My Computer wont turn on at all

[ArseNa!]

Hi, I was on my PC and it suddenly shut off, it didn’t go through the
shut-down process, it just instantly turned off. This has happened many times
before, but it usually shuts off instantly and then automatically restarts.
When I press the “Power†button, the LED light lights up for a fraction of a
second, then nothing.
I have Packard Bell iMedia 1804:
P4, 3.0 Ghz, 160 gb, 2gb Ram ( it only came with 512 mb of RAM)
Core: Sunshine (GA-8I915PM Ver 1.1)
I’ve had quite a lot of problems shutting down, this has been over a period
of around 18 Months, where i would have to regularly force the computer to
shut down by turning the power off / holding the power button for 10 seconds,
or it would turn of instanty. I would usually reformat, and this would solve
the problem for 2 to 3 months.
I’m thinking it might be the power socket thingy, but has anyone else got
any ideas as to how i should check it, before buying a new one and if the
problems not the power-socket, what might be wrong, I’m not very confident
when opening my computer apart from Ram, video cards etc
Thanks in advance.

 

[Malke]

Hi, I was on my PC and it suddenly shut off, it didn?t go through the
shut-down process, it just instantly turned off. This has happened many
times before, but it usually shuts off instantly and then automatically
restarts. When I press the ?Power? button, the LED light lights up for a
fraction of a second, then nothing.
I have Packard Bell iMedia 1804:
P4, 3.0 Ghz, 160 gb, 2gb Ram ( it only came with 512 mb of RAM)
Core: Sunshine (GA-8I915PM Ver 1.1)
I?ve had quite a lot of problems shutting down, this has been over a
period of around 18 Months, where i would have to regularly force the
computer to shut down by turning the power off / holding the power button
for 10 seconds, or it would turn of instanty. I would usually reformat,
and this would solve the problem for 2 to 3 months.
I?m thinking it might be the power socket thingy, but has anyone else got
any ideas as to how i should check it, before buying a new one and if the
problems not the power-socket, what might be wrong, I?m not very
confident when opening my computer apart from Ram, video cards etc
Thanks in advance.

You definitely have hardware failure. I'll give you my general hardware
troubleshooting steps but I think you're going to be better off taking the
machine to a computer tech. I don't say that to hurt your feelings in any
way; I'm just being practical based on your own assessment of your computer
skills.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Tshoot

Standard disclaimer: I can't see and test your computer myself, so these are
just suggestions based on many years of being a professional computer tech;
suggestions based on what you've written. You should not take my
suggestions as a definitive diagnosis. Testing hardware failures often
involves swapping out suspected parts with known-good parts. If you can't
do the testing yourself and/or are uncomfortable opening your computer,
take the machine to a professional computer repair shop (not your local
equivalent of BigComputerStore/GeekSquad). If possible, have all your data
backed up before you take the machine into a shop.

Malke

 

[PaulM]

It sounds like you have a heat problem, check the fan on the CPU and the
case fan.

 

[Alan]

It sounds like something has failed, possibly the power supply unit (PSU).
It's a quandary. How old is the machine?
A new PSU will cost you about £40.00 or more, plus fitting if you don't
fancy doing it yourself, and how do you know if it is that? You may be
throwing money down the drain.
A lot of PC repairers will plug in units, (Hard drives, processors, PSU's
etc) based on experience and judgment until they get it working, but they
have the parts on the shelf and they can put them back on the shelf if
they're wrong.
You have to buy them and hope for the best, and if your wrong hope you can
get a refund.
With the price of new machines today, you have to weigh it up if it's worth
repairing,
Regards,
Alan.

 

[Unknown]

Power supply failure.

 

[Lem]

Hi, I was on my PC and it suddenly shut off, it didn’t go through the
shut-down process, it just instantly turned off. This has happened many times
before, but it usually shuts off instantly and then automatically restarts.
When I press the “Power†button, the LED light lights up for a fraction of a
second, then nothing.
I have Packard Bell iMedia 1804:
P4, 3.0 Ghz, 160 gb, 2gb Ram ( it only came with 512 mb of RAM)
Core: Sunshine (GA-8I915PM Ver 1.1)
I’ve had quite a lot of problems shutting down, this has been over a period
of around 18 Months, where i would have to regularly force the computer to
shut down by turning the power off / holding the power button for 10 seconds,
or it would turn of instanty. I would usually reformat, and this would solve
the problem for 2 to 3 months.
I’m thinking it might be the power socket thingy, but has anyone else got
any ideas as to how i should check it, before buying a new one and if the
problems not the power-socket, what might be wrong, I’m not very confident
when opening my computer apart from Ram, video cards etc
Thanks in advance.

If by "power socket thingy" you mean something like a power strip or
surge protector into which you plug the computer's power cord, either
plug the computer directly into the wall or try plugging a regular lamp
into the socket on the power strip into which you had been plugging the
computer.

But it sounds to me more like you've burned out the computer's internal
power supply unit and/or on-off switch.

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

 

[Farad'n]

Hi, I was on my PC and it suddenly shut off, it didn’t go through the
shut-down process, it just instantly turned off. This has happened many times
before, but it usually shuts off instantly and then automatically restarts.
When I press the “Power” button, the LED light lights up for a fraction of a
second, then nothing.
I have Packard Bell iMedia 1804:
P4, 3.0 Ghz, 160 gb, 2gb Ram ( it only came with 512 mb of RAM)
Core: Sunshine (GA-8I915PM Ver 1.1)
I’ve had quite a lot of problems shutting down, this has been over a period
of around 18 Months, where i would have to regularly force the computer to
shut down by turning the power off / holding the power button for 10 seconds,
or it would turn of instanty. I would usually reformat, and this would solve
the problem for 2 to 3 months.
I’m thinking it might be the power socket thingy, but has anyone else got
any ideas as to how i should check it, before buying a new one and if the
problems not the power-socket, what might be wrong, I’m not very confident
when opening my computer apart from Ram, video cards etc
Thanks in advance.

This is a PHYSICAL problem with your computer and has nothing to do
with the OS. As such, the post does not belong HERE.

Ask elsewhere

 

[William R. Walsh]

I suspect that you have a fan which is not working, or a power supply that
is breaking down under load.

Any time your computer shuts down unexpectedly, you should find out why and
fix the problem. If it happens too many times, you risk damaging your
hardware and losing your data.

William

 

[Unknown]

Of course it has to do with the OS, He can't run it.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

You could drive at your IQ without risking a ticket. Even in a school zone.

 

[PD43]

You could drive at your IQ without risking a ticket. Even in a school zone.

Keep that up buck, and I'll sue you for infringing on my style <g>

 

[Farad'n]

Of course it has to do with the OS, He can't run it.

Um,

if the OS is never starting then the problem has NOTHING to do with
the OS.

 

[Carmen]

Um,

if the OS is never starting then the problem has NOTHING to do with
the OS.

You've got a nerve adopting that name and making a fool of yourself like this.
Does Wensicia know you post this crap? I doubt it.

Post a few replies that actually help someone, maybe even one and perhaps
people may take you seriously.

'Ask Elsewhere' is a sure fire road to ridicule unless you're proven to know
what you’re talking about.

You haven’t shown that as yet and as such have no right to tell anyone else
what to do.

For those unfamiliar with Wensicia and the name Farad’n :-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farad'n_Corrino

Carmen