Computer Power problem...

[ultimatum]

Hey there guys,

Haven't been here in a while, well here it goes. A friend of mine told me that his computer suddenly stopped powering on for no reason, I checked it out and it seemed like the power supply died since the mobo light didn't go on anymore. So, I bought a new power supply which made the mobo light go on and still it wouldn't power, absolutely no sign of life. The computer is pretty old not additional hardware or software has been installed, its stock and not much to it.

Any ideas or suggestions what could be the problem or how to check for other possible problems? Thanks guys.

[brett74]

hi can we get the system specs please so that we can further help you

[Frankie]

Are any fans spinning in the computer including the Psu fan. Is the harddrive working?

As soon as the PC powers up, you should be able to hear the harddrive motor spin the drive (like a very, very, quiet jet taking off) and the read/write head seeking (a gentle clunking sound). If you're absolutely baffled as to whether or not the drive is spinning up, due to background noise or hearing problems, you can resort to feeling the Harddrive cover. Making sure that you do not touch any wires or circuitry under the Harddrive.

[brett74]

he just said that he had no signs of life just the light on the mobo

[Frankie]

he just said that he had no signs of life just the light on the mobo

I read what he said but sometimes people overlook these things! I already belive I know what it is, do you! Also what specs do you want of him and for what reason! Please be more precise!!!!

He said "no signs of life, just the light on the MB" Well to me, that's a sign of life. Not a very good one, but a sign!!

[stevejohnson1958]

he just said that he had no signs of life just the light on the mobo

I read what he said but sometimes people overlook these things! I already belive i know what it is, do you! Also what specs do you want of him and for what reason! Please be more precise!!!!

Let's not keep the OP in suspense...if you know what it is...please just tell the OP.

[Frankie]

he just said that he had no signs of life just the light on the mobo

I read what he said but sometimes people overlook these things! I already belive i know what it is, do you! Also what specs do you want of him and for what reason! Please be more precise!!!!

Let's not keep the OP in suspense...if you know what it is...please just tell the OP.

I am not going to say what I think when my questions have not been answered!!

[brett74]

it maybe a short but not sure I would check everything over again to make sure nothing would be shorting the mobo out

[Frankie]

Brett
In future when I ask something it's for a reason, so stop questioning the things I ask! This isn't the first time you have done this and I find it annoying! The Guy wants all the help he can get without you questioning every post!!!!

[brett74]

hey you are annoying one and next give better advice too not a dumb one like you did tonight

[Frankie]

it maybe a short but not sure

What like this! Say no more!!

I asked the poster questions to definitely rule out his power supply! What is so dumb about that!!

[stevejohnson1958]

Guys...please keep your bickering within the confines of PMs and not the forums, please.

This is a big turn-off to those looking for computer help...agreed?

[Frankie]

Guys...please keep your bickering within the confines of PMs and not the forums, please.

This is a big turn-off to those looking for computer help...agreed?

Agreed! But at the end of the day I'm only here to help and not to be questioned about my advice!!

[Frankie]

There is a possibility that the motherboard may be faulty. But rather then exchanging that right now for a new one; I felt it better to test other things first. What is the point in buying a new mainboard if you don't need one!! 

[homer]

But at the end of the day I'm only here to help and not be questioned about my posts on advice!!

but you will be questioned at one time or another. you have to, at any time, be prepared to defend your statements. yes, it can get annoying, but as long as you know what you are talking about and as long as you can back your statements up you will be fine.

as for the PSU problem, is this PSU of equal or greater wattage? are all connections secure and correct? triple check all your connections. if everything seems to be in order and the comp still will not turn on, remove all connections from the power supply, except the main 120v or 220v connector. insure that the kill switch on the back of the power supply is on, then get a paper clip and jumper the green wire to any black wire on the main 20+4 or 24 pin connector. if the PSU is in good shape, the power supply will turn on and you should hear the power supply fan kick on.

[Frankie]

But at the end of the day I'm only here to help and not be questioned about my posts on advice!!

but you will be questioned at one time or another. you have to, at any time, be prepared to defend your statements. yes, it can get annoying, but as long as you know what you are talking about and as long as you can back your statements up you will be fine.

Sorry, I'll refraze it - I don't mined been questioned by someone who knows what they are talking about! Like yourself.

Btw, Did you see anything wrong with the posts I made in this tread. I'm about talking computer terms!!

[ultimatum]

First of all, thank you all for quick response. No, I can't give you any specs on the computer as I never seen it working. As mentioned before the computer is really simple: Mobo, 1 Hard Drive, 1 CD Drive, and CPU + Fan. The power supply is working 100% because I bought it yesterday fresh from the box, everything is connected properly I double checked it. When I power it on I was hoping to at least see the power supply start but no power supply no other hardware will function, except the green light on the mobo.

A bit later this evening when I get back from school I'll post some pictures, although it may be possible that the mobo is in contact with the back cover case which won't let it power up, it happened to me last time. I'll update you guys later on today. Thanks again.

[ultimatum]

Here are some pics:

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk144/ultimatum2/df.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk144/ultimatum2/pc_fix012.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk144/ultimatum2/pc_fix008.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk144/ultimatum2/pc_fix006.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk144/ultimatum2/pc_fix005.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk144/ultimatum2/pc_fix004.jpg

[homer]

The power supply is working 100% because I bought it yesterday fresh from the box

that does not mean its working. do as i suggested earlier and test to see if the PSU kicks on. do not worry about being shocked as the voltage that is present there is not enough to shock you.

if the PSU kicks on that means that there is a problem with the motherboard. then i would recommend removing the motherboard and making sure all standoffs are in place. while the mobo is out, i suggest also looking for anything that could possibly be shorting the motherboard, such as a foreign object or a bulge in the computer case.

[brett74]

I agree with homer and I would also clean around the cpu heat sink there's alot of dust piled up in the fan and heatsink.

[ultimatum]

Success, I did what you said and power supply fan is spinning so its working, the thing is freaking silent I couldn't hear it but felt the air flow. Going to remove motherboard in a bit.

[ultimatum]

I cleaned the PC completely, placed everything back together, reconnected power supply and still not even the power supply will turn on now, any suggestions now? What could be the problem? Is it possible for the motherboard to be dead even though the green light is on?

[homer]

Is it possible for the motherboard to be dead even though the green light is on?

yes. but just before coming to the conclusion that the motherboard is fried, is the front panel I/O header on the motherboard correctly hooked up to the power and reset buttons?

[DwayneZ]

Try disassembling your computer and start back to zero.

[ultimatum]

Is it possible for the motherboard to be dead even though the green light is on?

yes. but just before coming to the conclusion that the motherboard is fried, is the front panel I/O header on the motherboard correctly hooked up to the power and reset buttons?

Well, I assumed that could be the problem, but I was told the computer worked before and no one messed with inside hardware so technically it should work but it wouldn't hurt to check. With this old mobo I don't really know which ones to connect where if I disconnect them. Is there a manual or a tutorial specifically for this mobo.

[jerryheavyarms]

Have you tried reseating the other components? videocard, RAM...

[ultimatum]

Have you tried reseating the other components? videocard, RAM...

The only other removable component is RAM which I reseated and even then still nothing.

[homer]

Is there a manual or a tutorial specifically for this mobo.

i looked but i could not find one. hopefully the front panel I/O header is labeled. if it looks like it is hooked up correctly, and all the PSU leads are hooked up correctly, then i believe it is safe to say the mobo is fried.

[stevejohnson1958]

If you can provide us with the manufacturer and model number of your mother board...I'll look for a manual for you.

You didn't list that information within this thread...

[homer]

the model number is in one of the photo's he provided.

K8V-MX/S is the model number. the closest i could find was the K8V-MX, however it looks nothing like the one he has.

[stevejohnson1958]

Found this information from hardforum.com...

Even though the manual says K8V-MX

One of the posters stated this fact:

UPDATED: Fujitsu Siemens Computers distributes the K8V-MX/S as the "D1711" mainboard. Here's their link to the KV8-MX/S User Manual (in PDF format):

http://www.fujitsu-siemens.co.uk/rl/...11-Z120-UK.pdf

[xavier]

Gigabyte has a K8 board> I had same PBLM 1 time Put in new Power supply, ram, V card ended up motherboard  bad

[ultimatum]

Its an ASUS motherboard and that sticker K8... is the only valuable information in terms of model. This is a pretty old PC, and IF the mobo is fried then I'm thinking is it worth buying a new mobo or it would be better to buy a new one in the long run.

[brett74]

it all depends on how old the pc is. And it depends on how big your budget is.

[Crafty]

There is a possibility that the motherboard may be faulty. But rather then exchanging that right now for a new one; I felt it better to test other things first. What is the point in buying a new mainboard if you don't need one!!

hey you are annoying one and next give better advice too not a dumb one like you did tonight

Looks like Frankie may be right after all. People here need to be given a chance to diagnose a problem first before giving out any good advice.

[ultimatum]

I never diagnosed motherboard for functionality, how do I go about doing that? Any suggestions? I don't have a spare motherboard to perform a quick swap and taking my current PC apart is a great idea I have too many components connected.

What are my options? Oh, since its not my pc I'm not sure about the budget, my friend was willing to buy another power supply (which we did, and ye I tested the old power supply with a paper clip method and it didn't work so its dead) not sure if she will be up to buying a new mobo, but shes not into buying another PC thats for sure, so may be new mobo after all that is if current one is actaully fried!

[brett74]

  I've never tested a motherboard before so I don't know how to do it but maybe the other guys do. i'm sorry about that last post. but from what other people have said I have to think that the mobo is bad too.

[Crafty]

I never diagnosed motherboard for functionality, how do I go about doing that? Any suggestions?

You would do what is called a bench test to test the mainboard, but I’m not so sure that you would be comfitubale doing this as it requires using a screw driver to switch the computer on and the mainboard been placed outside of the computer on top of a cardboard box. 

What I would do if I was you is the next best thing. Disconnect all these things from the computer. Hard drive, DVD/cdrom, video card, soundcard. Now all you should be left with is mainboard/cpu heatsink fan/ ram. Now boot the computer up and see if anything happens? like fans start spinning, if you also have another slot for the ram on the mainboard I would try that slot to.

Ok, now if none of the above brings any luck then the problem is what has been suggested already. Either faulty power switch wich a computer shop could test in seconds. Faulty mainboard, cpu or heatsink fan. Heatsink fans are cheap, so I would consider trying a new one of those. 

[ultimatum]

Recently, I've tried disconnecting hard drives and cd drives leaving only power supply, cpu+ fan, and ram. Still nothing. I tried taking out and reseating power switch jumpers on the mobo still nothing. Is  there a way to test heatsink in a similar way as the power supply? If yes, how? I visited my local computer store "PC Village" - www.pcvonline.com (looks exactly like www.canadacomputers.com for some reason) anyways, their price is $35 for just a check up to tell me whats wrong with it before they get to fixing it. I don't feel like wasting $35 bucks on an old pc like this at the moment!

This is the most information I could find for this mobo: http://www.fixya.com/support/p568356-asus_k8v_mx_k8vmxsi_motherboard

Any other suggestions?

[brett74]

You can't test a heatsink cause it's just a metal block with fins. The fan you can test though and also the processor on another board.Also how old is the pc if it's pretty old it's time for a new one. If it's a pretty old pc rather than spending money on getting it fixed I would replace it or just replace the motherboard and processor.

[ultimatum]

The pc is pretty old, most likely from 2001-2003, and I'm guessing its one of those ready-to-go desktop PCs which is why its so hard to find the mobo manual.

How would the CPU Fan cause any power problems though? Wouldn't it just say that CPU is overheating and turn off automatically or something? Btw, I replaced my ram with the existing and still nothing so that eliminates the ram too which leaves: CPU, Motherboard, or the Fan. I'm curious which one of these three could possibly keep (at the least) from powering power supply?

[brett74]

i would say either the motherboard or cpu at this point. In my opinion if the computer that old i would buy a new since it would cost about the same to rebuild that one. That what I'm going to do probably within a year or so.