PC Dump (resolved)

Hashey · Post by **Hashey** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:35 am

Ok, a week ago on tuesday(23/05) i came home from school and offcourse wanted to start up my pc again. But when i pressed the button, my pc didn't do anything. My screen just stayed black, i didnt hear any fan's starting or any lights turning on. So i talked to Mat already about this and he said it could be the PSU.

I also tried using a different cable to the PSU but this didn't help it either. So i decided to take it to the computer store in town where they tested it and said it wasn't the PSU. Now i left it there since that tuesday to let them see what the problem is with it.

As for now, 10 days have passed since i've heard anything so if i don't get a call today im most likely going to the pc store tomorrow to get it back cause im sick and tired of waiting. I went over there several days ago to get an update and they said i should've received a call 1 or 2 days ago, but nothing happened. They also said its most likely the motherboard which took a dump on it.

So, anyone has any ideas on what could be broken so i could get it repaired/buy new stuff so i can start playing again?

Daywrecker · Post by **Daywrecker** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:44 am

Whatever's broken check the manufacturer warranty and RMA requirements. You'd be surprise how old and the condition you can return stuff. I had a motherboard well over a year old an while trying to take the fan off the CPU once i scratched the solder runs on the board and destroyed it. I just told them it stopped working and RMA'd it and a couple weeks later i had a new motherboard. All it costed me was shipping. One time i was pulling out a video card and it got caught and my hand slipped and i ripped off a capacitor. Told them it stopped working, sent it in, and got a new card back. Even got an upgrade because the other card wasn't being made anymore.

Hashey · Post by **Hashey** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:48 am

Well, i think the books i have about this pc are most likely lost. I've had this pc for 5/6 years now and the only upgrade i've done mainly is add some extra RAM memory. But still if i don't know whats broken, i can't send it back to get a replacement.

ps: i feel like im in rehab now. And it sucks

MajorBurner · Post by **MajorBurner** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 11:08 am

maybe the motherboard ??

MadRat · Post by **MadRat** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:03 pm

sounds like the motherboard switch relay.

cheaper to buy a new board and maybe get a new psu at same time.

wish i'd known earlier just sold a motherboard you could have had it for the price of shipping.

Charger · Post by **Charger** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:49 pm

Hashey,
I've encountered similar problems before. First, check your power button that you press. I've had more than a few go bad. If I remember correctly, that switch is a "momentary contact", so you pull off the 2 wires, then touch them together for a few seconds and release. This should pull in the mobo relay allowing the PSU to engage.
Touch together again or pull 120V/240 plug to turn off.

Another option, if your adventurous, is to find the diagram for your Mobo and get the pinouts for your ATX connector. I've already jumpered the incoming pins (4 & 6??? GREEN and BROWN wires) to the Power Supply, simulating the Motherboard relay as an emergency (when isn't it?) solution. Just use some common sense and a little caution when working around live circuits.

That front panel switch may have 3 wires to it. One is a common, one is ON, and the last is OFF. You use the "Common" wire and one of the others. Try other combination if the 1st doesn't do it.

Post by **Ash2Dust** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:12 pm

Its either going to be the PSU or Motherboard, rarely the switch. You can to the 'shorting' test as thats the function of the button, but make sure you double check the pins/wires you are shorting. I've used a sharpened small paperclip to short the wires on the ATX connector itself. Just make sure that when you read the pinout diagram thats its not reversed. Sockets and plugs are mirrored.

Since its 10 days, I doubt they know what they are doing or they possibly fried/broke something and are hoping you go away.

A 5 year old system is hard to justify putting parts and labor into as that will probably run you 1/3 the price of a new system. Plus, you have fan bearings, hard drive bearings, cdrom bearings that will one day fail and require more money and labor in the near future. Not too mention its getting harder to run the new games on a system that old.

Power supplies are easy enough to obtain and most place will take returns if thats not the problem. Just ask what their return policy is.

Motherboard can be trickier. 5 year old boards are hard to find new. If you have a generic OEM/retail Windows XP CD then you can reinstall with a any manufacturer motherboard. If you have a big name manufacturer (Dell, Compaq, HP, e-machine, etc) then your version of XP will most likely only install on a motherboard of the same manufacturer.

Hashey · Post by **Hashey** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:18 pm

I have a Dell Dimension 4500. And i was thinking of taking a ASUS A8N-SLI Premium with a new processor and a gfx card(currently got AGP crap in my pc, but wanted to change to PCIe)

PeterJennings · Post by **PeterJennings** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:36 pm

Do you have a second desktop available? That makes things a lot easier, cause you can swap in the PSU or whatever to see where the problem is.

Hashey · Post by **Hashey** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:06 pm

It's not the PSU. At the pc store, a guy did the trick with the paperclip that Ash used too, and it started to run then.

MadRat · Post by **MadRat** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:18 pm

Hashey wrote:I have a Dell Dimension 4500. And i was thinking of taking a ASUS A8N-SLI Premium with a new processor and a gfx card(currently got AGP crap in my pc, but wanted to change to PCIe)

if you can afford it go for it i used to have one i found it very stable
my lad has it now and i've got the new A8N32-SLi deluxe.

stick with maybe an 800 card or maybe a GTX790 the X1900 are good
so they say.

Post by **Ash2Dust** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:51 pm

Hashey wrote:It's not the PSU. At the pc store, a guy did the trick with the paperclip that Ash used too, and it started to run then.

Then why are they sitting on your computer over a switch? You can get a dead PC on ebay or even cut a clean hole and mount a new switch.

Hashey · Post by **Hashey** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:34 am

I called the store today, finally got the right guy on and he said it was the PSU that was broken, so they stuffed a new one in it and i can collect it now. They also tried to call me but the number they had was wrong

CaptLanceUK · Post by **CaptLanceUK** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:45 am

You need to go in there with a Jackhammer

WoodenPlank · Post by **WoodenPlank** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:46 am

Flamethrower is more like it.