Computer Experts Unite!

[poke4christ]

Well I got home from work yesterday and turned on my computer and got what every techno-geek fears to see. Nothing. Not only is my computer not booting, but the BIOS isn't booting. I had been having some problems recently that I though might have been virus related, however multiple (and up to date) scans of the computer have suggested otherwise. I think it might be more likely that windows had screwed up in the registry some how.

Symtoms had before breakdown:

-Needed to reinstall Office due to Excel not being fully installed (instal screen came up)
-Needed to re-initialize my TV program as setting had been lost somehow
-lost ability to verify DVD copyrights and therfore play DVDs

Hardware setup
-Self built Computer, 2 years old
-ASUS motherboard
-Athlon 64 3400+ processor
-1 GB RAM
-200 GB HD
-ATI 9600 All-In-Wonder Video Card (128)

Symtoms after Breakdown
-won't boot at all
-Don't hear Beep of BIOS startup
-fans running
-optical drives running
-Window CD and Linux Live CD don't work since BIOS won't start up.

I don't think that a virus can do this stuff and a knowledgable friend has the same opinion. I think that the two problems are probably unrelated, but I can't say for sure. Please let me know anything of help that you guys might suggest. Thanks!

Zach

[yermom]

if the BIOS doesn't come up, it sounds like the motherboard may be hosed

if the fans and drives are spinning, i'd guess it's not the power supply, but that is another place to look

[Cam]

Sounds like the motherboard to me as well, but I'm by no means an expert.

[Ike]

firstly...viruses can re-write the bios. it's happened before.
not sure if theres much hope of recovering if the bios has been re-written to not boot up at all....but viruses that do this are kind of rare.


secondly, with the bios not booting, there are really only a few options...any of the problems you have had with windows are completely independent and NOT the cause of the current problem. The options are a)the bios got hosed (as above) b) something else on the motherboard is hosed, c) bad power supply, or even a bad wire on the power supply fanout. (assuming this is a desktop).


Because power supplies are much cheaper than mobos, I'd suggest changing that out first, even though I think that is the least likely case. If that doesn't work, I recommend a new motherboard.

[SicEmBaylor]

I had a virus that rewrote the bios on an old computer. Nasty *** SOB..I think it was a Chernobyl virus but don't hold me too that. Anyway, it basically destroyed the comp.

[Widescreen]

Could be the CPU too. One of my PC's had the exact same symptoms and replacing the CPU fixed it.

[GottaHavePride]

Turn off your computer and make sure it powers down.
Drop it in a 43-foot hole in the ground.
Bury it completely; rocks and boulders should do fine.
Then burn all the clothes you may have worn while you were online.

VIRUS ALERT!

[SoonerBorn68]

I had the same thing happen to self built 'puter. Think power supply.

It had enough juice to turn on the lights but not to boot. No bios, no nothing. It's happened to me twice, but I leave my computer on most of the time.

[OUWxGuesser]

Agree with SoonerBorn. Check the power supply. I've had them go out several times with the same sort of symptoms.

Try unplugging non essential drives (except your primary HD) and see if it boots. If it does, you have too much load on it. If it still doesn't boot, try hooking up another power supply to it (some of us nerds have spare ones laying around). If the computer is still lifeless, I'm going with the mobo (then CPU). The times I've had a CPU go bad, the bios at least booted but then gave a CPU error message.

Another possibility is the motherboard is shorted... and something is touching metal that it isn't supposed to. Blow out the dust and make sure everything looks ok.

[soonerboomer93]

pull the memory, if should error beep without memory installed

i would so check the power supply. unplug all the drives and get it to post, then hook up drives 1 at a time, starting with your primary hd

[GottaHavePride]

Easy check of the power supply: does it smell like burning hair? If so, it's hosed.

Oh, you should also check the Air Supply.

[IB4OU2]

Oh, you should also check the Air Supply.

[/quote]

Yea it may be "All out of Love".

http://www.airsupplymusic.com/

[Sooner_Bob]

My home built PC did the same thing . . . turned out to be the power supply. I bought a bigger one and things are running great now.