Sudden Computer Death!

B

Bluenile

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 9, 2005
Messages
75
The Build:

DFI 925X-T2 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 925X ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Pentium 4 550 Prescott 800MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory
CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS
Maxtor L01M200 Hard Drives 250GB Sata
Plextor DVD Burner PX-716SA/SW
BFG GeForce 6800 GT OC 256MB DDR3/PCI-E/TV-Out/DVI
Antec True550 EPS12V
ALPS Silver 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy
LINKSYS WMP54G
Antec SUPER LANBOY case

The Problem

So the computer just made a trip across the state of washington. Once it was setup I checked to make sure all the cables were still connected. Computer powered on fine. Lights, floppy noises, hard drives, and CD burner. Got into XP fine, read some manga on the comp for five hours and left it and left the room for four more hours.

When I came back to the room the computer was off. Turned it on. Fans start spinning and case lights turn on. But the monitor never gets any signals. Four seconds later it powers off for four seconds and powers on again. Fans spin and the lights are on indefinitly but no other hardware or signals to monitor.

Rechecked all external and internal cables and they are all conected. Retried it this morning and same thing.
The temperature in the room was always comftorable and the case temp never got over 30C and the CPU never over 39C. No overclocking.
 
Good Call, PSU almsot for sure, but it could be something else causing the PSU to shut down, it's just not as likely....

These are teh symptoms of what a PSU will do when it dies, You can pull it out and play I used a dead PSU for running CCFL's on my fishtank for a while lol. Thats about all it could run though.
 
I agree, it does sound like the PSU. How old is it? If you don't have another PSU handy, you might try removing all cards and unhooking harddrives/etc so that only the video card (if you have a simple PCI card, it'd be better to try it instead too) and see what happens. It might just have enough power to start up a barebones system.
 
Well, the PC has been traveling; That means lots of vibration! It could be a dead PSU (when my last PSU died the computer just went *blip* and would not turn back on)

What I would do is unplug EVERYTHING from the mobo, that includes IDE/SATA cables, power cables, all the cards you have pluged in, and the RAM.
Grab an air duster and blow out all the connections, than just hook everythign back up...
 
I bought the bloody thing in march...
At least it crapped out before I got around to sleeving the cables...

Is there any special care I should use when transporting? Right now I stow it back in the case box with the styrofoam supporting it.

Will any type of compressed air work? Or is there a special computer brand airspray?

Thanks
 
When you bought it has nothing to do with it, its the effects of vibration on the parts over long periods of time. I had just built this PC before moving to my new house, I had tossed the whole thing in the back seat and expected it to be fine…WRONG! Turns out that a bump had jared the motherboard just enough that it was shorting.
I had to remove and remount the motherboard to sort that out…

When transporting, remove all the cards from the motherboard and pack them separately (This includes RAM). If you plan on putting it through the mail, PACK EVERYTHIGN SEPERATLY!
Small packages tend to make it through better. And its better having one or two parts not make it, than the entire PC show up like it was dropped out of an airplane.

As for the compressed air, any can of it will work. Its only about $4 for one can (DO NOT USE AN AIR COMPRESSOR!)
 
Unknown-One said:
As for the compressed air, any can of it will work. Its only about $4 for one can (DO NOT USE AN AIR COMPRESSOR!)
Click to expand...

why not use an air compressor? moisture in the air?
 
no, more because an air compressor is about 100x more powerful than your average air duster :D

Lets just say that if you tried to use an air compressor, you could watch the components fly right off your motherboard :eek:
 
Unknown-One said:
When you bought it has nothing to do with it, its the effects of vibration on the parts over long periods of time. I had just built this PC before moving to my new house, I had tossed the whole thing in the back seat and expected it to be fine…WRONG! Turns out that a bump had jared the motherboard just enough that it was shorting.
I had to remove and remount the motherboard to sort that out…

When transporting, remove all the cards from the motherboard and pack them separately (This includes RAM). If you plan on putting it through the mail, PACK EVERYTHIGN SEPERATLY!
Small packages tend to make it through better. And its better having one or two parts not make it, than the entire PC show up like it was dropped out of an airplane.

As for the compressed air, any can of it will work. Its only about $4 for one can (DO NOT USE AN AIR COMPRESSOR!)
Click to expand...

Yeah, it may me. You should try taking out all the components and looking for a loose screw behind the motherboard or something or any metal pieces that got loose. Ive had to do it before. The computer "looks" fine but when you take everything out and put it all back you usually see a problem that you would not have otherwise.
 
Unknown-One said:
no, more because an air compressor is about 100x more powerful than your average air duster :D

Lets just say that if you tried to use an air compressor, you could watch the components fly right off your motherboard :eek:
Click to expand...

never had that problem before, sounds painful :eek:
 
Unknown-One said:
no, more because an air compressor is about 100x more powerful than your average air duster :D

Lets just say that if you tried to use an air compressor, you could watch the components fly right off your motherboard :eek:
Click to expand...

Haha, I've always used an air compressor for air dusting :). Never really had any problems... except for the one time I blew all the fins off of one of the case fans. I got a good laugh out of that incident.

And if its too powerful, you can usually adjust the air pressure output on most compressors.
 
One thing to consider seeing as the computer has been moving, and you never mentioned that you did this, did you check the heatsink on the CPU? You could have burned it up :(
 
yeah sounds like the moving did something. How was it packed?
Maybe some crazy critters found their way in their? Then after you turn it on went to get a drink the critters decided to commit suicide by diving into the motherboard causes it to fry?

;)
 
Make sure that the HSF for the CPU isn't loose!
This could be causing the shut down.
 
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