Computer won't boot
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From: Antares 531 on 1 Mar 2010 08:53 On Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:51:54 -0500, "glee" <glee29(a)spamindspring.com> wrote: >"Antares 531" <gordonlrDELETE(a)swbell.net> wrote in message >news:kjhlo5hs002oqungjb5cp23ph1l3g2uc71(a)4ax.com... >>> >> I've gone through the process of removing and re-installing all the >> add-in cards and interconnection cables. This didn't produce any >> noticeable changes other than the CPU fan now runs in short bursts of >> about 2 or 3 seconds whereas it was just jiggling like it was starting >> to run but never actually rotated the fan. >> >> To answer another question...I do have an nVidia e-GeForce 7600 GS >> graphics card installed. This is a 512 MB PCI-E video card. I'm not >> using the motherboard's graphics output. >> >> I've not yet tested the power supply (PC Power & Cooling Silencer 470 >> ATX 12V, Ver 2.2), but it seems to be working okay in that all the >> drive activity lights blink on and I can hear the drives spin up and >> the read/write arms move. >> >> I'm wondering if maybe the BIOS memory chip or battery has gone bad. I >> built this computer in October, 2007. It shouldn't be near the point >> of battery failure, I wouldn't think. Also, even if the BIOS battery >> is dead, wouldn't the boot CD still work? Should I buy a fresh battery >> and do a change-out? >> >> Gordon > >What happens if you connect your monitor to the onboard video outlet >instead of the video card? > I just checked this out. My monitor has a DVI-I male plug that connects with the video card. The on-board video output has a conventional VGA female socket. I will need an adapter before I can try this out. I'm down with a cold and don't want to spread it around by going to a store, so I'll just let this problem wait another day or two. Gordon
From: glee on 1 Mar 2010 09:24 "Antares 531" <gordonlrDELETE(a)swbell.net> wrote in message news:89hno51dsthbeg6n3sjkjnvfevjoat06d8(a)4ax.com... > On Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:51:54 -0500, "glee" <glee29(a)spamindspring.com> > wrote: >> >>What happens if you connect your monitor to the onboard video outlet >>instead of the video card? >> > I just checked this out. My monitor has a DVI-I male plug that > connects with the video card. The on-board video output has a > conventional VGA female socket. I will need an adapter before I can > try this out. > > I'm down with a cold and don't want to spread it around by going to a > store, so I'll just let this problem wait another day or two. Most monitors with a DVI connector ALSO have a VGA connector, usually nearby on the monitor. You would need a VGA cable in order to connect to it. My monitor came with both types of cable. Take a look when you feel better....meanwhile, chicken soup! -- Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009 A+ http://dts-l.net/
From: Antares 531 on 1 Mar 2010 18:41 On Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:25:25 -0600, Antares 531 <gordonlrDELETE(a)swbell.net> wrote: >I have an older computer with a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L motherboard that >I home-built a few years back. I recently built a new computer and >have been keeping the old one alive until I get the new one all >checked out and settled in. > >Yesterday the old computer wouldn't boot. It makes a BEEP about one >second long during the boot process but won't go any farther. The >drive lights flash and the monitor goes through its first sign of >lighting up, after I turn the computer on, but this is as far as it >goes. The monitor goes black and the activity lights on the front of >the computer flash a few times, then everything stops. > >I've tried using the original Windows XP Pro installation disk, and >also a second boot disk that I slipstreamed with SP3 on it. Neither >boot disk will initiate a start-up process. The CD drive light flashes >a few times then quits and nothing more happens after the BEEP. > >Any ideas as to what I might try next? > Reporting back to all of you who chipped in and helped me with this. The problem is resolved. At least it seems to be. I discovered that five of the capacitors on the e-GeForce 7600 GS video card had ruptured. These capacitors were on the under side of the video card, and weren't conspicuous. The ruptures were minimal, but once I got the video card out in full light they were obvious. These capacitors have a letter K scratched into the top surface. These letters K had ruptured along the scratch marks and a tiny bit of brown electrolyte had oozed out onto the surface of the capacitors. Some of the capacitors had swollen up quite a bit. I bought a new ASUS EN9500GT 1GB video card and installed it. This seems to have fixed all the problems. No more long beep...just the normal short beep when I boot up. I still need to re-set some values like screen resolution, but that won't be a problem. Now, the question is, what made these capacitors rupture? There must have been some very serious surge or power fluctuation, but both my computers are powered through IBM UPS power supplies. I would think this would have protected the video card. Also, I wonder why nothing else was damaged. This may have just been a fluke on that specific motherboard, but it has been in service since November 2007 and I haven't made any recent hardware or software changes. Nothing that I can think of should have overloaded this video card. Thanks to all of you for your information inputs. This was really a stumper for me. Oh, and by the way, my cold seems MUCH better and I will probably be back in the harness by tomorrow morning. Thanks, Gordon
From: Don Phillipson on 2 Mar 2010 10:16 "Antares 531" <gordonlrDELETE(a)swbell.net> wrote in message news:kjhlo5hs002oqungjb5cp23ph1l3g2uc71(a)4ax.com... > I'm wondering if maybe the BIOS memory chip or battery has gone bad. I > built this computer in October, 2007. It shouldn't be near the point > of battery failure, I wouldn't think. Also, even if the BIOS battery > is dead, wouldn't the boot CD still work? Should I buy a fresh battery > and do a change-out? This is worth the price. My experience has been (1) CR2032 batteries last anything from 3 months to 6 years, (2) those from general hardware stores last longer than those from specialist PC shops. (This may be an indicator of turnover. Modern hardware stores restock by Just in Time methods so what you buy left the factory only last week. If the neighbourhood PC store got a good bargain on CMOS batteries five years ago (and is still in business) they may still be using the same batch .. . . ) -- Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)
From: Antares 531 on 2 Mar 2010 11:48
On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 10:16:40 -0500, "Don Phillipson" <e925(a)SPAMBLOCK.ncf.ca> wrote: > >"Antares 531" <gordonlrDELETE(a)swbell.net> wrote in message >news:kjhlo5hs002oqungjb5cp23ph1l3g2uc71(a)4ax.com... > >> I'm wondering if maybe the BIOS memory chip or battery has gone bad. I >> built this computer in October, 2007. It shouldn't be near the point >> of battery failure, I wouldn't think. Also, even if the BIOS battery >> is dead, wouldn't the boot CD still work? Should I buy a fresh battery >> and do a change-out? > >This is worth the price. My experience has been (1) CR2032 batteries >last anything from 3 months to 6 years, (2) those from general hardware >stores last longer than those from specialist PC shops. (This may be >an indicator of turnover. Modern hardware stores restock by Just in >Time methods so what you buy left the factory only last week. If the >neighbourhood PC store got a good bargain on CMOS batteries five >years ago (and is still in business) they may still be using the same batch >. . . ) > Thanks, Don, this is pretty much the way I've found this to be. Too bad there isn't some means for tracking the history of perishable products such as this. I thought at first my motherboard may have lain in stock somewhere for two or three years before I bought it but the design of this kind of merchandise changes too rapidly for that, I would think. I did replace the CR2032 CMOS battery yesterday and tried re-booting but it didn't help. The old battery still showed a 3.23 Volts reading when I tested it after I removed it from the motherboard. I'm sure it was not the source of the problem, but I shouldn't have to worry about this for a couple more years, now that I replaced the battery. After looking at the video card more carefully, I'm convinced that the root of the problem was a failure of the fan on the video card. This is a radial turbine type fan. When I try to rotate the fan it doesn't move smoothly. Also, it wobbles a lot more than it should. It feels like the bearing may have failed, or maybe there is some dust bunny junk interfering with the rotation. I can't see any dust bunny accumulations, but there may be some under the fan turbine. Gordon |