Was on my pc earlier when it suddenly switched off which i thought was odd.

It's totally dead and will not turn back on no fans are spinning or anything.

There's no light on the motherboard.

I had a 450W power supply lying around so i thought i'd connect that up but still nothing.

What's gone wrong, i need to make sure what has gone wrong before i order new parts.

:(

Sounds like your mobo has died.

I would investigate the Power Supply a little more you might have had one lying around but was it ok get it checked or try it on another Pc

It's a long shot, but there are two things you can try:

- Static discharge. Unplug the computer from EVERYTHING (mouse, usb stuff power the lot) then hold down the power on button on the front of your case for 20 seconds. Then plug the power cable only in and click the power.

- Clear the RTC (check the mobo manual for the jumper and procedure for this)

These are extremely long shots and are unlikely to work.

My main recommendation for checking however would be to get a PSU you absolutely know works and connect that into the machine. Will settle once and for all whether it's the PSU or MoBo.

If it is your MoBo that has gone by the way i'd recommend this if you're on a very tight budget, or as a low cost way of testing if it is actually the MoBo:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148264 (£40 delivered)


However, as a long term solution I would recommend this as a long term solution that is in keeping with the other components:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/145751 (£115 delivered)


I only use Asus now when building PCs or replacing stuff - Great boards to work on and you get a bunch of accessories in the box.

The BIOS is one of my favorites too, but don't bother with the Asus Cool'N'Quiet™ :)

I just done a jump start test with my PSU using a paper clip and the fan started spinning so that obviously means that my PSU is not dead which is good news so obviously it is just my motherboard that has gone.

How do i know that it hasn't fried my processor and other stuff though?

You don't mate, unfortunately until you get a MoBo that you know is working.

Your previous MoBo would have been a bottleneck in your system in any event as it was not up to the standards of your previous components. for £40 the Asus MoBo above represents a good solid upgrade and will enable you to test the rest of your components - stick it in the classifieds for £20 once your testing is over, and get one around the £100 mark to suit the rest of your system when that has been accomplished.

Alternatively, return it to the purchaser as unsuitable and pay the restocking fee.

Going to order a new motherboard on tuesday.

I can't stress enough that it would be better to stick to something in the £40 range and testing before going in all guns blazing on a £150 monster. There are plenty of good, solid MAtx MoBos from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and others that would suit your purposes and not cost the earth.

Can you imagine getting it all set up and the problem still existing? Or worse still blowing up an expensive new MoBo!

Another thing to consider is that although the PSU fan is spinning, is there something wrong with the power it's feeding into your case? I'd really get a PSU that you know works and try to fire it up, or check the suspect PSU in another PC (More risky as it may blow up a second PC). These things would cost you nothing but your time and effort and may help you pinpoint the problem before you throw money at it.

Best of luck KS2M - keep us posted!

I totally agree with you however i have an update for you.

I have an ASUS motherboard around the house which i thought was dead and i just built it all up outside of the base unit and tested it and it came on and went past the main screen but didn't load up windows but i can get into BIOS and also it doesn't turn off or anything, this must mean that the ASUS motherboard i have just found isn't faulty is it?

Why won't it load windows up though? Is it because i am using another motherboard?

Also as the PC powered up fine just now i presume the PSU is ok? I do have a brand new 450W PSU available to use if need be.

I'm not sure quite what it is that gives me the impression that you're not the best person to be playing round with all this gear, KS2M, but something certainly has. At the least use a professional to put it together, better still settle for something straight out of the box.

Well, that's a whole new can of worms :P

You say you've built this up outside of the base unit - are any of the components from the PC you've been having troubles with or is it just the MoBo you've swapped?

When you say it didn't load up Windows, what happened and when? How far did it get?

In the BIOS, are all the components displaying correctly (memory, HDD, Optical Drives)?

Will the PC start into Windows in safe mode and do you have a Windows disc to try a repair from?

This could turn out to be a long day for us both :P
I feel like the Spanish Inquisition with all these questions lol

I'm not sure quite what it is that gives me the impression that you're not the best person to be playing round with all this gear, KS2M, but something certainly has. At the least use a professional to put it together, better still settle for something straight out of the box.

I have a good enough idea what i am doing hence me booting up the pc just now with other components and i have been messing with pc's for years, i'm not a beginner, more an intermediate.

Have to agree with Cin (again) This isn't some PC you've bought for £50 from the free ads and can have a practice with, it's some pricey kit you have there.

The use of a paper clip to start your PSU and the fact that you have built the components together outside of the base unit are methods of increasing the chance of damage to other components. Seriously consider every step you take while fiddling with this PC.

It may also be worth taking the MoBo to a shop and saying "test this please" to them.

I have a good enough idea what i am doing hence me booting up the pc just now with other components and i have been messing with pc's for years, i'm not a beginner, more an intermediate.

I recant a lot of my previous post then :D

Still would require more info though regarding what exactly it's doing.

Well, that's a whole new can of worms :P

You say you've built this up outside of the base unit - are any of the components from the PC you've been having troubles with or is it just the MoBo you've swapped?

When you say it didn't load up Windows, what happened and when? How far did it get?

In the BIOS, are all the components displaying correctly (memory, HDD, Optical Drives)?

Will the PC start into Windows in safe mode and do you have a Windows disc to try a repair from?

This could turn out to be a long day for us both :P
I feel like the Spanish Inquisition with all these questions lol

All the components i just used to boot it up are all from the other pc, I only swapped the motherboards over.

In BIOS the hard drive is showing up, as is the memory and CPU etc.

The pc goes past the main screen then a black screen comes up with a little white cursor flashing in the top corner but it doesn't go past the point, it just stays there but isn't that because i am using a different motherboard? i thought i had to reinstall windows when using a different motherboard?

Not necessarily. . . .

Restart the PC and repeatedly tap the F8 key to get to start up options. Choose the Safe Mode option. (Not the one with networking). When you get to the desktop, install the drivers for the MoBo you're trying now. (Download from teh interweb if you don't have the disk - Not from safe mode here - network not enabled and no antivirus running!)

If this doesn't get you to the desktop you can always try. . .

Restart as above tapping F8 and choose the command prompt option, then at the command prompt type:

fixboot

and then when returned to the command prompt:

fixmbr

then type exit to restart the PC.

This is a long shot and may not resolve the problem, but we're still just eliminating posibilities here. A clean install of Windows would be best if you have a Windows cd and an old HDD knocking about.

Right i've tried going through safe mode and all those file names start coming up but then it restarts itself.

Do you have a windows cd?

Don't think i have.

Think i might have a vista recovery disk somewhere though.

lol - this may be a daft question, but are you running Vista?

If you are then I refuse to become embroiled any further in this problem :D

Seriously though - You're gonna have to do a fresh install at some point when changing a MoBo. I'm sure that there are some incredibly knowledgeable and creative peeps out there who can do this. But, like nuking it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

The recovery disk would normally contain specific drivers for a specific out of the box PC, so not much help there I'm afraid :(

You know anyone who might have a Windows disk that is the same operating system as yours? You may not need the reinstall, just the disk as it includes a repair option before the installation section that may do the trick.

Could it be a dodgy power supply? Y'know, it powers up, but doesn't give it enough beef? I had that problem once.... I've also heard that in some cases the Mobo gets "grounded" by the PC case, not something I've delved into myself, and I'm not too sure on the solution, but a quick Google should give you the answer to that.

It's also worth checking the RAM, that could be faulty too maybe?

That's the reason why this second MoBo is being used - To check the components.

I'm of the opinion now that the original MoBo is at fault and the components haven't been affected, as the PC passes POST (Power On Self Test) and gets to the part where the operating system takes over. This is where it falls down so I'd lean towards full reinstall now owing to Windows being tied in knots.

If the original MoBo has blown though - I'd agree with you there and be loath to put the original PSU back into any PC from hereon in.

Memory detects in BIOS so should be ok also and POST passes it as working fine.

Cupowar if you were me would you use the 600W PSU that is working fine still? Or would you use the brand new 450W? bearing in mind i'm not sure whether the 450W would be powerful enough.

I might keep my Radeon 4870 GPU out for the time beginning so that if i use a 450W PSU it won't have to much to run and it will make my pc use less power for the time being until i buy another 600W or 700W PSU next week.

Just bin it.....

Just bin it.....

If you haven't got anything good to say keep out of my threads, all i have seen from you recently on my threads is a load of crap and is not contributing anything. :rant: :rant:

For your information my pc is fully working again now, thanks to my ASUS motherboard which i had lying around.

I found my Windows XP disk and have put that on for the time being.

Also Cinderella i'm hardly going to bin a pc which i have spent around £1,000 on in the last 8 months :loopy:

Sorry, thought you were wanting advice.....

So basically i will be running this on a 450W PSU

Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16Ghz
4GB Ram
1TB HD
Samsung DVDRW
Windows XP until i put Vista back on

I will leave my Radeon HD 4870 graphics card out of the system and use on board graphics for now until i get a better and more powerful PSU.

Will a 450W PSU run the above without too much pressure? Will it be able to handle the workload?

Sorry, thought you were wanting advice.....

Saying bin it is not exactly advice and is not contributing much to the thread.

So basically i will be running this on a 450W PSU

Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16Ghz
4GB Ram
1TB HD
Samsung DVDRW
Windows XP until i put Vista back on

I will leave my Radeon HD 4870 graphics card out of the system and use on board graphics for now until i get a better and more powerful PSU.

Will a 450W PSU run the above without too much pressure? Will it be able to handle the workload?Recon your just border line there go higher 600/700 minimum

Saying bin it is not exactly advice and is not contributing much to the thread.

The thread? At this point in time your PC is like some quad core, occupying four threads. It doesn't work, how do I make it more powerful, the monitor's rubbish, and what is it worth? Not sure which question you want answered....

Recon your just border line there go higher 600/700 minimum

Will the 600W PSU i had it in yesterday be safe to use? As my motherboard failed last night, I should have known it would fail being a cheap Foxconn motherboard.

This ASUS one that i have got in now should be much better but which PSU should i use?

1.THe 600W PSU that was in the base unit when my Foxconn motherboard went last night?

2.Use the 450W PSU for up to a week until i get another PSU?

The thread? At this point in time your PC is like some quad core, occupying four threads. It doesn't work, how do I make it more powerful, the monitor's rubbish, and what is it worth? Not sure which question you want answered....

Those other 'THREADS' were posted before this happened, This only happened last night!

I received a crap monitor this week which i will be sending back, to me it just seems like you are thread spoiling, or just posting rubbish like BIN IT!!

Guys, guys, guys (or gals) cool your jets please, we're trying to fix a PC here not talking politics.

KS2M is obviously having multiple problems (hence the multiple threads). Nothing wrong with that.

Let's not get off topic - This thread is for the resolution of this problem, nothing mentioned here about the price of this PC, or the monitor, which is pretty much resolved as the monitor's up for sale, until you mentioned it Cin - KSM2 is trying to keep the issue clear and separate by using different threads.

The 450Watt PSU is obviously ok for the time being, but Terminator is right and a 600W should be put in if available to ensure power happiness for the PC.

But come on Cin - for someone with 2000+ posts, "Just bin" it isn't really helping, and you should know that mate.

If something you'd created, spent a lot of money on and felt emotionally attached to as a result broke and you needed help fixing it, then someone said bin it - how would you feel? Think of the hours that go into building a PC, installing software, updating. . . .

I'm not trying to escalate this, and I apologise in advance if I do, but us geeks have a reputation to uphold - We're lovers not fighters :P

I totally agree with you Cupowar- Cinderella's posts have not been helpful at all and i am just trying to sort out this problem.

I will use the 450W until thursday/friday when hopefully a new PSU will have arrived :D

It's weird, now that everything is back in the case nothing is working yet when it was out of the case it was working fine :confused:

lmao :D

This is just getting a bit surreal now.

I'm assuming you have another PC - Swap the case over mate.

Something may be shorting the MoBo out as well - are there spacers in the case so the MoBo isn't directly touching the metal plate?

1st things 1st though - try it as you had it when it was working just a few minutes ago. (out of the case)
Then get another case and try that.

Look forward to your next post, but the new Red Dwarf is on now so don't expect an immediate reply! :P

I know lmao

Yes there are spacers to prevent the motherboard from touching the case.

Just about to take it back out and try it.

I must say that this is weird just took it out and set it up and it works fine :confused: it has the same wires in it outside the case as it has in the case, the other motherboard might not even be faulty after all but why wouldn't it be working in the actual case :confused:

It's a brand new case as well.

I must say that this is weird just took it out and set it up and it works fine :confused: it has the same wires in it outside the case as it has in the case, the other motherboard might not even be faulty after all but why wouldn't it be working in the actual case :confused:

It's a brand new case as well.Make sure all the spaces are correct and there isnt one touching a solder joint thats not in place for new board check very carefully

Sorted now!

I transferred everything back into my old case and at first i panicked as the pc started up but the monitor wasn't coming on i turned it on and off again but then realised that it wasn't working because i forgot to plug a wire into the motherboard.

But i turned it off plugged in the wire that i forgot to plug in and started it up and now it works fine :D

So the new case that i got yesterday must be faulty in some way as it just wouldn't work in that case! & maybe the other motherboard isn't faulty after all, maybe the case shorted the motherboard or something?

Hurrah! Perseverance DOES pay off :P

Time to contact your supplier of the case and start asking for a replacement :D

Get the 'broken' MoBo put in the old case - dying to know whether it works or not.


Oh the tension . . . . .

Spoke too soon :(

The PC has gone off while in windows, then the 2nd time it went off just before it get to Windows.

Also i have noticed in BIOS that it is not detecting the CD-ROM drive, i have checked the connections but it's still not picking it up.

I don't know why it shut itself off in windows or why it went off the second time just before getting into windows.

Is it restarting or shutting down totally?

Have you connected the PSU fan back up correctly, and are all the fans spinning? May be turning itself off to protect from damage.

Are you getting power to the optical drive even though it's not detecting in the BIOS?

I was extremely lucky tonight

I tried that other motherboard that i was using yesterday just to see if it was still working and the pc started smoking a little not really bad but it stunk, very luckily the hard drive, processor etc were not damaged.

I put the ASUS board and everything back in and windows is loading up and everything so obviously my processor and everything were unaffected and things seem ok at the moment.

Close one!

I'd bin the original power supply you were using and send the case back just to be sure.

Been a pleasure posting with you :D

Thank you for your help and everything :D

My pc is still on and seems to be running fine with the ASUS motherboard, obviously if the processor or memory etc were damaged it wouldn't be working but it seems ok again now just hope it stays that way :D

lmao :D

This is just getting a bit surreal now.

I'm assuming you have another PC - Swap the case over mate.

Something may be shorting the MoBo out as well - are there spacers in the case so the MoBo isn't directly touching the metal plate?

1st things 1st though - try it as you had it when it was working just a few minutes ago. (out of the case)
Then get another case and try that.

Look forward to your next post, but the new Red Dwarf is on now so don't expect an immediate reply! :P

That's what I said earlier!

I don't recall saying you were wrong mate, and I'm happy to credit you with the first mention of that possibly being the problem :P

Just found out the problem, looked in BIOS my CPU temp was over 113C and i shut it off, obviously it is shutting itself down to prevent itself from getting damaged.

Will my CPU still be ok? It wouldn't have burnt out would it? the PC protects it from burning out doesn't it by shutting off.

I cleaned the CPU fan thoroughly and it's spinning normally but surely the CPU fan is the problem and not the PSU or the motherboard?

Have you applied thermal paste before installing the fan? If you've taken it off and put it on a few times it may need some new paste applying.

Is the fan spinning normally? What's the RPM in the BIOS? If this is low, try temporarily plugging it into one of the other fan headers on the MoBo to see if this resolves the problem.

Have you reset any overclocking options to normal - Reset the BIOS to defaults would deffo be worth a go here.

Is this on the 'old' MoBo or the Asus one?

I did apply thermal paste before installing the fan.

The fan is spinning normally, i haven't ever overclocked, the BIOS has already been set to defaults.

This is on the ASUS one.

Couple of questions for you:-

1.This means that the PSU & motherboard are not at fault doesn't it?

2. Will my CPU be damaged? Or will it be ok as the pc is shutting off a few seconds after being on therefore protecting it?

I'm going to go into town and buy a new fan and some moe thermal paste later.

Just checked the fan speed, it is 2008 RPM.

Congratulations! We've just opened our third (or forth) can of worms :P

Can't really say whether the fan is at fault as yet - can you get to the BIOS to see what its RPM speed is?

I'd really leave it 10 minutes at least between trying to turn it on. Give it time to cool down. Although the PC is trying to protect itself, you can (and will) damage the components if you turn it on repeatedly.

Try the CPU fan on another header - won't cost you anything and may resolve the problem.

I'm fairly sure we're gonna need counselling soon - anyone recommend a good shrink? :P

I don't seem to have any other headers, i think the fan is ok as the RPM is 2008.

I have an AMD X2, and don't have much experience with Intel I'm afraid, but I would hazard the opinion that that RPM is too low.

Mine's running at 3000RPM+ so I'd advise:

- Turn OFF the AMD cool 'n' quiet option in the BIOS. Let it run at full speed all the time.

- What model MoBo is the Asus one? should be fan headers for a MoBo that supports a CPU of this type.

Other than that, you could always get a new CPU fan. Feel free to dive in here at any time peeps with constructive ideas, I'm running out here lol

I don't have cool n quiet, i don't seem to have any other headers?

Yes i could get another CPU fan and some thermal paste, hopefully that will solve the problem.

Which MoBo is it? Asus MoBos for quite some time have had this as a BIOS option.

asus p5n-mx, just had another look in BIOS nothing about cool n quiet in there.

I see your point - 4pin connector for the PSU - There's a 3pin fan header directly below it on the MoBo, but not sure it would fit there.

However, it would appear that you may be able to fit the connector to the 3 pin header -

As you look at the installed MoBo, plug the fan into the 3 pin header with the right hand connector and pin lined up and the left hand connector from the PSU not plugged into anything. Don't force it - if it will fit, it should fit easily with hardly any pressure.

WATCH THE FAN WHEN YOU REBOOT - NO SPINNING THEN TURN THE PC OFF STRAIGHT AWAY

I also take your point regarding Cool 'N' Quiet - This may be an AMD only feature.

Just connected it to the 3 pin header, the fan spun but the CPU temperature was still going sky high in BIOS just a few seconds after entering the BIOS.

Think i should go for a new fan and thermal paste, what do you reckon?

If its the C2D E8400 you were talking about, the 450watt won't power it so you wouldn't get any life out of it any way.

Agreed - 600W PSU is on order though next week?

Perhaps the CPU is sucking all the power and not letting the fan get the tiny bit it needs to spin up to full RPM.

Could always try the 600W effort that you originally had trouble with and see if the RPM increases?

It would seem that a 750W is recommended for this particular processor, but try disconnecting the optical drive, floppy, gfx etc and see if that improves the situation also.

If it does - feed it some more power :D

Sorted now (fingers crossed)

Got a 600W power supply, new fan with copper heatpipes and applied some more thermal paste, temperature is now down below 40C

WOO HOO!

Really, really, really glad you got that sorted mate - Is that the PC back up and running in full now with the original MoBo in and everything?

Bah - was hoping that last post would push this onto page 5 :D

The ASUS motherboard is in as the Foxconn one started smoking last night.

ASUS is better than Foxconn anyway in my opinion.

Windows is running and the PC has been on for quite some time without any problems.

Just glad that the Foxconn motherboard smoking last night didn't affect the CPU or memory etc etc.

I presume the CPU is not damaged at all then? being as everything is working fine! And i presume the CPU won't get damaged now that more thermal paste has been applied and a new more powerful fan has been fitted?

Just monitor the situation mate, occasional look at the temp in the BIOS should be enough.

Totally pleased you've got this sorted, and I agree wholeheartedly that ASUS kick ass in the MoBo stakes. It may be worth upgrading the MoBo to something more in keeping with the rest of your system in the future, but it's working at the minute. . . . I'd be tempted to leave it be :P

Gratz on the fix mate and happy computing :)

Cheers mate, it seems very stable at the moment, seems just like new :D

I've spent hours and hours on this in the last few days and was gutted when it started smoking last night especially as i had connected everything properly but i didn't want to risk putting the Foxconn motherboard in again after that.

I am pleased to report that the PC has been fine ever since and is good as new, i forked out over £80 for a new 600W PSU and new Akasa Copperpipe CPU Fan.