Help Please!!

[Guest]

Hi i ran into a big problem. I just upgraded to vista, so i was trying out
new features. On the computer i was using, which runs vista 32 bit, i hit
the power button in the start menu so the computer would go to sleep, but i
waited for it, and the i think one of my fans began to spin really fast. It
was the first time i hit that button. I thought it would go into sleep mode,
so i thought it was weird. I then held the power button to just turn the
computer off. The computer shut off. For some reason now, the computer will
not turn on again. The monitor is blank, and shows nothing. When i pressed
to power button to turn it back on, it didnt work. The case fans are
spinning, the power supply fan spins, but the cpu fan doesnt spin anymore.
The computer refuses to even post and i dont know what to do. The computer
was perfectly fine before. Should i try clearing CMOS? i really dont think
that would do anything because i didnt mess with the bios settings..... here
is my computer specs

Gigabyte P35-DS3L motherboard
E4300 Allendale CPU
2gb Patriot extreme performance DDR2 800 RAM
Nvidia 7950 GT 256mb graphics card
400w Fortron Source power supply
1 hard drive
2 optical drives

Please help i really want to keep using my computer. Thanks!

 

[David]

Hi i ran into a big problem. I just upgraded to vista, so i was trying out
new features. On the computer i was using, which runs vista 32 bit, i hit
the power button in the start menu so the computer would go to sleep, but i
waited for it, and the i think one of my fans began to spin really fast. It
was the first time i hit that button. I thought it would go into sleep mode,
so i thought it was weird. I then held the power button to just turn the
computer off. The computer shut off. For some reason now, the computer will
not turn on again. The monitor is blank, and shows nothing. When i pressed
to power button to turn it back on, it didnt work. The case fans are
spinning, the power supply fan spins, but the cpu fan doesnt spin anymore.
The computer refuses to even post and i dont know what to do. The computer
was perfectly fine before. Should i try clearing CMOS? i really dont think
that would do anything because i didnt mess with the bios settings..... here
is my computer specs

Gigabyte P35-DS3L motherboard
E4300 Allendale CPU
2gb Patriot extreme performance DDR2 800 RAM
Nvidia 7950 GT 256mb graphics card
400w Fortron Source power supply
1 hard drive
2 optical drives

Please help i really want to keep using my computer. Thanks!

have you tried just unplugging it from the wall for 15 seconds?

 

[Guest]

Hi,

I think that the cause of your problem is the power supply. Looking at your
specifications, I notice that you only have a 400W power supply, which I
don't feel is strong enough for your system, especially as your video card
requires a good deal of the available power. It may have worked when first
built, but over time your power supply will have been gradually failing. I
recommend that you try a 550W minimum supply and see if that solves your
problem.
Dwarf

 

[Jeff]

your motherboard might have went out. try clearing the cmos. if the
motherboard is guaranteed you might have to exchange it. why it would go out
i don't know. but it could've went bad. i doubt it's the processor. i think
intel processors are protected from overheating. if the cpu fan isn't
spinning though maybe the fan went bad or the connector it's plugged into on
the motherboard is bad. try working with it and maybe take advantage of any
warranty on it.



-jeff

 

[w_tom]

Every reply is "it might be ..." Fixing things that are not broken
(on wild speculation) can even result in more broken items. Instead
collect facts. Fans can spin; LEDs light - and still something in the
power supply 'system' can be defective. Yes - system. Power supply
is only one part of that system.

One fan not spinning says little. Some fans do not spin until
temperature increases. Some fans also get power from a second power
supply voltage. If that one voltage went bad, then strange things can
happen. Instead, get a simple tool sold in Radio Shack, Kmart, or any
other tool store where tools are simple enough even for kids. Perform
the two minute procedure in "When your computer dies without
warning....." starting 6 Feb 2007 in the newsgroup alt.windows-xp
at:
http://tinyurl.com/yvf9vh
Either you will know what is wrong in but two minutes (no more "it
could be this or could be that" nonsense), or you will have numbers so
that the better informed can now reply. From what you have posted,
nobody can provide a useful answer. But in two minutes, people who
design electronics can identify the prime suspect.

Again, don't try fixing anything. A 400 watt supply is more than
sufficient for most computers. In fact a 300 watt supply is usually
sufficient. (However a 300 watt supply sold as a discounted 'wonder'
is too often proclaimed by misleading papers as a 425 watt supply.
They are selling to the naive who then think computes need a 600 watt
supply.) But again, just another reason why the informed use a meter.

Processor is not overheating. If it was, computer just slows down
and still boots. Clearing the CMOS is also how to make a simple
problem into a complex one. If CMOS needs clearing, then its battery
is low. Use the meter to measure a battery without removing that
battery. If 3 volt battery measures above 2.8, then CMOS needs no
clearing. If battery measures below 2.9 volts, then plan to replace
the battery in the next six months. But again, don't fix anything.
First learn what is wrong. Fixing things that are not broken can even
make problems more complex. Everything in this post is about 'what IS
defective'. None of that "it could be this or could be that" wild
speculation.