PC broken, wont even load BIOS
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Thread: PC broken, wont even load BIOS

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    3

    PC broken, wont even load BIOS

    Hey there. New around here, but it looked like a good place to ask for advice.

    I have a fairly new PC that has died. Fortunately, its under insurance, and i will eventually get a tech round to fix it, but due to working all hours and the current weather, its proving difficult to get one out at a time i am gonna be in.

    So, I'm wondering if it might be something fairly simple i can sort out myself, if it means getting my PC back faster. This one is horridly out of data and struggle to run any sort of games.

    Heres my problem. Last Wednesday, I came home from work as usual, and shook my mouse to come out of hibernate mode, as I always do. Nothing. Tried again. Nothing. Tried a few keys on the keyboard. Nothing. Thought this kind of strange, as its i've had it less then 6 months, and hadnt had a single problem with it.

    I also noticed that rather then pulsing as it normally would when in hibernate mode, the power button was actually lit solid. I gave it a few minutes, tried again, to no avail. Still, no major worries. I'll just turn it off and reboot. No problem...

    Or so I thought. Because it wouldnt bootup. Just the same, black screen. I tried my old monitor, sure it couldnt be my tower. No luck there, it just gave me the no signal screen. So then I tried everything. Unplugging at the power. Leaving it 30 minutes. Replugging. Nothing. Tried taking every single lead out, leaving it a few minutes, reconnect. Nothing. Eventually i gave up, and put my old tower back in just so i have internet access at least.

    Now, what happens when i turn it on, the power button lights up solid, like it should. The PC whirrs... but it doesnt beep. Normally it would whirr, beep, then start to boot, with the bios screen coming up first for a few seconds, and then vista.

    There never a beep, and no bios loads. Theres some fans going i think, and theres something else clicking it sounds like. But it sounds.... not well. Theres a strange whirly click that doesnt sound normal.

    This tale get slightly stranger tho. Because at about midday yesterday, it started working. I had an unexpected day off, and though i might run it down the road and see if the guys thre could have a look over it, and see if they could fix it if they could do it there and then. So I just plugged it in one time before i went down there, so it was fresh in my mind to explain. And it worked. It froze up entirely a few minutes after booting up, but i turned it off at the power button, and it reloaded fine (I got the start in safe option etc) as it should after a non-proper shutdown. And then it ran. Till 6PM. When it froze. No worries I thought, although slightly concerned at two freezes in a day.

    And now it back to how it was. Nothing. No Start screen, no Bios, No beeps. No nothing.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    3
    Ops, just realised I've got given any details to the actual computer.

    Its a Packard Bell
    AMD Phenom quadcore (10.4).
    Running on Vista.
    4G Ram
    Graphics is Nvida9600.

    Not really that hot on the ins and outs of hardware and stuff tbh, so I'm sure exactly what else you'd want. Please ask if you need any more details.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Friern Barnet, London, England
    Posts
    46,565


    The most likely cause of this behaviour is a faulty power supply. I had one die on me a couple of years go that did exactly the same. It's a fairly big job to change one if you've never done it before, and a decent PSU isn't cheap. So if this is still under warranty, I'd get it fixed under that.

    BTW, all electronic components have a tendency to either die early on, or to last forever. So it isn't that unusual to have a failure on a newish PC like that.
    Nick.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    3
    Yeah, I've had good luck on the hardware front tbh. I've had the odd virus and then eventual constant crash degrading of system that happens to PCs after 5-6 years without taking care of them before, but nothing i've really had to have call outs for.

    I figured it would probably be something major inside. Defiantely get it done under the insurance, just means i'll have to wait till i can arrange for them to come and me to be off!

    Thanks for help.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2000
    Location
    Friern Barnet, London, England
    Posts
    46,565
    You're very welcome
    Nick.

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