I have a problem with my PC.

When I boot it, the fans hit MAX SPEED (never heard them going so fast) and then... nothing.

No bios splash screen, nothing.

The DVD-Drive LED flash like if the computer was booting.

My monitor stays in sleep mode, as if it was not receiving any video data from the PC.

I've tried a new SATA HD, swapped the ram, disconnected the PCI-E Video card, reset the CMOS via the jumper, unplugged every single device attached to the computer.

I've tested with both the onboard video card and a PCI-E video card.

The PSU seems to be okay (it does spit out power).

I guess it's either a defective mobo, a fried CPU or the PSU that can't give out enough power but I just want to get some advise before buying some new hardware.


Thanks a lot!

no way to tell dude.

check your PS. One of the rails could be out. I've seen it too many times with Antec PS units.

Test the CPU in an other machine. If both itmes work, MOBO it is.

What kind of PC? Name brand or whitebox / homebuilt?

I see you've tried swapping the ram. Try removing the ram to see if you get error beep codes. If it does then the mobo is probably ok. Find another PS to try just to be sure before you look into an RMA or replacement of the motherboard.

definitely a problem in the motherboard. Possibly caused by PSU.

Had a problem with a computer I was building for my dads company a month or two back, it ended up being the RAM was bad.. But it really does sound like the same problem..

what are the specs on your box?

have you stripped it down to just the minimum the box needs to boot?

if you have a lot of extra stuff plugged into the mobo, its obviously going to draw more power. if the box is browning out, this is a good way to tell. it might be a good idea to strip it down to just the bare essentials needed to bootstrap the box - one stick of ram (if you dont need parity, RTFM for this), cpu+hsf, video card, and mobo (no hard disks, usb devices, or extra pci/pcie cards!). plug it in to your PSU and see what happens.

another thing to check, is the bus molex plugged in? this foiled me when i moved up to a platform that needed the four pin power molex for the bus.

if it still doesnt boot, the next cheapest route to go is the power supply. check the specs of your PSU and find a replacement. a borrowed one will do for this test as long as it meets the basic power requirements. usually a geek or gamer will have an extra PSU lying around (i just used my extra a couple of weeks ago, sorry), so ask. if you have no geeks around, then you will have to visit a store and get something rated for your rig.

Posted by Sinister Crayon definitely a problem in the motherboard. Possibly caused by PSU.

Does it die completely, no power after it does it's dance?

Always observe ESD safe handling protocols when working inside a computer; the components are very sensitive to static damage. Failures don't always occur instantly, sometimes it takes days, even years to manifest itself, and become evident damage was done.

Check mobo mounts; make sure mobo is centered and nothing is shorting out to the chassis, look hard! Examine all wiring ans connectors from PSU.
House wiring; solid earth ground and good neutral return at wall socket. Screwed up neutral returns can cause weird problems.

Is the CPU heatsink working? Is the CPU going into thermal shutdown, maybe?
Verify heatsink integrity for CPU. Heatpipes fail.
Defective or shorted out fan, including the CPU fan and any mobo chipset fans; try disconnecting, but don't forget about them, or run very long!

Mobo, or PSU. Swap in a know good PSU; failures are common, and the rail voltages may measure out correctly and seem ok, but not be.

If you can run it on one Ram stick, do so. Trust nothing. Swap out with a known good copy, or test on another machine the vid card, Ram, any other PCI cards pull for now, and drives (try disconnecting DVD/CD drive).

Sometimes just disconnecting contacts on a Ram stick, vid card, power connection, etc will clean the contact by reseating it, and cure the problem. Never touch any card contacts with your fingers (body oils can foul them), and clean with isopropyl alcohol if you do need to clean them.


Have you tried clearing the Cmos by pulling the battery, your settings may have become corrupted.
Some boards will behave like this if they crash from the bios settings being corrupted, a hard reset and reentering the settings will cure this.

The bios chip maybe fried; does it have a removable bios chip? Some Asus boards do, and it's not too hard to snap out and replace. Otherwise the mobo needs to be RMAed.

Call the mobo manufacturer if all fails, some can be very helpful.


edit - clarification

reading blackhawks post made me think about this. an improperly seated PCB (memory, expansion card, whatever else you plug into a mobo via a slot) would cause these problems.

Thread resurrection! If you never solved this, I would suggest unplugging the psu's power and the ethernet cable, and then take the BIOS battery out for about 20 seconds and then put it back. You would be surprised how many things a simple BIOS reset can fix.

(I work IT support in an office and I actually had two computers with the exact same problem today. We are having Script Logic issues and we think it caused the problem. Regardless, when you pressed power the lights turned on, the fans spun really fast, and the disc drive spun, but it wouldnt post. No monitor reaction either. Reset the BIOS and they were fine.)

Buy a Mac

Posted by neX_ reading blackhawks post made me think about this. an improperly seated PCB (memory, expansion card, whatever else you plug into a mobo via a slot) would cause these problems.

Yes, or a bad card, and some slots are not usable on some mobos, in some configurations... remove all PCI cards and leave only the vid card in, and try.

Posted by broaddaylight Buy a Mac

and then when something as stupid as the PS breaks down, you have to put it in the trash cause it's some fucking retarded POS thingy that is totally non standard ATX.

Posted by broaddaylight Buy a Mac

I already own a Macbook pro, but my problem was concerning my PC, used mostly for gaming.

SO yeah, thanks anyway, and I suggest that you learn how to read. Buying a mac will not "fix my PC".

By the way, I've bought a new mother board and a new CPU and now everything works just fine.

Thanks to everyone but broaddaylight.

your pc broke bc its junk, as are all pcs. its ok, dont feel bad, most of society falls for the fancy plastic casing and pimped out lights they jazz up todays pcs with. its like a ricer that plasters his honda with racing stickers and a big exhaust tip. its like polishing a turd. but when a real car pulls up next to it, then the difference is evident. Sort of like how when you own a mac, you arent dealing with stupid issues like you do with your ...ahem...fancy pc. i have a mac pro from 2006 that would chew up your pc and spit it out like it was mouthwash. never had an issue with it. Hows any of your 4 year old Dells and HPs doing? hahahah

but lets not make this a mac vs pc war , its been done too many times. im glad you got your computer fixed. sorry i couldnt help

Did it really take you 3 years to come up with such a weak comeback? Typical Mac user.

i wanted to make sure it was perfect before i pulled the trigger.

....but the funny thing is that i replied to this thread on the same mac I had been using back when it started, and then it was already 2 years old.

My last desktop was 5 years old when it died, and it was an overclocked box that I ran 24/7. When I wasn't using it, I was folding, so it didn't live an easy life. I retired it because the overclocked CPU started getting flaky. That happens when you push any hardware 25% over what it was meant to do.