Computer won't boot, but is getting power.

Bacchus219 · 28-06-2007, 04:47 PM

Yesterday my wife called me to tell me that the computer wasn't working. These are the events as she described them. She brought the computer out of hibernation and the monitor gave her a message telling her that it was not receiving a signal. She turned off the computer and rebooted. She was able to log in, saw the desktop and then the computer shut off. At that point, she smelled something burning (awesome) so she just turned everything off.

When I came home I was not able to get a response pushing the power button, so I unplugged the power cord from the unit, waited and plugged it back in. As soon as I plugged it back in, I heard the motherboard fan come on. The amber light on the front of the tower came on to indicate that the unit was receiving power. I was not able to power the CPU on however by pressing the power button, nor did the power-on light come on.

I opened the unit to see if my limited hardware knowledge could spot anything obvious burnt or unplugged. I couldn't find anything obvious. Even today, when I plug in the power cord, the motherboard fan comes on right away. What's going on here? This is beyond my scope of knowledge. Please help! Thanks so much!

RHochstenbach · 28-06-2007, 12:04 PM

Can you remove the CPU cooler and look at the CPU? (the big cooler on the motherboard). Because I'm thinking that the CPU might have been burnt or melted. If this is the case, the CPU fan didn't start spinning after returning from hibernation.

tier018 · 28-06-2007, 01:26 PM

when is the last time the system was really cleaned out? as in dust removal. You don't want your your system to burn itself out because there can't be any air flowing through. If your mother board is still not functioning you may need to replace it, which in the US basically means you need a new computer unless you know how to connect everything manually

28-06-2007, 04:47 PM	# 1 (permalink) Top
Bacchus219 Geek Trainee Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 4 Status: Offline	Computer won't boot, but is getting power. Yesterday my wife called me to tell me that the computer wasn't working. These are the events as she described them. She brought the computer out of hibernation and the monitor gave her a message telling her that it was not receiving a signal. She turned off the computer and rebooted. She was able to log in, saw the desktop and then the computer shut off. At that point, she smelled something burning (awesome) so she just turned everything off. When I came home I was not able to get a response pushing the power button, so I unplugged the power cord from the unit, waited and plugged it back in. As soon as I plugged it back in, I heard the motherboard fan come on. The amber light on the front of the tower came on to indicate that the unit was receiving power. I was not able to power the CPU on however by pressing the power button, nor did the power-on light come on. I opened the unit to see if my limited hardware knowledge could spot anything obvious burnt or unplugged. I couldn't find anything obvious. Even today, when I plug in the power cord, the motherboard fan comes on right away. What's going on here? This is beyond my scope of knowledge. Please help! Thanks so much!

28-06-2007, 12:04 PM	# 2 (permalink) Top
RHochstenbach ehh...what's up, doc? Join Date: Nov 2006 Age: 21 Male Posts: 2,156 Times Helpful: 192 My Mood: Fine Status: Offline My Computer	Can you remove the CPU cooler and look at the CPU? (the big cooler on the motherboard). Because I'm thinking that the CPU might have been burnt or melted. If this is the case, the CPU fan didn't start spinning after returning from hibernation. __________________ TechLife Zone \| My Blog \| Twitter \| Last.fm "There are only 10 types of people in the world - Those who understand binary, and those who don't."

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28-06-2007, 01:26 PM	# 3 (permalink) Top
tier018 Geek Trainee Join Date: Mar 2006 Gender: Posts: 4 Status: Offline	when is the last time the system was really cleaned out? as in dust removal. You don't want your your system to burn itself out because there can't be any air flowing through. If your mother board is still not functioning you may need to replace it, which in the US basically means you need a new computer unless you know how to connect everything manually

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