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PC advice

OK, so basically my pc broke and I'm here to ask for some help/advice on how to either fix it or go about buying a new one. Considering that new PC's are expensive, lets try to see if anyone can help me troubleshoot the specific problem I have.

It was working fine one day and I wanted to shut it down before going out but after 20 minutes of the "Windows is saving your settings" screen, I got impatient, held the power button for 6 seconds till it powered off and then went out. Now it doesn't work anymore!

I was quite busy at the time and didn't really have time to troubleshoot anything and thought that perhaps it was being "moody" and left it for about a month (it was in my room, there wasn't any strong sunlight, etc, and of course there wasn't any dust etc either!) whilst using my laptop instead. Since its past its warranty, I don't really think it would be financially beneficial to have the actual technicians to have a look - the PC was purchased brand new by me about 4 years ago, and I've never had any problems until this. I'm guessing the parts are at least 5 or 6 years old by now (from time of manufacture).

OK - on to the actual problem...

1) No beep at the start to indicate anything is happening 2) Unable to "power off" by pressing the power button for 6 seconds (or more) 3) No display (my screen works, but with this PC it has a "no signal" message)

Apart from that, I can hear/see the Fans/HDD/LED lights are all on (buzzing away or lighting up etc), Optical disk drives also eject and light up. "Powering off" is achieved by unplugging the mains electricity, and upon re-insertion, everything automatically comes to life.

I cannot remember if there was any burning smell (like the smell of expensive computer parts overheating..), but there might have been. I think that there is *no* problem with my video card, inbuilt speaker or power button simply because of the statistical improbability that would require them all to fail at the same time (although maybe this is clever engineering so that components only last as long as they are under warranty?). A friend said it could possibly be PSU but because I can hear all the whirring inside, see the LED's light up, etc AND considering the way in which I "powered off" the PC prior to this problem, I'm pretty sure its actually the motherboard. (If you have any alternate theories, please supply them!) Edit: Could it be the MoBo's onboard battery??

The computer model I have is an 'Advent 3517 PC'

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nothing has been changed, no parts were ever overclocked.

I have a few questions:

1) So far I *think* it is the motherboard that is broken. What is the least number of things I need to do to make _sure_ that it is **ONLY** the motherboard (and not also the CPU, GPU, PSU or power button.. or all of them!)? Should I just try all these out in a different PC and if everything works then its the MoBo for sure?

2a) Assuming it is the MoBo, and since I cannot get an exact replacement of it are there any compatible motherboards that can be recommended? (I've looked on the net and found so many that I was wondering if there were any I should avoid..).

2b) If there are lots of compatibilities, then what are certain things I should look out for (eg - socket type would need to be the same (478?) but if I get an FSB lower than my processor's that would make it slower so watch out for that!)

3) Once I install a new MoBo, I'm assuming I'd also have to reinstall Windows XP (don't worry about my old files I've copied them off the HDD) so would this be a problem concerning recovery CD's? I mean, if I just put in the original repair CD that I got with the PC when it was new, would it having a different MoBo but all the same *other* components cause any sorta problems I should look out for?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Sorry its so long winded but I wanted to put down as much information as possible, hope someone gets back to me soon!!

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Reply to
MaNiaCkK
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You now have a door stop and you can put it to good use.

Reply to
Mr. Arnold

These questions are all kind of tied together, but here's what I think:

I'd have to agree that it's the motherboard, and although it's not 100% certain, that your PSU is OK. It still COULD be the PSU, though, if it's putting out bad voltage, instead of none. I'd have to go look again, but I think you can buy a PSU tester fairly cheaply, US$15-$20. Might be worth the investment if you're set on getting this one back up and running.

Are you *sure* you can't buy a replacement? It's going to be relatively expensive compared to a 3rd party board. But I know people who buy 4 and 5 year warranties for their PC's. Whatever one may think of those warranties, it seems to me that this could lead to parts still being available for your PC. I mean, you're no worse off for asking, right?

Socket, board format, is there anything customized about the backplane, the metallic part in the back where included port sockets are displayed. Buying a new board only to find that the USB ports wind up behind metal would be just too bad.

First see if Windows will boot up, but yeah, it sounds likely that you'd have to do that, and a restore CD might likely fail. If it does, you might in the end be better suited buying another PC. Desktop PC's here in the USA are cheaper than (properly licensed) copies of Windows. Depending on your uses, that might save you in the long run.

I'm just getting back into I.T. after a hiatus, so I would not be insulted if you took my information with a boulder of salt. But I hope I've helped.

Reply to
Comcast newsgroups

You might want to ask in a more appropriate group such as alt.comp.hardware

Reply to
George

Proper disposal instructions for your computah can be found at various web sites that deal with eWaste and computer recycling. If you supply some clue as to where you're located, I can search for suitable recycler.

As for a new computer, I suspect this would be a bad idea. I note that you are having some difficulties posting your question to the appropriate newsgroup. Your question has nothing to do with wireless. I also have some issues with your problem description, but I don't want to go there. You're also apparently unwilling or unable to seek professional local computer assistance. Basically, I'm not sure if you are qualified to repair or even operate a computer.

In the meantime, you might consider that a replacement motherboard costs less than the time to troubleshoot your existing board.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Just out of curiosity, did you ever notice that traffic from that wireless forum website only appears to be one way? Stuff posted here rarely shows back there, and answers to posts on there don't seem to make it here (i see several people from here on there also, but the replies are never transferred)..... Looks like that may be one of the q's posted there.....

Reply to
Peter Pan

"Peter Pan" hath wroth:

Yep. Actually, it's a problem in both directions. It seems that their usenet newsgroup gateway is broken. None of the usenet originated posting coming from this newsgroup are not appearing. For example, this thread at:

currently shows the original message, one followup that has NOT appeared on Newsguy, and is missing 5 followup postings that originated on usenet.

It appears that it has already been fixed. Recent followups to other threads (such as mine about router reset problems) are apparently identical on both services.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

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