PC Not Starting up. Hardware Issue

[Dave]

Hi,
I'm encountering a problem starting up my PC.
The Processor fan is working, the hard disks are getting powered too
but i dont get the POST beep.Neither does green indicator light up.
No signal is sent to the Monitor either.
I also tried removing the RAM and restarting the system but still got
no beep. So I guess problem lies somewhere within the motherboard.
Also had replaced the CMOS battery.

Most common failure point (99.99% +) in a PC is a bad power supply. If
your power supply was bad, you would have the exact symptoms that you
just wrote about. -Dave

 

[skariaalex]

Hi,
I'm encountering a problem starting up my PC.
The Processor fan is working, the hard disks are getting powered too
but i dont get the POST beep.Neither does green indicator light up.
No signal is sent to the Monitor either.
I also tried removing the RAM and restarting the system but still got
no beep. So I guess problem lies somewhere within the motherboard.
Also had replaced the CMOS battery.

 

[Dave]

Is there any way i can test the power supply?

Yes and No.

If you use a multimeter (voltmeter), that will confirm whether the
voltages are in range or not. But you're wasting your time to do
that. Most power supply problems that will cause you severe headaches
are the kind where a multimeter is useless. Like momentary voltage
sags that cause lockups. Very common, and a multimeter is useless in
that case.

Besides which, you should always have a spare power supply on hand, as
the odds of needing it are so high.

The best advice anybody could give you is if there is any question at
all about the power supply, replace it with a good name-brand power
supply. If that turns out NOT to be the problem, then you've got your
spare on hand. -Dave

 

[skariaalex]

Most common failure point (99.99% +) in a PC is a bad power supply.  If
your power supply was bad, you would have the exact symptoms that you
just wrote about.  -Dave

Is there any way i can test the power supply?

 

[w_tom]

Is there any way i can test thepower supply?

Best solution is also the fastest, provides information so that the
better informed will reply, and confirms a solution - definitively.

In less than two minutes, everything relevant can be determined good
or suspect by measuring DC voltages where power supply connects to
motherboard. The tool is so ubiquitous as to be sold even to Kmart
shoppers. Sold in Lowes. But a best price is probably Wal-mart. The
less than two minute procedure is "When your computer dies without
warning....." starting 6 Feb 2007 in the newsgroup alt.windows-xp
at:
http://tinyurl.com/yvf9vh
Connector chart to locate each color:
http://www.hardwarebook.net/connector/power/atxpower.html

Disconnect nothing. Best test of a power supply is with full
computer loading. In your case, the most important numbers will
probably be from any one orange, red, purple, and yellow wire as and
after power switch is pressed. Numbers must exceed 3.23, 4.8, and
11.7. Then report those numbers here for further information and
assistance.

No one needs a spare power supply. But those who never learned how
electricity works must then recommend shotgunning. Shotgunning can
even exponentially complicate the problem. And if you need a new
supply, you still need the meter to verify the problem is eliminated.
A defective power supply can still boot a computer.

IOW your original supply could have always been defective. The
defect has finally created failure. Had the meter been used, this
potential defect may have been identified long ago. Get the meter to
find the problem before replacing anything. Then use the meter again
to confirm the replaced part is good. A new and defective supply may
still boot a computer. A perfectly good supply in another computer
may not be sufficient in yours. Another reason for the meter.
Finally, to elicit responses from those who can be more helpful,
provide those numbers. Then the next answer will not be ‘try this or
try that’ – also called shotgunning.

 

[Ed Medlin]

Hi,
I'm encountering a problem starting up my PC.
The Processor fan is working, the hard disks are getting powered too
but i dont get the POST beep.Neither does green indicator light up.
No signal is sent to the Monitor either.
I also tried removing the RAM and restarting the system but still got
no beep. So I guess problem lies somewhere within the motherboard.
Also had replaced the CMOS battery.

As Dave said, the PSU is the culprit in the vast majority of PC startup
problems. I always keep a known good PSU around, but I build several systems
a year. If you are comfortable doing it, follow w_tom's system.....it works.
If not, the only alternative is to get a replacement PSU and swap them out.
Make sure you get good quality PSUs. It is the heart of any system and many
folks skimp there and have problems. It seems that PSU problems have about
tripled over the last 2-3 years. I don't know if it is all the high-powered
gaming systems that are being built or just poor quality in a lot of the
PSUs today.


Ed