new pc doesn't work

[Guest]

i built a custom pc from parts i bought separately
specs -
intel pentium d 3.2 ghz
2 gb ram
asus p5ld2-vm motherboard
western digital s-ata hard drive 250 gb
asus dvd-rom
nec dvd-rw
8-in-1 floppy drive/card reader

i bought it, put it together, and installed windows and did not activate or
use it
then, i moved cross-country from washington to florida
the pc was packaged properly and was not damaged in any visible way
when i booted it up for the first time, it worked for a few minutes, then
froze and restarted
i tried reformatting the drive, but a full format doesn't finish, it freezes
a quick format installs windows, but it still freezes and doesn't restart
what do i do?
please help, i need to use this computer ASAP

 

[Marcin Domaslawski]

Hi,

Open up machine and check if everything is on its place and does not dropped
out from slots.

Do a memory test e.g. by Memtest86.

Marcin Domaslawski

 

[Jon Sherry]

Grab and burn a copy of the Ultimate Boot CD from www.ultimatebootcd.com and
run both Memtest 86 (not the + version), then run the Drive Fitness Test and
do an Advanced Scan. I'd be willing to bet the hard drive got rattled
around. But the UBCD is an indispensible swiss army knife of tools no DIY
system builder should be without.

A word of advice when you're moving, always take your PC in your personal
vehicle if possible. Your suspension will be much more forgiving than that
of a moving truck.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

i built a custom pc from parts i bought separately
specs -
intel pentium d 3.2 ghz
2 gb ram
asus p5ld2-vm motherboard
western digital s-ata hard drive 250 gb
asus dvd-rom
nec dvd-rw
8-in-1 floppy drive/card reader

i bought it, put it together, and installed windows and did not activate
or
use it
then, i moved cross-country from washington to florida
the pc was packaged properly and was not damaged in any visible way
when i booted it up for the first time, it worked for a few minutes, then
froze and restarted
i tried reformatting the drive, but a full format doesn't finish, it
freezes
a quick format installs windows, but it still freezes and doesn't restart
what do i do?
please help, i need to use this computer ASAP

Could be a basic hardware problem. If you built it, open it, and reseat
everything, and verify that the fans are working.

If it fails during formatting, that could indicate disk failure (RAM
failure will often unceremoniously shut down the system). Verify that the
disk settings in the BIOS are correct.

Get another hard disk and pop it in, and try the format there. If it now
works, you probably have identified the problem. If you were trying to
format the drive, you don't have valued data on it anyway.

HTH
-pk

 

[Anna]

i built a custom pc from parts i bought separately
specs -
intel pentium d 3.2 ghz
2 gb ram
asus p5ld2-vm motherboard
western digital s-ata hard drive 250 gb
asus dvd-rom
nec dvd-rw
8-in-1 floppy drive/card reader

i bought it, put it together, and installed windows and did not activate
or
use it
then, i moved cross-country from washington to florida
the pc was packaged properly and was not damaged in any visible way
when i booted it up for the first time, it worked for a few minutes, then
froze and restarted
i tried reformatting the drive, but a full format doesn't finish, it
freezes
a quick format installs windows, but it still freezes and doesn't restart
what do i do?
please help, i need to use this computer ASAP

tolik:
It's not entirely clear from your description of the situation & problem
whether when you originally "put it together" you tested the machine to
determine if all was well at that time even though you subsequently didn't
"use it" until after your move.

First, review your motherboard's User Guide to determine that you properly
installed all the components and that your BIOS settings are appropriate. Do
this on a page-by-page basis.

Assuming the problem remains...

Disconnect (uninstall) all devices from your motherboard so that the *only*
components connected on the MB are your processor, heatsink, and RAM
modules. You can also install your graphics/video card unless you're using
the motherboard's onboard graphics capability. Ensure that you've connected
the CPU fan. Connect your monitor and the power supply. Make sure you've
connected the 4-pin 12V plug to the appropriate motherboard connector. You
can connect your keyboard & mouse.

Remember...you do not connect any other major devices at this point - no
HDD, no optical drive; no floppy drive; no sound card; - no other component
other than what's indicated above.

Carefully review your connections at this point to ensure they're all
correct.

Finally, power up the monitor; switch on the power supply; and power up the
system as described above.

You *must* get a screen display at this point. It's not important what you
see on the screen; you just want a display. If all you get is a black
screen - no display, then you go no further. You have to determine what's
the problem, i.e., what component and/or connection is causing the problem.

Assuming you get a screen display, leave it on for about 1/2 hour or so.
Check the hardware monitor in the BIOS to determine if the temperatures are
in range.

If no problem at this point, continue installing the other components
one-by-one. First the HDD.
Check out the HDD with the diagnostic that you can obtain from the website
of the manufacturer of the disk.

Hopefully you'll be able to narrow down the problem.
Anna

 

[Guest]

thanks all for the help
it seems that after you dont use computers for a while, they develop weird
problems
like my old pc, same thing, didnt work after the move
it said no os detected
it stood around for a while, then started working
same here, i reformatted using quick format then let it sit with nothing
installed except windows
now it works
ty again and bb