My computer started acting funny one day as I came home to it and a blank screen presented itself. I restarted and got to windows and then it just shut off. I did it again and the same thing. Now when I turn it on I get nothing, not even a bios beep. WHAT HAPPENED!?
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HELP! Computer won't boot!
- Thread starter mrbeaubo
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #2
More: I get power to everything, including cd-rom, fans, etc. I thought maybe I might not be getting enough power so I left only hard drive and mobo connected, still no beep from the motherboard. I also changed powersupplies with just those 2 connected as well, still no beep. I tried another piece of ram, still nothing. The times it did come on right at the beginning it died to a blue screen of death system fault.
PCCHIPS m830lr
amd 1.53ghz
256 mb ddr 2100 crucial ram
40 gb 5200 rpm hard drive
PCCHIPS m830lr
amd 1.53ghz
256 mb ddr 2100 crucial ram
40 gb 5200 rpm hard drive
Was there a error message with the Blue Screen? It sounds as though your power supplies are bad or your mother board is bad based on your description of the power issue.Try a "new" power supply with additional wattage.No beep or POST means there is either a hardware issue or a bad CMOS(BIOS)speaker.Power supplies can be tested with a multi-meter too.
Software and hardware changes coud have resulted in your blue screen error issue.Assuming your supplies are good,try undoing any recent hardware or software changes that were made recently.Boot to Safe Mode and start there.
What OS do you have?There are other options to check if this dont work ,but try to add more info as you go.
Software and hardware changes coud have resulted in your blue screen error issue.Assuming your supplies are good,try undoing any recent hardware or software changes that were made recently.Boot to Safe Mode and start there.
What OS do you have?There are other options to check if this dont work ,but try to add more info as you go.
- Thread starter
- #4
There were a couple of different error messages, first was something about nav15.sys or something to that effect second looked to be a memory location. I have changed ram, same problem (blank monitor, no POST, still have power), I unplugged all unneccesary equipment and left just mobo, hdd, cpu, ram, PS, still same problem. Switch ram again - same, switched PS - same.
I had no recent hardware or software changes, just came home one day and computer was just on a blank black screen, most likely the result of a blue screen that had timed out. BLAH
I had no recent hardware or software changes, just came home one day and computer was just on a blank black screen, most likely the result of a blue screen that had timed out. BLAH
TekTippy4U
Technical User
Unplug ATX and pop out the RAM and graphics card, so only Mobo w/CPU and Power Supply are hooked up....and Power up....you should hear some beep error code that the system is looking for RAM.
If you get that far, unplug ATX then install RAM...plug in and power up again...you should get different beeps referring to missing graphics card.....unplug and install graphics and monitor only and you should see onscreen CPU and RAM recognized and ....I'm afraid "maybe" you didn't Remember to always remove ATX power cord from back whenever installing/removing any components especially RAM and Graphics
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
If you get that far, unplug ATX then install RAM...plug in and power up again...you should get different beeps referring to missing graphics card.....unplug and install graphics and monitor only and you should see onscreen CPU and RAM recognized and ....I'm afraid "maybe" you didn't Remember to always remove ATX power cord from back whenever installing/removing any components especially RAM and Graphics
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
- Thread starter
- #7
ski
Technical User
- Oct 11, 2000
- 2,467
- 0
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Place the MB on a piece of cardboard with just the CPU and PS connected.
If it starts up, then check for a shorting problem(loose piece of metal behind the MB, metal standoff touching a MB circuit trace, etc.).
If insulating the MB does not work, then it's due to either a bad PS, MB, or CPU.
Check the MB for anything unusual with the capacitors(bulging, leaking, etc.). If you see this, then replace the MB.
You can also check the PS with a voltmeter to see if it's ok.
If you do not have a VM, then you'll have to either swap out the PS, CPU, and MB, or have them shop tested to find the culprit.
If it starts up, then check for a shorting problem(loose piece of metal behind the MB, metal standoff touching a MB circuit trace, etc.).
If insulating the MB does not work, then it's due to either a bad PS, MB, or CPU.
Check the MB for anything unusual with the capacitors(bulging, leaking, etc.). If you see this, then replace the MB.
You can also check the PS with a voltmeter to see if it's ok.
If you do not have a VM, then you'll have to either swap out the PS, CPU, and MB, or have them shop tested to find the culprit.
TekTippy4U
Technical User
This may sound silly but don't dis-count the fact that the mobo speaker itself may be blown
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
- Thread starter
- #11
TekTippy4U
Technical User
Just thought i'd throw it out there.....and I'm unfortunately leaning towards a dead mobo
(Cmos battery bad? maybe?)....however....also with only mobo/cpu/psu..try putting one stick only of RAM in diff slots....one at a time
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
(Cmos battery bad? maybe?)....however....also with only mobo/cpu/psu..try putting one stick only of RAM in diff slots....one at a time
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
- Thread starter
- #13
Hmmmmm I put my hard drive on a different computer and it gave me the blue screen of death. I then set it to the secodary drive and am able to access the drive, so I am going to pull info off I need and reformat it and see what that does. Why won't my bios on my computer beep though? Ever heard of a bios that needs a HDD to even beep?
ski
Technical User
- Oct 11, 2000
- 2,467
- 0
- 0
The BSOD appeared on the different computer with the transplanted HD configured as the boot drive because it contains all of the hardware data for the computer it was taken from, and none of the hardware data for the computer it was transferred to.
Then, when it was configured as the slave drive and the original HD was reconfigured as the boot drive, the system was able to boot up because the original boot drive has all of the hardware data for that computer.
But a bad HD should not prevent a system from beeping(even a normal single beep).
So it's still possible that formatting it will not solve your problem.
I really think that you have either a bad PS, CPU, or MB.
What happened when you placed the MB on a piece of cardboard with just the PS, CPU, and MB connected?
Then, when it was configured as the slave drive and the original HD was reconfigured as the boot drive, the system was able to boot up because the original boot drive has all of the hardware data for that computer.
But a bad HD should not prevent a system from beeping(even a normal single beep).
So it's still possible that formatting it will not solve your problem.
I really think that you have either a bad PS, CPU, or MB.
What happened when you placed the MB on a piece of cardboard with just the PS, CPU, and MB connected?
- Thread starter
- #16
Nobody is late to the game until it is fixed 
With just ram, cpu, ps hooked up I got it to come on one time, it just beeped all of a sudden, screen slowly came to life, had CMOS BATTERY LOW, CMOS something else, keyboard error, i got into the bios to setup the cmos but then upon restart it wouldn't go again.
Now I reset my cmos yesterday with no results, so maybe I need to replace the batter? But how would that explain my hard drive acting up? What are the proper ways to change this battery? Just buy a new one and pop in and out with power unplugged?
With just ram, cpu, ps hooked up I got it to come on one time, it just beeped all of a sudden, screen slowly came to life, had CMOS BATTERY LOW, CMOS something else, keyboard error, i got into the bios to setup the cmos but then upon restart it wouldn't go again.
Now I reset my cmos yesterday with no results, so maybe I need to replace the batter? But how would that explain my hard drive acting up? What are the proper ways to change this battery? Just buy a new one and pop in and out with power unplugged?
Yeah, but it gives me the benefit of all the other solutions that haven't worked. So it is kinda like shooting dove over a baited field.
Some M/Bs will fail like that with a bad battery. Should be a coin battery , about the size of a nickel, marked 2032, with the + sign up. Slides out of the holder with a little pressure on the side opposite the open holder. Better to have the power off, but it really doesn't matter to the battery, just to anything you might short out.
And if that is the problem, you'll probably pop back up with a CMOS error and need to reset all the changable stuff.
Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.
Some M/Bs will fail like that with a bad battery. Should be a coin battery , about the size of a nickel, marked 2032, with the + sign up. Slides out of the holder with a little pressure on the side opposite the open holder. Better to have the power off, but it really doesn't matter to the battery, just to anything you might short out.
And if that is the problem, you'll probably pop back up with a CMOS error and need to reset all the changable stuff.
Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.
- Thread starter
- #18
Blah, pulled out the mobo, ran it on cardboard, another case, etc. Same results, moved a PS, case, hdd, video card, ram, out of another computer i know works, still same thing. Here's the funny thing, occasionally the bios will come on (meaning processor works) but it gives two different CMOS errors, memory size error and battery low, It has done this with 3 different batteries, one that was brand new. Is the motherboard pretty much a goner?
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- #20
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