Computer Fixer Guru...guys [Archive] - SoonerFans.com Message Boards

colleyvillesooner

3/24/2007, 11:37 AM

My computer was off overnight, and when I turned it on this morning, it booted up to the black screen where it aknowledges the drives, checks the memory, etc. Well it just showed the first line, the motherboard I believe, then wouldn't do anything else. Then I restarted, and it showed the first line, started checking the memory and froze. I turned it off for 30 sec.

I tried to restart and it wouldn't turn on, nothing, no power. Unhooked the power cable plugged it back on, did this a couple of times, and it powered right up and works like before.

What happened? Power Supply failing?

yermom

3/24/2007, 11:52 AM

sounds more like the BIOS to me

i had a Compaq with a goofy BIOS, it worked fine until it had to be rebooted, then weirdness would happen. if you chose certain options in the BIOS setup it would just freeze

my solution was to never reboot it :D

i never could find a BIOS update for it (their site succs, or it did at the time) or i would have tried that...

colleyvillesooner

3/24/2007, 12:21 PM

Sooooo, just don't turn it off?

yermom

3/24/2007, 04:10 PM

i never shut off my machines

RacerX

3/24/2007, 07:40 PM

Neither do I.

usmc-sooner

3/24/2007, 07:46 PM

it has become self aware

colleyvillesooner

3/25/2007, 01:35 PM

oh ****...

SleestakSooner

3/26/2007, 05:00 AM

You can also try booting it up in SAFE MODE and then running your anti-virus/spyware programs to hopefully clean up any problems you may have loaded on to the machine.

crawfish

3/26/2007, 07:45 AM

You can also try booting it up in SAFE MODE and then running your anti-virus/spyware programs to hopefully clean up any problems you may have loaded on to the machine.

Safe mode won't do you any good if you can't get out of BIOS.

colleyvillesooner

3/26/2007, 08:51 AM

ooooohhhh...sick nerd burn.

:D

colleyvillesooner

4/3/2007, 08:41 PM

OK new development.

I leave it on every night, no problems.

This morning, I wake up, go to the computer, and it's off, no motor running, quiet. Only the light on the front that tells you it's on is still lit up. I push the button in until it turns off, wait 30 seconds, then push it, and it boots up like normal and runs like normal. Came home from work and it was "off" again.

:confused:

StoopTroup

4/3/2007, 08:45 PM

I bet it's walking in it's sleep.

Is there a camera hooked up to it?

If so...it might have taken pics of you in your sleep.

I'd set up a sting if I was you.

Make sure you have a shotgun and when it comes into the room...blow it away man!

sanantoniosooner

4/3/2007, 08:47 PM

Do you have one of these guys in the house?
http://www.horrortalk.com/reviews/TrilogyOfTerror/Trilogy17.jpg

colleyvillesooner

4/3/2007, 08:59 PM

Yeah, were getting married on the 28th.

BAH-ZING!

BajaOklahoma

4/3/2007, 09:18 PM

Back up all of the important stuff right now. Just in case.

AggieTool

4/3/2007, 09:31 PM

Possibly a bad sector on the HD. Run chkdsk /r from the dos prompt after booting up in safe mode.

Sooner_Bob

4/3/2007, 10:04 PM

Can you get to your BIOS Setup screen and check out your settings? Something may have been dorked up and just needs a reset.

Flashin' the BIOS can be kinda tricky so be careful if you end up doing that. Depending on the MB manufacturer you can sometimes a replacement BIOS chip if it happens to go bad.

colleyvillesooner

4/3/2007, 11:26 PM

uh, what? :O

soonerboomer93

4/4/2007, 04:52 AM

um, either your power supply or mainboard is failing (it could be processor, but i'd bet mainboard or ps)

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 07:43 AM

how much is a new power supply? Could I change that myself?

I f either just stops working, am I gonna lose all the things on my hard drives, or just have to get a new mainboard?

SoonerJack

4/4/2007, 08:01 AM

Yeah, BIOS problem. You're probably going to need to add more to the motherboard. I'd say a couple of ounces ;-)

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 08:02 AM

So what's my solution. What's the damage?

sanantoniosooner

4/4/2007, 08:04 AM

flux capacitor.

SleestakSooner

4/4/2007, 08:25 AM

If you know what you are doing, changing the power supply is not that difficult. You may have some trouble finding one that is compatible with your motherboard/tower if your machine is a few years older. It would probably be in your computer's best interests for you to hire a pro or take it to a local repair shop. Just be careful moving it if you haven't in a long while. Like a previous poster stated you should back-up your hard drive ASAP. In my experience when an older machine starts malfunctioning a crash and burn scenario is a likely outcome.

Sorry if this is not that optimistic but aren't computers a wonderful thing?

OUDoc

4/4/2007, 08:40 AM

Take it to the car wash and clean it out really well.
Don't forget the spot-free rinse. Hard water will kill the motherboard.

RacerX

4/4/2007, 01:34 PM

Geeks are your friends. Do you know any local to you?

Most geeks have bone yards. One of them is bound to have an extra power supply. That way you can at least test the theory. Else, a new power supply is say...maybe $30 and fairly easy to swap.

The motherboard issue will get complicated.

Are your fans running, is it overheating?

Do like tool said and do a scan disk for fun. Your disks are probably fine.

Vaevictis

4/4/2007, 01:56 PM

I f either just stops working, am I gonna lose all the things on my hard drives, or just have to get a new mainboard?

It is possible for the OS to go all wonky and corrupt the stuff on the hard drive, but the hard drive itself will not likely physically experience any damage.

You really want to always have a reasonably recent backup for any data you are concerned about losing.

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 02:55 PM

What's the best way to back it up?

It was overheating a while back, but I took it out of it's little cubby hole in the desk and that solved that problem. I looked the other day and it looks like I have two fans a big one and a little one. I don't think the big one is plugged in, but I didn't unplug it, so It may just be an old one that didn't get taken out. I'll take a pic and post it later.

But, the wierd thing is, when I turn it back on, I have to turn my "quick launch" toolbar back on and the order is different than it was.

I_SMELL_FEAR

4/4/2007, 03:35 PM

just use the windows backup utility..it works pretty good.

I_SMELL_FEAR

4/4/2007, 03:39 PM

and before you ask:

Start-Programs-Accesories-System tools-backup

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 03:59 PM

thanks

Mjcpr

4/4/2007, 04:13 PM

and before you ask:

Start-Programs-Accesories-System tools-backup

Where does the key go?

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 04:16 PM

Eat it, pat.

What exactly does it "back up".

I've been meaning to take all my pictures and videos onto CD's to save, and that's really the only thing I would dread losing if it blew up.

Hatfield

4/4/2007, 04:54 PM

So what's my solution. What's the damage?

http://trouble.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives/office-space-05.jpg

Hatfield

4/4/2007, 04:55 PM

durn double post

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 08:46 PM

Okay, here's the fan situation:

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1223/thdsc04486di1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The little black one in the center is running, but the white one of the left is unplugged (that's the plug in my hand). Could that be if I had the black one put in, and they just left the white on in there.

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 08:47 PM

and before you ask:

Start-Programs-Accesories-System tools-backup

Is that the same as Start-Programs-Accesories-System tools-System restore ?

sanantoniosooner

4/4/2007, 08:49 PM

Is that the same as Start-Programs-Accesories-System tools-System restore ?
no.

Restore and backup are two different things, but it is in the same area.

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 08:50 PM

no.

Restore and backup are two different things, but it is in the same area.

Well, there is no option for Backup there. I'll keep looking.

sanantoniosooner

4/4/2007, 08:52 PM

Well, there is no option for Backup there. I'll keep looking.
Mine clearly has a backup option in the same area you would find restore.

I wonder if XP home is different than XP Pro in this regard.

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 08:54 PM

Mine clearly has a backup option in the same area you would find restore.

I wonder if XP home is different than XP Pro in this regard.

yeah, it is. I have to go get it off the disk. Doing that now.

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 08:59 PM

working on it now

RacerX

4/4/2007, 10:29 PM

plug in the clear fan. It's important.

colleyvillesooner

4/4/2007, 11:09 PM

You serious Clark?

Where?

GrapevineSooner

4/4/2007, 11:46 PM

I see your clear fan has a male connection coupled with a female connection. If you don't have any available connections eminating from the main board, unplug a peripheral such as a CD-ROM drive, take that plug you've just uplugged and plug into the male connection and then plug the female end into the male end on the back of the peripheral.

Or something like that ;)

In reality, leaving the clear fan unplugged right now won't be too problematic as long as you leave a side of the case open for ventilation.

soonerboomer93

4/5/2007, 12:10 AM

backup is not on xp home

colleyvillesooner

4/5/2007, 07:44 AM

backup is not on xp home

Yeah, you have to go get it off the install disk.

colleyvillesooner

4/5/2007, 07:55 AM

OUDoc

4/5/2007, 08:04 AM

http://www.vacantcanvas.com/images/93.jpg
Problem solved.

I_SMELL_FEAR

4/5/2007, 09:35 AM

That worked, and the fan light came on, but the blades aren't spinning. I bet that is some of the problem. I'll get a new one soon.

hopefully that is the problem...could be that your computer is getting hot without the airflow and its shutting down when it gets hot...after it cools off it starts to run again. I wouldnt let it run at long intervals until I got all the fans working, or at least take off the side panel as was suggested.

OUDoc

4/5/2007, 09:40 AM

Pack ice inside the case.
Nice and cool.

GrapevineSooner

4/5/2007, 11:20 AM

Take it to Antartica.

Problem solved.

OUTromBoNado

4/6/2007, 07:28 AM

Here's the solution...press ALT + F4.

BTW, my cpu fan trumps yours.
http://www.stormkiller.com/other_files/new_cpu/slides/Img_0445.jpg

http://www.stormkiller.com/other_files/new_cpu/slides/Img_0451.jpg

colleyvillesooner

4/6/2007, 08:49 AM

holy crap

OUTromBoNado

4/6/2007, 03:21 PM

Yeah, my old computer just used the stock fan and would idle at about 50 degress Celsius. My bedroom is on the SW side of my house, which is naturally hot, and that computer just made it worse.

I decided when I built a new rig that I would get a really good aftermarket cooler. I've got that cooler, plus a 120mm case fan on the front and back. My new box has never risen above 39C...right now, it's sitting at 34C. Of course, modular power supply cabling, rounded IDE cables, SATA cables, plus a case designed for good airflow help out too.

Making sure the inside is not a rat's nest of cables and wires is a must. Don't forget to take a can of compressed air and blow out the dust around everything about once a month.