Boot Failure

[jbmic]

No problems till now. After copying file to CDR, computer wouldn't
recognize disk in that drive, but would see file in DVD ROM Drive.
Attempted re-booting to clear problem, now power to fans but no beeps, no
boot activity, no image on monitor. Won't boot from floppy either. CMOS
Battery or Power Supply? Intel P4 2.4 with Win XP. Any help appreciated
before I start spending on on replacing things without being sure.

 

[Jan Alter]

Check cabling for loosness. Do this carefully of course.
Check CMOS battery. Although your machine should go to defaults and start
even with a dead battery it's possible that it won't.
Reseat RAM. As a matter of fact. diconnect all peripherals, including hdd,
but not graphics card and see if you can get into CMOS screen.
If not, start with replacing RAM (either a different stick, or one stick if
you have two, and if that doesn't work the second stick for the first stick)
and then the PS if the RAM exchanging doesn't help.
Finally, you're down to mb or cpu.

 

[Jan Alter]

One thing I forgot is to make sure the CPU fan connector is still connected
to the mb. Many systems will not power on without one.

 

[w_tom]

Never start fixing something without first collecting
necessary facts. Yes, mechanical problems may be a reason for
failure. But the reason why responsible computer
manufacturers use better connectors - they make an obviously
solid connection that does not change, or nothing at all.

Now for necessary facts. No boot activity suggest
something has failed. We always start with the integrity of a
foundation - be it a building or a computer. A power supply
'system' (foundation includes more than just the power supply)
is first confirmed in but two minutes and without
disconnecting anything. The essential repair tool, so
ubiquitous as to be sold in Lowes, Sears, Home Depot, and
Radio Shack, is a 3.5 digit multimeter. Procedure to confirm
and information to help identify the failed part was posted
previously in: "Computer doesnt start at all" in
alt.comp.hardware on 10 Jan 2004 at
http://tinyurl.com/2t69q and
"I think my power supply is dead" in alt.comp.hardware on 5
Feb 2004 at
http://www.tinyurl.com/2musa

Your voltage limits must be within the upper 3/4 limits of
that chart in the second discussion. For your situation,
numbers for 3.3, 5, 12, 5VSB, and Power Good signal are most
relevant.

Once the foundation has been confirmed, only then move on to
other usual suspects. Break the problem down into component
parts. For example, can you access the BIOS - which uses
trivial hardware? Or what do the comprehensive hardware
diagnostics report? Windows is not required by diagnostics so
that a problem can be broken down into component parts. Only
after we have established hardware integrity, do we move on to
other usual suspects.

Most important. Do not wildly start fixing things as another
has posted. That can exponentially complicate the problem and
may even only cure a symptom. Furthermore, even if this data
does not solve your problem, the data still empowers other
'informed' lurkers who can then provide useful suggestions or
solutions. There are numerous things we could discuss.
Rather than post all those other possibilities, first get this
information. Then we need not discuss other irrelevant
solutions.

 

[jbmic]

Good advice much appreciated. Before I act on it, one more thing. Light to
optical mouse also not on. Is that another useful clue?

 

[Jan Alter]

I never anticipated that this would begin a philosophical discussion about
troubleshooting.
And I agree with w_tom in his approach, if the guy who has to do the work
understands how to use a multimeter and the necessary voltages that should
or shouldn't be found then it's the way to go. If the person who reads that
approach is knows how to use the meter or inspired then it is probably the
better way to tackle this problem. For the person who rarely does this as a
hobby or living or understands electricity or using the multimeter this
approach involves learning a greater technique of troubleshooting than most
people want to involve themselves.
Should someone drive a car who can't fix a flat tire, or a bad spark
plug, or a faulty oxygen sensor (multimeter is very handy here) ? Much of
the way we solve those problems involves trial and error. We learn along the
way and if we stick with it get the education through experience and
questioning, reading, etc to improve those skills. It's great to have
choices. By the way, the multimeter is a good idea first, if you have the
know how.

 

[jbmic]

A simple question gets a philosophical reply, but doesn't answer the
question. Who's the philosopher, you or me? Anyway, thanks for input. Not
afraid to try things I haven't done before, but your philosophy on why I
should is welcome. I have a multimeter and and am on my way.