Computer problem= Help Requested.

[mitlen]

I got it up  ....  the PC.    Went back and started checking each connection one by one.    Turned it on and it powered up  .. and stayed on!     All I gotta do now is bring back to the computer desk, attach the monitor, etc. and see what happens.

[GburgNatsFan]

This qualifies you to do Chief's real job as a second career, no? 

I got it up  ....  the PC.    Went back and started checking each connection one by one.    Turned it on and it powered up  .. and stayed on!     All I gotta do now is bring back to the computer desk, attach the monitor, etc. and see what happens.

[mitlen]

This qualifies you to do Chief's real job as a second career, no? 

What's that?     Locking threads?     

[dracnal]

I got it up  ....  the PC.    Went back and started checking each connection one by one.    Turned it on and it powered up  .. and stayed on!     All I gotta do now is bring back to the computer desk, attach the monitor, etc. and see what happens.

Grats! I was starting to think that maybe you did indeed have a stuck power switch on the front of the case (since holding the button for five seconds is the signal to shut down for a modern PSU). And GBurg's right - that's pretty much the first step for the job. Successfully replace something without shorting out everything in site and lighting it on fire.

Best story along those lines I ever heard was a guy who tried to swap out a stick of RAM, cut his thumb wide open when he scraped it across a solder joint and literally dumped enough blood in the case to fry the board. I was working phone support for HP at the time and he knew he had violated the warranty so he wanted to pay to get it repaired.

The computer division (Pavillion) was brand new at the time - had only been around for about four months and all the units were 100% under warranty. HP had no system in place to handle non-warranty repairs. Customer satisfaction okayed the repair gratis as thanks for being a valued HP customer. I suspect he still buys HP to this day.

[mitlen]

Grats! I was starting to think that maybe you did indeed have a stuck power switch on the front of the case (since holding the button for five seconds is the signal to shut down for a modern PSU). And GBurg's right - that's pretty much the first step for the job. Successfully replace something without shorting out everything in site and lighting it on fire.

I wanna thank all who gave the old man suggestions (on and offline).     Plugged her into the monitor, etc. and she's running fine    ..   so far.   

dracnal, was that pre or post Carly?

[dracnal]

Oh so very pre-Carly. 1995. Glad to hear it's up and running properlike.

[Nathan]

Purely anecdotal but the only power supply that ever blew up on me was an Antec.  The Corsair-branded (built by Seasonic) unit that replaced it is still going strong 8 years in and counting.

My corsair psu is also nearly 8 years old and going strong.

Fwiw, any time I unplug and plug my pc back in like that, it will do the same thing, power up a few seconds and shut back off.  Hitting the front power button after that and it powers up normally.  A little late now that you've already replaced though

[mitlen]

My corsair psu is also nearly 8 years old and going strong.

Fwiw, any time I unplug and plug my pc back in like that, it will do the same thing, power up a few seconds and shut back off.  Hitting the front power button after that and it powers up normally.  A little late now that you've already replaced though

I did that with the front power button with both PS.    I believe the old power supply was toast.   It didn't respond for more than 5 or 6 seconds.    The new one came up pretty quickly once I "re-plugged" everything.    I'm thinkin' about holding on to the old one and asking the local computer folks to test.

[mitlen]

Looks like I'm back to where I was last Wednesday.    I came home and the PC was shutdown.   I hit the on button and it sounded like it was startin' up ...  for about 5 seconds (lights flickered, fans powered up, etc.) and then shut down.    Turned it off.    Let it sit.   Powered it back on and the same thing.   I'll re-seed everything tomorrow and start over.

If that doesn't work, I might take it over to Affinity and ask 'em to look it over.

.

[dracnal]

Looks like I'm back to where I was last Wednesday.    I came home and the PC was shutdown.   I hit the on button and it sounded like it was startin' up ...  for about 5 seconds (lights flickered, fans powered up, etc.) and then shut down.    Turned it off.    Let it sit.   Powered it back on and the same thing.   I'll re-seed everything tomorrow and start over.

If that doesn't work, I might take it over to Affinity and ask 'em to look it over.

.

There should be a number of two strand wires (braided wires that are typically red-white, orange-white, blue-white, green-white, etc., that run from the front part of the computer back to somewhere on the motherboard. They'll be in a little block that's typically 8x2 or so. Varies a bit by motherboard.

The wires will be pushed into that block either as individual wires (for things like the reset button) or a block of them (for the speaker for example).  Make sure those are all pushed in tightly.

The other option I can think of is this: The front casing of the computer will typically pop off. Pull the side and look for tabs from the front and bottom front of the computer. Pop them loose and the front case pulls off. This will let you push the power button with your finger, rather than using the button on the case to push it. If something is getting physically stuck with the button, this should take care of it/diagnose it.

[mitlen]

There should be a number of two strand wires (braided wires that are typically red-white, orange-white, blue-white, green-white, etc., that run from the front part of the computer back to somewhere on the motherboard. They'll be in a little block that's typically 8x2 or so. Varies a bit by motherboard.

The wires will be pushed into that block either as individual wires (for things like the reset button) or a block of them (for the speaker for example).  Make sure those are all pushed in tightly.

The other option I can think of is this: The front casing of the computer will typically pop off. Pull the side and look for tabs from the front and bottom front of the computer. Pop them loose and the front case pulls off. This will let you push the power button with your finger, rather than using the button on the case to push it. If something is getting physically stuck with the button, this should take care of it/diagnose it.

My "plan" is to make sure all the connections are secure.    I'll try the button thing as well.    I'll play with it today.    If it's not up later, I'll take it over to Affinity and ask them to do a look see.     Thanks for the tips.

Uninformed musings  ...   When I left, the computer was on.    When I got back, it was off.   Missus says she wasn't at the PC while I was gone.    What confuses me about connections is nothing was moved.    That and the past episodes leads me to believe it's the on/off button.    I'm gonna name the PC "HAL".

[GburgNatsFan]

When I had that won't quite start issue on a laptop, it was a motherboard failure.

[mitlen]

When I had that won't quite start issue on a laptop, it was a motherboard failure.

Yep, I figure I'll check the connections and the basic stuff.   If it still doesn't start, I'll take it over to the pros.

[GburgNatsFan]

If it's a motherboard failure, move on.

Yep, I figure I'll check the connections and the basic stuff.   If it still doesn't start, I'll take it over to the pros.

[dracnal]

If it's a motherboard failure, move on.

Would tend to agree with this, but an estimate from Affinity can't hurt. That said, they've got some 'value' shells that should be affordable for most budgets that would do just fine for the kind of workload it sounds like you and the missus put on it.

*edit: Just avoid AMD processors. Too many of them are 'budget,' meaning crippled.

[mitlen]

Would tend to agree with this, but an estimate from Affinity can't hurt. That said, they've got some 'value' shells that should be affordable for most budgets that would do just fine for the kind of workload it sounds like you and the missus put on it.

*edit: Just avoid AMD processors. Too many of them are 'budget,' meaning crippled.

My "problem" is I have some work on the hard drive that I need.    How do I get around that?

[GburgNatsFan]

The computer repair place can pull the hard drive put it in enclosure, making it efffectively an external drive for your new computer. USB connnected. Worked well for me. Costs like $30 or something. Or, you can....

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hard+drive+enclosure

My "problem" is I have some work on the hard drive that I need.    How do I get around that?

[Squab]

Before you buy a new desktop, look into having someone build one for you (or do it yourself!) the value you get, and not having typical manufacturer bloatware on a new box is pretty great.

You can build a really nice little PC for ~500 dollars. Decent one for ~300-400.

[dracnal]

Before you buy a new desktop, look into having someone build one for you (or do it yourself!) the value you get, and not having typical manufacturer bloatware on a new box is pretty great.

You can build a really nice little PC for ~500 dollars. Decent one for ~300-400.

Squab,

Affinity has a bunch of refurbs that fit into what you're talking about. Home brew cases and components for reasonable prices.

Mitlen,

The link to the enclosure (easily obtainable at Microcenter) is exactly the way to go if you want it simple. If you want to do it without spending any money at all, it's also doable - would just need to explain how to attach a SATA device and get it recognized by the BIOS.

[mitlen]

Squab,

Affinity has a bunch of refurbs that fit into what you're talking about. Home brew cases and components for reasonable prices.

Mitlen,

The link to the enclosure (easily obtainable at Microcenter) is exactly the way to go if you want it simple. If you want to do it without spending any money at all, it's also doable - would just need to explain how to attach a SATA device and get it recognized by the BIOS.

You're gettin' in the weeds for me.          I've been playin' with it and it's still doin' the same thing.   I got to the on/off button (internal) with the same results.    One time it almost started.    My gut's tellin' me motherboard.    .      I'll continue to fritter with it and see where I am before I take the box to Affinity.

Squab:    My son built this unit for me.    I may ask him to do another one  ...   since I have a new PS.         What I might do is just ask him to install my HD, PS, DVD, etc. into a new box with a new switch and motherboard.      In reality, I'll probably wake up tomorrow morning in a state of pisstivity and take the box to Affinity.    Tell 'em what's goin' on, what I want and call me with an estimate.

[Squab]

Squab,

Affinity has a bunch of refurbs that fit into what you're talking about. Home brew cases and components for reasonable prices.

Ah cool, I've never been, not a local.

Squab:    My son built this unit for me.    I may ask him to do another one

[GburgNatsFan]

He's the one that chose this lousy motherboard that only lasted six years. You're going to ask him to do another one?

You're gettin' in the weeds for me.          I've been playin' with it and it's still doin' the same thing.   I got to the on/off button (internal) with the same results.    One time it almost started.    My gut's tellin' me motherboard.    .      I'll continue to fritter with it and see where I am before I take the box to Affinity.

Squab:    My son built this unit for me.    I may ask him to do another one  ...   since I have a new PS.         What I might do is just ask him to install my HD, PS, DVD, etc. into a new box with a new switch and motherboard.      In reality, I'll probably wake up tomorrow morning in a state of pisstivity and take the box to Affinity.    Tell 'em what's goin' on, what I want and call me with an estimate.

[Minty Fresh]

So my son decided he wanted an HTC Vive and he and his gaming buddies are all looking into getting one.

A friend of his who "knows everything there is to know about computers (, dad!)" came over and decided to use my son's custom-built machine as a test case to see if it could run the HTC Vive.  The two geniuses put their heads together and decided to attempt what they called "over-clocking" the processor.  Anyone ever heard of this?

Anyway, it fried the processor and his 2 GB graphics card - though I've been told that we're lucky that's all it got.

We just received the unit back today with a $600 bill for a new processor, new graphics card and the labor to install them. 

Good news is: we don't have to shop for his dumbass for Christmas, he done spent all his Christmas gift allotment on new computer components.

And a Seattle Sounders FC jersey.

[GburgNatsFan]

I've heard of it.  Apparently, it's not a great idea.

So my son decided he wanted an HTC Vive and he and his gaming buddies are all looking into getting one.

A friend of his who "knows everything there is to know about computers (, dad!)" came over and decided to use my son's custom-built machine as a test case to see if it could run the HTC Vive.  The two geniuses put their heads together and decided to attempt what they called "over-clocking" the processor.  Anyone ever heard of this?

Anyway, it fried the processor and his 2 GB graphics card - though I've been told that we're lucky that's all it got.

We just received the unit back today with a $600 bill for a new processor, new graphics card and the labor to install them. 

Good news is: we don't have to shop for his dumbass for Christmas, he done spent all his Christmas gift allotment on new computer components.

And a Seattle Sounders FC jersey.

[dracnal]

I've heard of it.  Apparently, it's not a great idea.

It boils down to a few things. One: Is your motherboard and processor generally accepted as a good fit for overclocking? Two: Do you have extremely adequate cooling? Liquid/oil cooled preferably? Three: Do you actually have a legit need for doing it or are you just hoping to get a couple higher FPS on your ePeen stroking screen shot that you post to Tumblr?

edit: Essentially if you didn't build your computer from the ground up with a plan to do it, it's a bad idea in most cases.