CPU Flashes a red light when off

[Guest]

Well my CPU got the dreaded BSOD again, except this time it'll keep rebooting
XP over and over again so I figured that a virus had found it's way to my
computer. So I went ahead tried a reinstall of the OS, but before doing that
I thought it'd been fun to clean out the inside of my CPU. I disconnected
everything and clean it the best way I could with the tools I had available.
I reconnected everything and begain reloading the OS when I went for the
first reboot of the process it completely shut down and wouldn't reboot.

Instead it flashes a red light, I would push the power button and get
nothing but the red light. I went back in the computer, made sure that
everything was where it should be, eveything look good. After letting it sit
for a while I hit the power button and it rebooted. Though I still have the
problem of not be able to boot right away, I really getting tired of
rebuilding it, this would be the sixth time that I'd had to do a reinstall of
the OS.

Any suggestions? I am on the verge of just calling it quits on this three
and half year old computer and getting a new one.

-Crow of Sorrow

 

[Ghostrider]

Well my CPU got the dreaded BSOD again, except this time it'll keep rebooting
XP over and over again so I figured that a virus had found it's way to my
computer. So I went ahead tried a reinstall of the OS, but before doing that
I thought it'd been fun to clean out the inside of my CPU. I disconnected
everything and clean it the best way I could with the tools I had available.
I reconnected everything and begain reloading the OS when I went for the
first reboot of the process it completely shut down and wouldn't reboot.

Instead it flashes a red light, I would push the power button and get
nothing but the red light. I went back in the computer, made sure that
everything was where it should be, eveything look good. After letting it sit
for a while I hit the power button and it rebooted. Though I still have the
problem of not be able to boot right away, I really getting tired of
rebuilding it, this would be the sixth time that I'd had to do a reinstall of
the OS.

Any suggestions? I am on the verge of just calling it quits on this three
and half year old computer and getting a new one.

-Crow of Sorrow

The real lesson from this is one should not attempt repairs on
a computer unless one has the know-how, the right tools, some
spare parts and accessories such as cables and connectors, and,
of course, the manuals. Sit back. Get set up properly and do a
proper maintenance job on the computer...by the book. And solve
what is the meaning of the red light; it might be a heat alarm
for a malfunctioning or mis-replaced heatsink/fan, for instance.
Computers die hard although some do get added help from humans.

 

[Haggis]

The real lesson from this is one should not attempt repairs on
a computer unless one has the know-how, the right tools, some
spare parts and accessories such as cables and connectors, and,
of course, the manuals. Sit back. Get set up properly and do a
proper maintenance job on the computer...by the book. And solve
what is the meaning of the red light; it might be a heat alarm
for a malfunctioning or mis-replaced heatsink/fan, for instance.
Computers die hard although some do get added help from humans.

go back and make sure all addin cards are seated properly (push one in
firmly and another got loose ?)
same goes for memory sticks ...

power supply plugged into the board properly ? heatsinks mounted correctly ?
etc. etc.

what kind of "tools" did you use to clean it ?

 

[Ghostrider]

go back and make sure all addin cards are seated properly (push one in
firmly and another got loose ?)
same goes for memory sticks ...

power supply plugged into the board properly ? heatsinks mounted correctly ?
etc. etc.

what kind of "tools" did you use to clean it ?

How would I know? I am not the OP. But I have all of the
right tools to maintain a computer.

 

[Guest]

I used the computer tool kit from Fellowes that you can pretty much buy
anywhere these days, as well as a static free vaccume, and compressed air to
clean it out. I made sure everything placeed back the way it was before I
cleaned it. I am not sure if it's something to do with the power supplly or
not.

 

[bh325]

It sounds to me like you got a static discharge. Usually, though, it is
the green power light that flashes. The quickest way to solve the
version of this problem I have seen is to hold down the power button
until the light stops flashing. This discharges all the caps and resets
the MoBo, or so I was told.

This usually works for me. Hope it helps!

 

[Og]

It sounds to me like you got a static discharge. Usually, though, it is
the green power light that flashes.

snip> The quickest way to solve the version of this problem I have seen is
to hold down the power button until the light stops flashing. This
discharges all the caps and resets the MoBo, or so I was told.
snip>

Utter nonsense.
Resetting the MoBo BIOS to default varies among the manufacturers, but does
NOT involve holding down the power button.
The purpose of discharging the capacitors is to preclude sparks when
installing/removing hardware. This can only be accomplished by disconnecting
the power cord from the power supply. See that LED on the MoBo? That is what
dissipates stored electricity from the capacitors on the MoBo. When the LED
on the MoBo goes out, it is safe to install/remove hardware.
Steve

 

[Jonny]

Utter nonsense.
Resetting the MoBo BIOS to default varies among the manufacturers, but
does NOT involve holding down the power button.
The purpose of discharging the capacitors is to preclude sparks when
installing/removing hardware. This can only be accomplished by
disconnecting the power cord from the power supply. See that LED on the
MoBo? That is what dissipates stored electricity from the capacitors on
the MoBo. When the LED on the MoBo goes out, it is safe to install/remove
hardware.
Steve

Although I agree that the AC line to the power supply should be disconnected
from the outlet before working on the inside of a PC, the remainder of your
statement is not correct. That one mobo led is not powered by residual
power from all the caps on the motherboard. The amount of current and
voltage on such small caps on the motherboard is not appreciable as to make
an air gap jump causing spark. The power supply, yes.

 

[Og]

Although I agree that the AC line to the power supply should be
disconnected from the outlet before working on the inside of a PC, the
remainder of your statement is not correct. That one mobo led is not
powered by residual power from all the caps on the motherboard. The
amount of current and voltage on such small caps on the motherboard is not
appreciable as to make an air gap jump causing spark. The power supply,
yes.

Jonny:
Obviously you have not had occasion to sit in a PC Repair class.
Arcing is visible across the room.
Steve