cables are ok.
 > So ..... does it look like motherboard or CPU? or something else?
 > Thanks for any opinions.
 >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

5 possibilities bessides one of your cards shortening out the system.
CPU
Video Card
Memory
MOBO
or bios reset

reseat memory and cards
take out all cards but video card out and reboot
even take out mouse and or keyboard and reboot.
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

On Sat, 14 May 2005 20:44:56 -0400, "thefriend"
<friend@aboveandbelow> wrote:

 >5 possibilities bessides one of your cards shortening out the system.
 >CPU
 >Video Card
 >Memory
 >MOBO
 >or bios reset
 >
 >reseat memory and cards
 >take out all cards but video card out and reboot
 >even take out mouse and or keyboard and reboot.

Cables are a LOT more likely than CPU or memory.
Well memory could be an issue due to the contacts, but
otherwise and in the general sense, CPUs simply do not fail
on their own, they'd be about the last part to fail and only
do so from some external force.

If the prior failure was the heatsink clip, or socket lug,
or fan, or motherboard power circuit, THEN the CPU might
fail. Otherwise, when every other part of the system still
works, it is EXTREMELY rare, almost unheard of for a CPU to
fail (ignoring kids that try to overclock by giving it 40%
more voltage). Realistically, it is not going to be the CPU
alone.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

On Sun, 15 May 2005 02:59:50 GMT, kony <spam.RemoveThis@spam.com> wrote:

 >CPUs simply do not fail
 >on their own

I fried a K6-II once. Dust in the heat sink.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

On Sun, 15 May 2005 06:19:49 -0400, "/\\/\\UF/-\\S/-\"
<aviator2k.RemoveThis@netscape.net> wrote:

 >I agree with kony. Check the mobo for leaky caps! If by chance you have an
 >EpoX mobo, look no further...

Please elaborate. I have an Epox MB and it has been acting flaky - or
at least that is the best opinion thus far. It seems to behave flaky
when it gets hot.

Mine is the Epox EP-MVP3G-M.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

guys, thanx for your replies to this problem.

I replaced the ram and cmos battery but still no good.
Then I tried a different video card from my other computer and ..... the
computer booted up straight away - all fixed!
So I guess my video card has died (what do they die of?)
john
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

On Sun, 15 May 2005 10:46:38 GMT, spam DeleteThis @spamcop.com (Bob)
wrote:

 >On Sun, 15 May 2005 02:59:50 GMT, kony <spam DeleteThis @spam.com> wrote:
 >
  >>CPUs simply do not fail
  >>on their own
 >
 >I fried a K6-II once. Dust in the heat sink.
 >

... goes back to what I wrote, that there is some external
problem already present, causing it's failure. Such things
are almost always obvious upon visual inspection of the box.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

On Sun, 15 May 2005 10:49:10 GMT, spam RemoveThis @spamcop.com (Bob)
wrote:

 >On Sun, 15 May 2005 06:19:49 -0400, "/\\/\\UF/-\\S/-\"
 ><aviator2k RemoveThis @netscape.net> wrote:
 >
  >>I agree with kony. Check the mobo for leaky caps! If by chance you have an
  >>EpoX mobo, look no further...
 >
 >Please elaborate. I have an Epox MB and it has been acting flaky - or
 >at least that is the best opinion thus far. It seems to behave flaky
 >when it gets hot.
 >
 >Mine is the Epox EP-MVP3G-M.
 >

Ironicially bad caps actually work better when too hot
(though die even quicker, towards the end that they don't
work well cool). Temp related changes would likely be a
mechanical problem, like memory, card or cable contacts, or
an overheating north or southbridge of not CPU or video
card.

MVP3 is a pretty old board at this point though, if it had
been used in a dirty environment previously then the
contacts could easily be fouled at this point in time, or
due to it's lower-cost (relative to some other contemporary
boards of that era) construction it could indeed have bad
caps too... most suspect would be those on the top corner
near the CPU socket.

Super-7 was also picky about video cards, if the AGP bus is
flaky then little extra heat could be enough... you didn't
mention exactly what "flaky" means, how that's manifested.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

On Sun, 15 May 2005 12:26:59 GMT, kony <spam.TakeThisOut@spam.com> wrote:

  >>Mine is the Epox EP-MVP3G-M.

 >you didn't
 >mention exactly what "flaky" means, how that's manifested.

I discussed it at length in the thread entitled Error: INACCESSIBLE
BOOT RECORD" According to the experts, the MB is the likely
culprit.

Briefly what happened is it started getting hot and humid but not
enough to run the a/c that morning. The mouse stopped working and the
POST report of RAM was one stick short. Then I noticed certain INI
files being corrupted. I had to use the keyboard to navigate, which is
really lame.

So I shut down and took the last stick of RAM out. I also tried a
different mouse. Nothing helped. So I quit working on it and got
another box to rebuild.

The next day, after the house cooled off from running the a/c, I tried
the machine and this time it worked. I put the stick of RAM back in
and it worked. I then proceeded to recover the boot drive from an
archive I had created the week before on a removable drive using Drive
Image Pro 4.0. That's when I ran into the inaccessible boot device
error and had to use Win2K IPU to get running again.

I thought it was the power supply since I cleaned it with compressed
air and it was exceptionally dirty. The MB was not all that dirty
since I had cleaned it about a month earlier.

I am decommissioning that old machine and building a new one which
will be ready this coming week. I may use the old machine as a backup
- I have a spare port on my router.

I am going to evaluate the Enermax 352 RAID backup system. It may work
in which I will keep it. If it doesn't then it goes back. I hope it
works because it is a very handy way to make disaster recovery
archives using hard disks.


--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
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possibilities, and nowhere is that spirit more
alive than in the great nation of Texas."
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"One thing that makes George Bush such a great
president is that he does not govern according
to public opinion polls."
--John Cornyn, U.S. Senator from Texas<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem 

That may be true in clone systems to some degree my friend but in
propietary systems that is just not the case. I have replaced loads of
cpu's in for example HPCompag dP ENS AND Evo Models.
His problem of no video but everything else working can certainly be cpu,
I beg to differ with you.
Usually you might get a beep code with memory or video, but with his
problem(no video) what cable other than the monitor cable could cause
this?
 >> Stay informed about: boot problem