Computer Hope
Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: firedog11ku on November 24, 2009, 03:12:41 PM
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I have a Emachine T6420. Bought it a couple of years ago. It was working fine, then locked up. Now, the power comes on (Power light, fans, DVD-rom and the HD light), but it never attempts to start windows. I cleaned the RAM and case, and set up the HD as a slave on another computer to make sure that it hadn't crashed (it still works fine). What else could be the issue? Thanks for the help.
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Exactly how far does the boot process get?
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It doesn't even start enough to get to the setup screen, so I'd guess that the bios doesn't even start.
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Can you manually enter BIOS Setup?
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Does anything display on the monitor at any time during the startup process?
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No, I can't get into the bios. The screen just stays blank. It does switch the monitor out of sleep, but that's it.
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No, I can't get into the bios. The screen just stays blank. It does switch the monitor out of sleep, but that's it.
Maybe it's on the screen but you can't see it because the onboard graphics is dead or the monitor is dead. Try another monitor, first.
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The monitor works when used with another computer. I also tried another graphics card and still nothing.
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I think Motherboard is a gonner, but you can try disconnecting everything except monitor & keyboard. Remove HDD, CD, mouse, etc. just to see if you can get to BIOS.
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Thanks, I'll give it a try.
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Well, I unhooked everything, but the motherboard w/ the memory installed. The lights on the keyboard blink every 2 seconds, but nothing happens. :-[ I take that the mother board is fried?
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Try with only i stik of RAM in the slot closest to the CPU...
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I tried the single RAM and still nothing. The lights on the keyboard don't even light. Any more suggestions. What is the likely hood that the Power supply is bad?
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...What is the likely hood that the Power supply is bad?
It's possible the +3.3V is out, +5, & +12 appear to be okay.
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Well, I unhooked everything, but the motherboard w/ the memory installed. The lights on the keyboard blink every 2 seconds, but nothing happens.
I tried the single RAM and still nothing. The lights on the keyboard don't even light. Any more suggestions.
Have you tried it with the "other" single stick of RAM in slot closest to CPU? Perhaps in another slot?
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No, but I'll give it a shot. thanks.
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The problem is the motherboard NVIDIA GeForce 6100 / nForce 410 video chip! As a result of heating and cooling of the solder that attaches the video chip to the motherboard, the video chip has separated from the motherboard. This is a very common problem with the Nvidia video chips. The problem is easily repairable and only takes about 20 minutes or so. Tools needed are 1 phillips head screw driver, aluminum foil, thermal grease from Best Buy, and a cheap heat gun from Lowe's or Home Depot ($25)!
There's a number on videos on Youtube you can watch on how to repair the Nvidia video chip and this process. In the center of this particular motherboard, there's a small heat sink. Open the computer case side panel. Unplug all the wires attached to the motherboard. Remove all the wires, plugs and so on from the motherboard. NOTE: Make sure you pay particular attention to the on/off, HDD light, and power light plug locations (take a picture for reference if you have to). Remove all the screws (should be 7 or 8) holding the motherboard to the computer case. Now remove the motherboard from the computer. Remove the large heat sink for the main processor. Remove the small heat sink exposing the video chip in the center of the mother board. Remove the CMOS battery from the motherboard.
Place the motherboard on a dry surface (not the kitchen counter). Now take the aluminum foil and carefully cover the areas surrounding the video chip to protect them from heat. Take the heat gun on a low setting and carefully heat the video chip for about 25 or 35 seconds (I usually hold the heat gun about 3 to 4 inches away from the chip and move the heat gun back and forth). Be careful not to get too close or too hot otherwise you will melt the solder completely under the video chip. After the heating the video chip, let the board cool on it's own.
After the chip has cooled, remove the aluminum foil, and place a small dab of thermal grease on the video chip. Also, smear thermal grease on top of the main processor before replacing the heat sinks. Re-install the heat sinks and re-install the motherboard into the computer case. Attach all the screws, then plug all the wire back into where they came from.
Computer should work fine now! Good Luck
Here's a video on Youtube from RebootIT on repairing a laptop motherboard with a Nvidia video chip. Same problem, different board! But you can get the main idea of how to heat up the video chip on the motherboard. Also, note in the video, Max uses a butane torch rather than a heat gun. The Torch heats very fast so I would recommend using a cheap heat gun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnkQNmKauEc&feature=pyv&ad=5823851286&kw=DV9000
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The problem is the motherboard NVIDIA GeForce 6100 / nForce 410 video chip! .....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnkQNmKauEc&feature=pyv&ad=5823851286&kw=DV9000
This is very interesting & informative, but the machine in question is not a laptop, nor an HP or Compaq. Would have been nice if you actually read the thread before you posted.