Urgent Help Please ... Computer powers up but nothing happens!

  • Thread starter Thread starter UKUser007
  • Start date Start date
U

UKUser007

I'm really hoping that someone will be able to tell me what the problem is as
our main computer with lots of work on it won't start up.

It was fine last night and was turned off correctly but this morning after
switching on and then putting the monitor on nothing happened. There was no
whirring as it started, just silence.

The power light was on the cpu but the second light didn't come on so
nothing happened and the monitor stayed blank.

To turn off the computer the on/off switch didn't work so I had to take the
plug out and put it back in. I've checked all the cables are in and tried
again but nothing.

The computer was only purchased in Jan 07 so we are out of warranty and the
shop that made it aren't open over the weekend.

I have Windows XP Home and all the discs but haven't touched anything as I'm
not an expert anddon't want to make matters worse.

Any advice to what you think may be up would be appreciated.

Many thanks
 
Is it a laptop or a desktop? Is the monitor switched on?

My overall reaction is that you need to take the computer to a small
computer repair shop. They should be geared to repair what is most
likely a hardware fault and not to things that risk losing your work. If
the problem is not the hard drive your data files should be retrievable.


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UKUser007 wrote:
> I'm really hoping that someone will be able to tell me what the
> problem is as our main computer with lots of work on it won't start
> up.
>
> It was fine last night and was turned off correctly but this morning
> after switching on and then putting the monitor on nothing happened.
> There was no whirring as it started, just silence.
>
> The power light was on the cpu but the second light didn't come on so
> nothing happened and the monitor stayed blank.
>
> To turn off the computer the on/off switch didn't work so I had to
> take the plug out and put it back in. I've checked all the cables
> are in and tried again but nothing.
>
> The computer was only purchased in Jan 07 so we are out of warranty
> and the shop that made it aren't open over the weekend.
>
> I have Windows XP Home and all the discs but haven't touched anything
> as I'm not an expert anddon't want to make matters worse.
>
> Any advice to what you think may be up would be appreciated.
>
> Many thanks
 
UKUser007 wrote:
> I'm really hoping that someone will be able to tell me what the problem is as
> our main computer with lots of work on it won't start up.
>
> It was fine last night and was turned off correctly but this morning after
> switching on and then putting the monitor on nothing happened. There was no
> whirring as it started, just silence.
>
> The power light was on the cpu but the second light didn't come on so
> nothing happened and the monitor stayed blank.
>
> To turn off the computer the on/off switch didn't work so I had to take the
> plug out and put it back in. I've checked all the cables are in and tried
> again but nothing.
>
> The computer was only purchased in Jan 07 so we are out of warranty and the
> shop that made it aren't open over the weekend.
>
> I have Windows XP Home and all the discs but haven't touched anything as I'm
> not an expert anddon't want to make matters worse.
>
> Any advice to what you think may be up would be appreciated.
>
> Many thanks
>

1) If its out of warranty it does not have to go to the shop. Nice idea
but unless you can make a killing on repair rates, go anywhere.

2) If you hear nothing, no fans, no drive movement, nothing, then you
probably have a power supply issue. This is probably the best failure
since it does not effect your data. Only problem is, getting someone to
replace it. Weekend and all.

3) If you do hear things spinning and whirring, then do take it to a
shop. I see you admit not being an expert, I just don't know how far
you want to push that statement.

As long as the Drive is not dead, you are in better shape data wise, and
everything else can be solved with time and money.
 
UKUser007 wrote:
> I'm really hoping that someone will be able to tell me what the problem is as
> our main computer with lots of work on it won't start up.
>
> It was fine last night and was turned off correctly but this morning after
> switching on and then putting the monitor on nothing happened. There was no
> whirring as it started, just silence.
>
> The power light was on the cpu but the second light didn't come on so
> nothing happened and the monitor stayed blank.
>
> To turn off the computer the on/off switch didn't work so I had to take the
> plug out and put it back in. I've checked all the cables are in and tried
> again but nothing.
>
> The computer was only purchased in Jan 07 so we are out of warranty and the
> shop that made it aren't open over the weekend.
>
> I have Windows XP Home and all the discs but haven't touched anything as I'm
> not an expert anddon't want to make matters worse.
>
> Any advice to what you think may be up would be appreciated.
>
> Many thanks
>

Sounds like your power supply went south. Replace it. It won't affect
anything on the hard disk(s).

Alias
 
UKUser007 wrote:

> I'm really hoping that someone will be able to tell me what the problem is
> as our main computer with lots of work on it won't start up.
>
> It was fine last night and was turned off correctly but this morning after
> switching on and then putting the monitor on nothing happened. There was
> no whirring as it started, just silence.
>
> The power light was on the cpu but the second light didn't come on so
> nothing happened and the monitor stayed blank.
>
> To turn off the computer the on/off switch didn't work so I had to take
> the
> plug out and put it back in. I've checked all the cables are in and tried
> again but nothing.
>
> The computer was only purchased in Jan 07 so we are out of warranty and
> the shop that made it aren't open over the weekend.
>
> I have Windows XP Home and all the discs but haven't touched anything as
> I'm not an expert anddon't want to make matters worse.

It's possibly the power supply, the hard drive, or the motherboard (or a
combination). When you say "with lots of work on it", I certainly hope you
don't mean "with lots of work on it that we never backed up". Things to
try:

1. Swap out the power supply for a known-working one. If that solves the
problem, great. Once you are in Windows, back up your stuff to removable
media like CD/DVD-R. Hardware dies. This is a fact of life and you need to
be prepared.

2. If changing the power supply doesn't help, pull the hard drive and slave
it to a working machine, either internally or in a USB external enclosure,
and see if the drive is good. If it is, this is a perfect time to back up
your data. If the drive isn't good and you neglected to back up your data
and need to get it off, contact a professional data recovery company such
as Drive Savers (www.drivesavers.com).

Standard disclaimer: I can't see and test your computer myself, so these are
just suggestions based on many years of being a professional computer tech
suggestions based on what you've written. You should not take my
suggestions as a definitive diagnosis. Testing hardware failures often
involves swapping out suspected parts with known-good parts. If you can't
do the testing yourself and/or are uncomfortable opening your computer,
take the machine to a professional computer repair shop (not your local
equivalent of BigComputerStore/GeekSquad). If possible, have all your data
backed up before you take the machine into a shop.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!
 
Big Al wrote:
> UKUser007 wrote:
>> I'm really hoping that someone will be able to tell me what the
>> problem is as our main computer with lots of work on it won't start up.
>>
>> It was fine last night and was turned off correctly but this morning
>> after switching on and then putting the monitor on nothing happened.
>> There was no whirring as it started, just silence.
>> The power light was on the cpu but the second light didn't come on so
>> nothing happened and the monitor stayed blank.
>>
>> To turn off the computer the on/off switch didn't work so I had to
>> take the plug out and put it back in. I've checked all the cables are
>> in and tried again but nothing.
>>
>> The computer was only purchased in Jan 07 so we are out of warranty
>> and the shop that made it aren't open over the weekend.
>>
>> I have Windows XP Home and all the discs but haven't touched anything
>> as I'm not an expert anddon't want to make matters worse.
>>
>> Any advice to what you think may be up would be appreciated.
>>
>> Many thanks
>>
>
> 1) If its out of warranty it does not have to go to the shop. Nice idea
> but unless you can make a killing on repair rates, go anywhere.
>
> 2) If you hear nothing, no fans, no drive movement, nothing, then you
> probably have a power supply issue. This is probably the best failure
> since it does not effect your data. Only problem is, getting someone to
> replace it. Weekend and all.

We're talking four screws and plugging things in exactly the way it was
with the old power supply. Not exactly rocket science. That said, be
sure and plug in the connection to the motherboard well. Being a weekend
doesn't mean that one cannot buy a power supply.

Alias
 
Alias wrote:
> Big Al wrote:
>> UKUser007 wrote:
>>> I'm really hoping that someone will be able to tell me what the
>>> problem is as our main computer with lots of work on it won't start up.
>>>
>>> It was fine last night and was turned off correctly but this morning
>>> after switching on and then putting the monitor on nothing happened.
>>> There was no whirring as it started, just silence. The power light
>>> was on the cpu but the second light didn't come on so nothing
>>> happened and the monitor stayed blank.
>>>
>>> To turn off the computer the on/off switch didn't work so I had to
>>> take the plug out and put it back in. I've checked all the cables
>>> are in and tried again but nothing.
>>>
>>> The computer was only purchased in Jan 07 so we are out of warranty
>>> and the shop that made it aren't open over the weekend.
>>>
>>> I have Windows XP Home and all the discs but haven't touched anything
>>> as I'm not an expert anddon't want to make matters worse.
>>>
>>> Any advice to what you think may be up would be appreciated.
>>>
>>> Many thanks
>>>
>>
>> 1) If its out of warranty it does not have to go to the shop. Nice
>> idea but unless you can make a killing on repair rates, go anywhere.
>>
>> 2) If you hear nothing, no fans, no drive movement, nothing, then you
>> probably have a power supply issue. This is probably the best failure
>> since it does not effect your data. Only problem is, getting someone
>> to replace it. Weekend and all.
>
> We're talking four screws and plugging things in exactly the way it was
> with the old power supply. Not exactly rocket science. That said, be
> sure and plug in the connection to the motherboard well. Being a weekend
> doesn't mean that one cannot buy a power supply.
>
> Alias
The OP said they were not experts. So that could be anything. I
would not trust my wife to open my case and replace it. And then there
is the 'did you get the right powersupply? Yes it is easy but CAN
UKuser07 do it? They never defined their lacks or abilities.

You are right though. If it fits in with the 4 screws, and the cables
plug back in properly, its simple to change. Probably the easier of
all items to repair. Worth the OP's effort if they are up to it.
 
Hello Gerry

It is a desktop and only just over a year old.

I switched the monitor on first and got the message "no input signal" then
turned on the cpu and then the monitor went blank.

The on/off swtich was on but normally when loading up the second light next
to this comes on and the computer whirrs then everything loads, but today it
is silent.

To turn off the cpu the on/off swtich does nothing so I've had to turn off
by taking the plug out.



Big Al

There is no whirring, fans or anything. When I switched it on a sligh noise
then nothing when usually it is quite noisy and you know it s working.

Yep, I'm no expert at all so I wouldn't dare touch anything.

I hope you are right then hopefully I won't have lost everything.

I do have some back ups on this laptop, but it is my own stupid fault for
not putting some backups of work done on to disc, but I've learnt my lesson.

Is getting the power supply fixed an expensive job?

I can call the computer shop on Monday, they made it, so they should be able
to fix it.



Alias

I have no idea at all with the inner workings of a computer so although for
many of you this seems like an easy job, for me to start fiddling could make
things worse and I have no idea what I would be looking at.



Malke

I have an older computer in the garage but I don't know enough or even what
I would be looking for.



Gerry, Big Al, Alias & Malke

Thank you all so very much for taking time out to give advice.

I was really worried about this because it was all fine yesterday and to
hear silence this morning worried me.

Hopefully it will be the powersupply and that won't be too expensive as
we've had some huge bills to pay.

THANK YOU
 
UKUser007 wrote:

(snippage)

> Thank you all so very much for taking time out to give advice.
>
> I was really worried about this because it was all fine yesterday and to
> hear silence this morning worried me.
>
> Hopefully it will be the powersupply and that won't be too expensive as
> we've had some huge bills to pay.
>
> THANK YOU

You're welcome. I do think you should take it to a good, competent shop
based on your own assessment of your abilities and the equipment you have
on-hand. I can't speak for costs in the UK, but here a standard power
supply costs around $45-60. To do the diagnosis and replace the power
supply (and possibly back them up, check other stuff out, etc.) I would
charge one of my clients around $120. Possibly that will give you an idea
of what the job should cost. Certainly if a shop quotes you a lot more you
should look for a different shop!

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!
 
Hello Malke

The computer shop that made this computerare not open so I called another
local company just so I have an idea of price and they said £60 to fix, plus
they would run diagnostics and if the motherboard was okay that should be all
it would cost, so your price is right and they aren't overcharging.

I will call the shop that made this desktop on Monday now I have an idea of
cost so hopefully they should be the same price. I trust this company as
they helped a lot with advice on spec etc when we got the desktop made
because I don't know the company I just called up.

I don't think my husband would let me loose with a screwdriver and the
computer so it's best it's done properly.

Thank you all so much because when things like this happen it is worrying
and now I don't feel so bad.
 
UKUser007 wrote:
> I'm really hoping that someone will be able to tell me what the problem is as
> our main computer with lots of work on it won't start up.
>
> It was fine last night and was turned off correctly but this morning after
> switching on and then putting the monitor on nothing happened. There was no
> whirring as it started, just silence.
>
> The power light was on the cpu but the second light didn't come on so
> nothing happened and the monitor stayed blank.
>
> To turn off the computer the on/off switch didn't work so I had to take the
> plug out and put it back in. I've checked all the cables are in and tried
> again but nothing.
>


Either the motherboard (most likely) or the power supply has failed.


> The computer was only purchased in Jan 07 so we are out of warranty and the
> shop that made it aren't open over the weekend.
>


Unfortunate. Murphy's Laws are still in force.


> I have Windows XP Home and all the discs but haven't touched anything as I'm
> not an expert anddon't want to make matters worse.
>


As the PC isn't even turning on, there's nothing you could do with
those disks, anyway.


> Any advice to what you think may be up would be appreciated.
>

Either wait until Monday, or find another reputable computer repair
shop or technician who can get started diagnosing and replacing the
defective hardware component.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
UKUser007 wrote:

> Hello Malke
>
> The computer shop that made this computerare not open so I called another
> local company just so I have an idea of price and they said £60 to fix,
> plus they would run diagnostics and if the motherboard was okay that
> should be all it would cost, so your price is right and they aren't
> overcharging.
>
> I will call the shop that made this desktop on Monday now I have an idea
> of
> cost so hopefully they should be the same price. I trust this company as
> they helped a lot with advice on spec etc when we got the desktop made
> because I don't know the company I just called up.
>
> I don't think my husband would let me loose with a screwdriver and the
> computer so it's best it's done properly.
>
> Thank you all so much because when things like this happen it is worrying
> and now I don't feel so bad.

Sounds like you've got an excellent plan. Here's another piece of
unasked-for advice: Purchase an external hard drive (I like the Western
Digital My Book) and Acronis True Image when you have some extra money. You
can image your system and do incremental backups with True Image and save
them onto the external hard drive. As an added precaution, occasionally
burn your backups to CD/DVD-R and put the disks in a safe place - not
sitting next to the computer. I also like Second Copy from www.centered.com
for a good backup program. It doesn't image, but I have yet to find a
straight backup program to beat it.

Good luck and do post back if you need anything else.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!
 
UPDATE:-

The computer shop have just called and will repair the machine today.

They said it was the Motherboard which has blown and thinks it is down to
the dust that they found blocking up the vents, which had affected the fan
and cooling.

He has quoted nearly £220 inc vat which also takes into account a new fan,
mother board, 1 hours work, and putting on dvd three folders that I had
backed up to desktop but didn't put on disc.

I can't understand how this CPU has got so dusty when it is kept in a proper
unit, with doors that are closed when computer not in use and the other
computer (which is in garage and still working) is much older and was kept in
the same unit without any of these problems. He did initially say "it
mustn't be kept on the floor" but it isn't but he said we should hoover the
vents, so I will make sure we do that rather than just hoovering around the
machine.

I want to thank you all for taking the time to help, explaining everything
and taking off a lot of worry.

UKUser007
 
UKUser007 wrote:

> UPDATE:-
>
> The computer shop have just called and will repair the machine today.
>
> They said it was the Motherboard which has blown and thinks it is down to
> the dust that they found blocking up the vents, which had affected the fan
> and cooling.
>
> He has quoted nearly £220 inc vat which also takes into account a new fan,
> mother board, 1 hours work, and putting on dvd three folders that I had
> backed up to desktop but didn't put on disc.
>
> I can't understand how this CPU has got so dusty when it is kept in a
> proper unit, with doors that are closed when computer not in use and the
> other computer (which is in garage and still working) is much older and
> was kept in
> the same unit without any of these problems. He did initially say "it
> mustn't be kept on the floor" but it isn't but he said we should hoover
> the vents, so I will make sure we do that rather than just hoovering
> around the machine.
>
> I want to thank you all for taking the time to help, explaining everything
> and taking off a lot of worry.

Thanks for the update. Computers get very dirty, even in a clean room. They
just seem to attract dust, animal hairs, dirt, etc. Cleaning out a computer
with compressed air - very carefully - should be part of everyone's
maintenance routine. Depending on your environment, you might want to do
this a few times a year.

I think your computer tech's prices sound very reasonable for what he's
going to do for you. You should get into the habit of backing up your data
regularly. I like to use an external hard drive and a program like Second
Copy (www.centered.com) to copy the data to the external drive. I also like
Acronis True Image (www.acronis.com) which does imaging and incremental
backups. But you also need to burn the data to DVD-R occasionally and put
those DVD-Rs somewhere safe.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!
 
Malke wrote:
> UKUser007 wrote:
>
>> UPDATE:-
>>
>> The computer shop have just called and will repair the machine today.
>>
>> They said it was the Motherboard which has blown and thinks it is down to
>> the dust that they found blocking up the vents, which had affected the fan
>> and cooling.
>>
>> He has quoted nearly £220 inc vat which also takes into account a new fan,
>> mother board, 1 hours work, and putting on dvd three folders that I had
>> backed up to desktop but didn't put on disc.
>>
>> I can't understand how this CPU has got so dusty when it is kept in a
>> proper unit, with doors that are closed when computer not in use and the
>> other computer (which is in garage and still working) is much older and
>> was kept in
>> the same unit without any of these problems. He did initially say "it
>> mustn't be kept on the floor" but it isn't but he said we should hoover
>> the vents, so I will make sure we do that rather than just hoovering
>> around the machine.
>>
>> I want to thank you all for taking the time to help, explaining everything
>> and taking off a lot of worry.
>
> Thanks for the update. Computers get very dirty, even in a clean room. They
> just seem to attract dust, animal hairs, dirt, etc. Cleaning out a computer
> with compressed air - very carefully - should be part of everyone's
> maintenance routine. Depending on your environment, you might want to do
> this a few times a year.
>
> I think your computer tech's prices sound very reasonable for what he's
> going to do for you. You should get into the habit of backing up your data
> regularly. I like to use an external hard drive and a program like Second
> Copy (www.centered.com) to copy the data to the external drive. I also like
> Acronis True Image (www.acronis.com) which does imaging and incremental
> backups. But you also need to burn the data to DVD-R occasionally and put
> those DVD-Rs somewhere safe.
>
> Malke
Malke:
Does Second Copy *have* to run in the background or can you just use it
on demand?
 
Big_Al <BigAl@MD.com> wrote:

>Malke wrote:

>>
>> I think your computer tech's prices sound very reasonable for what he's
>> going to do for you. You should get into the habit of backing up your data
>> regularly. I like to use an external hard drive and a program like Second
>> Copy (www.centered.com) to copy the data to the external drive. I also like
>> Acronis True Image (www.acronis.com) which does imaging and incremental
>> backups. But you also need to burn the data to DVD-R occasionally and put
>> those DVD-Rs somewhere safe.
>>
>> Malke

>Malke:
>Does Second Copy *have* to run in the background or can you just use it
>on demand?

Your choice. I have about twenty "profiles" set in mine. Most run on
a schedule (definable down to like every 2 hours) but several I only
run manually. You can have it load when Windows starts (recommended,
and it doesn't use much RAM), or run it at will.

It is the best gol-durned utility I've ever had in the 18 years I've
had a computer.
 
Big_Al <BigAl@MD.com> wrote:

>Malke wrote:

>Does Second Copy *have* to run in the background or can you just use it
>on demand?

But wait! There's MORE!

I use it mainly to keep my system disk clone up to date with all the
data I think is important. I clone my system disk usually once a week
(it's set as the backup in the boot order in case my system disk
fails) and then have Second Copy set to copy the files/directories of
my choosing to the same location on the cloned disk.

I most recently set it up to copy certain folders to my public sharing
area so that I can easily access them from my laptop which connects
via wireless router to my computer and the Internet.
 
Hello Malke

I've printed off your advice and will think seriously about what you have
mentioned.

I do like the idea of having the whole computer (files, folders, settings,
hard disc) completely backed up but need to read up about it all and start
saving!

I'm also glad you don't think we've been overcharged too.

Thank you very much.
 
Malke

Sorry to be a pest.

We've got the CPU back and its working and everything seems perfect except
the sound has gone!

We don't have separate speakers but have the ones that came with the monitor
that are built in. The symbol for the volume control is still in the task
bar (by clock) and I've double checked and ensured it is on and not muted but
the machine is silent.

The only difference my husband noticed with the back of the CPU was that the
six coloured holes on the top row the left and right colours had been swapped
over (ie grey originally on left and is now on right and the orange/beige one
was on the right and is now on the left).

The wire from the monitor to the back of the CPU (before new motherboard) in
the orange/beige button and we've tried it in that button, and the grey one
thinking it might help but there still is no sound.

When my husband was holding the sound wire ready to get back into the CPU
there was a buzzing noise from the monitor.

If you can throw light on this on what may have happened that would be great
.... this always happens to us, we get one problem sort it and end up with
another but this doesn't worry me as much as having no computer :)

Thank you
 
UKUser007 wrote:
> Malke
>
> Sorry to be a pest.
>
> We've got the CPU back and its working and everything seems perfect except
> the sound has gone!
>
> We don't have separate speakers but have the ones that came with the monitor
> that are built in. The symbol for the volume control is still in the task
> bar (by clock) and I've double checked and ensured it is on and not muted but
> the machine is silent.
>
> The only difference my husband noticed with the back of the CPU was that the
> six coloured holes on the top row the left and right colours had been swapped
> over (ie grey originally on left and is now on right and the orange/beige one
> was on the right and is now on the left).
>
> The wire from the monitor to the back of the CPU (before new motherboard) in
> the orange/beige button and we've tried it in that button, and the grey one
> thinking it might help but there still is no sound.
>
> When my husband was holding the sound wire ready to get back into the CPU
> there was a buzzing noise from the monitor.
>
> If you can throw light on this on what may have happened that would be great
> ... this always happens to us, we get one problem sort it and end up with
> another but this doesn't worry me as much as having no computer :)
>
> Thank you
You'd really have to consult your manual for the CPU to know what each
jack is for.
This is just a reference, but the best info would come from your manual.
Most of the monitors I've seen require a output from the sound card to
the monitor.
http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/sound-card-color-code.php
 
Back
Top