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Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: SwifDi on February 16, 2004, 07:53:05 PM

Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 16, 2004, 07:53:05 PM
Ok, I\'m currently typing this on my parents computer...

Now... I get home one day and I walk into my room and notice my computer is "humming"... It is a customly built computer and has a lot of fans inside of it.

Now I turn off the power switch, and turn it back on again and the computer starts up but then dies.

Did it overheat? Is a fan not working? What should I do?
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Jar O Pickles on February 16, 2004, 08:23:32 PM
the power supply went bad or there a short on your mobo or something
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 16, 2004, 08:53:02 PM
1.) Should I open up the case, and look for particular things?

2.) Is this something I can do on my own (considering I have a pretty solid background with computers)? Or should I seek professional help?

3.) How much to repair a problem of this nature?
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: theomen on February 16, 2004, 09:23:32 PM
Grab your parents PS and throw it in your comp and see if that does the trick.  If not, and it won\'t boot to your system check then chances are it\'s the mobo
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 16, 2004, 09:32:08 PM
I\'ll give these things a whirl possibly tomorrow night when I have free time... For now I have moved my parents computer (which is never used) into my room... Its okay except it has none of my songs on it, and is Win98...

Its a Compaq Presario...
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Paul2 on February 16, 2004, 10:13:26 PM
Hmmm, if the power supply died.  Try to connect the power supply to your parent\'s computer, (kinda like switch power supply) and see if it runs on your parent\'s computer.  If it didn\'t run on your parent\'s computer, then, it maybe the power supply is dead.  Replace it with a new one.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: theomen on February 16, 2004, 10:37:48 PM
I already said that

[mm mode] I swear, no one listens to me
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 16, 2004, 10:42:14 PM
I\'ll try it out, even though I\'ve never seen a power supply or know anything about it.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: theomen on February 16, 2004, 11:03:11 PM
look for the big boxy thing in there.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Living-In-Clip on February 17, 2004, 04:47:10 AM
Quote
Originally posted by SwifDi
2.) Is this something I can do on my own (considering I have a pretty solid background with computers)? Or should I seek professional help?

 



Quote
Originally posted by SwifDi
I\'ll try it out, even though I\'ve never seen a power supply or know anything about it.


Don\'t these two statements contradict each other?

If you have no clue on how to switch PS\'s out, then either find an FAQ online or take it to someone.


Also - just in case no one mentioned, it may be the power supply. Just switch them out with your parents computer. If not, it may be the motherboard. Don\'t think anyone suggested that!
:)
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Seed_Of_Evil on February 17, 2004, 04:55:03 AM
Check also the processor\'s fan, it\'s possible that it died and when you switched on the computer, the cpu burnt.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: JBean on February 17, 2004, 06:16:03 AM
you don\'t have a solid background in computers if you can\'t crack open the case and name every single piece of hardware inside.

I\'d guess it\'s a power supply gone bad.  Is your computer a Compaq or your parents\'?
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 17, 2004, 06:19:14 AM
Parents = Compaq

And by "solid background" I mean that I am capable of doing  new things without too much of a hastle.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Living-In-Clip on February 17, 2004, 06:25:50 AM
Quote
Originally posted by SwifDi
Parents = Compaq

And by "solid background" I mean that I am capable of doing  new things without too much of a hastle.


That\'s hardly a "solid background" , if anything that is just a low learning curve.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: JBean on February 17, 2004, 07:02:31 AM
(https://psx5central.com/community/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.phihong.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fps2power.gif&hash=df6f80434cacb3d8bada393aa8780633dcb807aa)


Here is what a typical one looks like.  It\'s the box that your power cord plugs into to power your case.  They typically have a fan as well.

You\'ll probably need a phillips screwdriver and you are gonna need to removed one of the side panels.  It shouldn\'t take you more than 10 mins to get out.  Just make sure you remember where all the wires go, although that dosen\'t matter much as they are all the same for the most part.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Paul2 on February 17, 2004, 07:35:08 AM
Quote
Originally posted by theomen
I already said that

[mm mode] I swear, no one listens to me


oh, you said ps, i didn\'t really understand what that is until now.  I reread it, and go "duh!"
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: theomen on February 17, 2004, 12:29:10 PM
anybody else relise that he was probably given bad advice?  Compaqs usually have a PS unit that will only work in other compaqs.  To the best of my knowledge, they are proprietary power supplys.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: JBean on February 17, 2004, 01:45:44 PM
I have a compaq persario 9700 and it has a standard PSU.  But maybe older ones are proprietary
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 17, 2004, 01:48:00 PM
Well I can\'t afford any problems because this is my last computer in the house and I take an online class every Wednesday night, and it is imperative that I have a working computer.

So I\'ll try it out after Wednesday cuz I don\'t  want to burn my bridges.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: theomen on February 17, 2004, 02:26:38 PM
You can just look at it and tell if it\'ll work or not.  No danger
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Paul2 on February 17, 2004, 04:06:57 PM
Quote
Originally posted by theomen
anybody else relise that he was probably given bad advice?  Compaqs usually have a PS unit that will only work in other compaqs.  To the best of my knowledge, they are proprietary power supplys.


ummm...i don\'t know if Compaqs have a bad PS, but sorry for the misunderstanding.

What i am trying to say is I didn\'t know you already told him to try a different PS, or shortcut for power supply.

nevermind.  I didn\'t try to give him any bad advices mind you.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: theomen on February 17, 2004, 07:03:17 PM
^^
I wasn\'t aiming that at you, I actually told him to do the same exact thing before you posted it.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: QuDDus on February 19, 2004, 07:11:31 AM
The same thing happen to me. I came home fired up the pc it\'s just humming screen comes on then it dies.

Well Hdd ended up dying out. Saddest day of my life. I had to reinstall a new one. Oh well lost all my info.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: theomen on February 19, 2004, 12:20:49 PM
all that porn down the drain ;)
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: videoholic on February 19, 2004, 01:40:15 PM
darn beavers...  Sounds like beavers are gnawing on your wires.  You need to give that beaver a lick..
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 19, 2004, 02:26:16 PM
I pray its not the HDD cuz if I lose all my songs and other..stuff... I\'m going to have to kill a few beavers.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: QuDDus on February 19, 2004, 07:57:45 PM
Quote
Originally posted by theomen
all that porn down the drain ;)


so true...so true;)
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: §ôµÏG®ïñD on February 19, 2004, 09:34:16 PM
installing a psu are easy. Its covering them with mesh that’s a (excuse the french).. C@#T.   Just take a look inside your comp. You should be able to figure it out quite easily.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 24, 2004, 03:37:55 PM
*UPDATE*

Ok... I didnt do a thing to the computer, but I was bored and just plugged it in again, and well, it fired up.

It ran fine however it had this new "hissing" noise that went away after it was on for about 20 mins.

Anyways so now I\'m turning it off every night instead of leaving it on weeks at a time....

But this morning when I turned it on, it did the same thing, would fire up, shut off, try again, then shut off.

So this afternoon I came back from school... I press the power button, it turns on then shuts off, and then it turns back on and now its still on.

Suggestions?
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Halberto on February 24, 2004, 07:10:15 PM
Dude PSU\'s are easy to fix. open the box and start poking things and it will work


If it\'s your HDD then during the BIOS when it says "Searching for IDE" etc it should pause and come up as "none"
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: SwifDi on February 24, 2004, 09:16:13 PM
I doubt its my hard-drive if I\'m using the computer right now and everything is running smoothly...

This thing just keeps farting around.... Just now it restarted the computer.
Title: My computer won\'t fire up...
Post by: Paul2 on February 25, 2004, 02:19:51 PM
maybe the fan is stuck?  check if to see if there are things like wired clogging the fan or a coachroach stuck in there.