Really Odd Computer Problem...

[Robin]

When I turn on my PC (i.e. press the power button) the computer powers up but then it starts to read the disc dive repeatedly with the hard drive light constantly on......nothing appearing on screen (no signal), no bios nothing! and the only way to turn it off is to turn it off at the back.

......The funny thing is that it doesnt happen all the time! sometimes I will power on, it will read the hdd and it will properly load! I dont get how it can be powering up sometimes and not others.....I can take like 20 times before it boots anything onto the screen!

I first thought maybe loose cables, loose graphics card etc. but I checked all that, checked jumper settings, even removed the disc drive.......still didnt make a difference, it just kept choosing when to boot!

It really odd that nothing comes on the screen......even without a hdd reading the bios should boot anyway on screen because you need that to be able to install windows or a hdd anyway.......with me I get no errors.......no nothing!

Could it be faulty hardware (hdd)......or maybe a faulty cable?, somthing loose? because when something just sometimes works its more annoying that having somthing clearly broken or clearly working. One clue is the fact that when it does boot the hdd light stays on for a while then dissapears and never comes back on (ie. when reading and writing).....the whole time the computer is on there is no hdd light...maybe the hdd is the problem......

It a really odd problem but maybe someone can help me.....

Im running.....

AMD Athlon 64 3200+
ECS Mobo
512MB Ram
Seagate 160GB Hdd
Pioneer DVD Drive
ATI Radeon 5200

 

[DQuaN]

I'm guessing a mobo problem here. Check all the capasators, are any of them bulging at the top?

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I've seen that before, when I had an IDE cable mounted the wrong way round, so I'm guessing power to a drive, or a drive incorrectly connected. Have you changed anything recently?

 

[donbenni]

You really should get into your case and have a look around just to check for any loose connections.

 

[Zardoz]

I'm guessing a mobo problem here...

Yeah, unfortunately, that's probably it. Something has failed on the motherboard. How old is it?

 

[Robin]

The computer is brand new.......but it was custom bulit for me......I added a DVD drive myself which was recient.....but I dont understand how its like either full blown normal startup.......or just dead...

Myabe something is simply loose......but i pushed it all in tight.....

as for capacitors.......I bloody hope not.....tis brand new.....and if it was malfunctioning would it just not work at all......

P.s. its ok at the moment but it will do this problem randomly sometime.....

 

[Event]

I've never heard of a Radeon 5200....

 

[Robin]

I've never heard of a Radeon 5200....

Ive forgotten what its called properly but its like a radeon X550

 

[Zardoz]

The computer is brand new...but I dont understand how its like either full blown normal startup...or just dead...and if it was malfunctioning would it just not work at all...its ok at the moment but it will do this problem randomly sometime...

Over the last ten years I've built about 45 new computers and refurbished maybe 30 others. This intermittent problem is not an unusual symptom for a defective motherboard. Something like this will drive you nuts trying to find the answer when its just a bad mobo, brand new out of the box, to begin with.

The fact that it hangs on initial startup, never showing the BIOS or getting to the hard drive, pretty much ices it. Remember, until the operating system on the hard drive starts up, the comp is running strictly off the motherboard. If it doesn't get past that, well...

Do you have the receipt? I'd say take it back and try another one. Lots of work for somebody to do, but its the likely culprit.

One more thing: I really hate to tell you this, but ECS is not known as one of the premier motherboard brands. They're known as the makers of pretty much the lowest-cost units you can get. Here's an ECS mobo forum:

http://forums.pcper.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

What model board do you have? Is it a K7S5A?

 

[Robin]

Over the last ten years I've built about 45 new computers and refurbished maybe 30 others. This intermittent problem is not an unusual symptom for a defective motherboard. Something like this will drive you nuts trying to find the answer when its just a bad mobo, brand new out of the box, to begin with.

The fact that it hangs on initial startup, never showing the BIOS or getting to the hard drive, pretty much ices it. Remember, until the operating system on the hard drive starts up, the comp is running strictly off the motherboard. If it doesn't get past that, well...

Do you have the receipt? I'd say take it back and try another one. Lots of work for somebody to do, but its the likely culprit.

One more thing: I really hate to tell you this, but ECS is not known as one of the premier motherboard brands. They're known as the makers of pretty much the lowest-cost units you can get. Here's an ECS mobo forum:

http://forums.pcper.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

What model board do you have? Is it a K7S5A?

Im sorry, I fail to believe what your saying......I had this computer custom built with the highest quality parts and payed a fair amount of money for it.... The ECS motherboard was the lastest one on offer based on the nforce 4 (its called K8crush something) and had an updated chipset accomodating the athlon 64 3200.

The shop reccomended me this one over an Asus because the one that fit the 3200 was older and only had 2 memory slots. They only stock Asus and ECS and fit hundreds of computers with ECS motherboards and they have had no problem.

There have been no problems for months only up until now and I can't really do anything about it because I bought it abroad......plus even if I did get it back to the shop how could I justify them giving me a new motherboard! This problem is random, they would ask me to show them and knowing my luck it would work fine!

When it does load up its fine.....it is robust, no crashes and performs very well. So for now I am just going to have to live with it because the shop would not believe me anyway or would say I damaged it.....I bought this to last like 4 years and now im really ticked off because its a great high quality build apart from this problem!