PC will not boot
 

Have a bit of a problem with PC and cannot get it to boot, not even in to BIOS. Thought it was motherboard problem, changed that and still did not work. So went on to replace processor, power supply, RAM and IDE cables. Still no luck. I think the problem has something to do with IDE connections, if I leave them disconnected, the hard drive spins as do the DVD drives. As soon as I connect them, I get nothing.

There is power coming in, the fans and lights all work. I have tried hard drive in daughters computer and it works fine. Have also tried clearing CMOS and re-seating RAM as well as tring two video cards and on-board graphics - always the same.

I have now run out of ideas so any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.....


Many thanks

Abs

Re: PC will not boot
 

when you say it will not boot do you mean it wont load windows ? does it post? when you say the drive is fine in daughters machine does it boot windows or as a slave?
Could boot from xp cd and goto os recovery and try fixmbr command

Edit if you cant do this in main machine do it in daughters it should find the boot record. Also run scan disk on daughters machine if you can or chkdsk in recovery

Re: PC will not boot
 

Sorry, in my frustration I rushed the post!

It will not even boot to BIOS, it does nothing when IDE ribbons connected. The hard drive or DVD drives do not even spin. When I disconnect ribbons, they spin as they should.

Hard drive works fine as master and using its own OS in daughters PC. I have also tried connecting new hard drive to my PC and exactly the same happens, have even tried new IDE ribbons. In fact I appear to have replaced just about everything!!

Re: PC will not boot
 

but this happens with 2 motherboards? and you have swapped everything lol you can get into bios when theres no ribbon?

You could try booting the machine out of the case,I dunno this is gonna be hard to fathom from a distance

Re: PC will not boot
 

No, can't get into BIOS without ribbon.

I ordered a bundled motherboard, processor and RAM for a friend from Novotech, he has not picked it up yet, so I rather cheekily just fitted that and it does exactly the same.... I am confused, I think the only thing I have not changed is the case!!

I can't imagine all three motherboards would have problems with IDE connections, and both IDE connections at that.

Re: PC will not boot
 

boot it out the case could be an earth to the case or a switch problem If you boot it safely using something to jump the pins ( a screw driver)

Re: PC will not boot
 

Sounds like power supply to me. Been working on an eMachines PC all day with exactly the same problem. Nothing on boot up except the fans working. Try limit the power usage inside the tower. Try booting with just the HDD connected up and no CD/DVD/Floppy drives and see if it will kick in then.

If this machine you have be an eMachines model also, I'm told that the PS with them go capput all too often.

If I'm wrong, sorry. But I'd say thats all thats left to check.

Good luck

Re: PC will not boot
 

but in post 1 he said he has tried a different psu

Re: PC will not boot
 

So he did, must of missed that.

Re: PC will not boot
 

Sounds more like a drive conflict to me, master/slave ect, it would just give a black screen.
I'm sure Zing can explane:)

Re: PC will not boot
 

Thankf for the all the replies. I have tried new power and exactly the same. Just tried to boot out of the case and sitting on a static bag - still no luck.

No posting at all and no beeps!!

Re: PC will not boot
 

An Emachines doing that needs a new PSU and MB. I used to work for PC ServiceCall (support line for DSG) and that happened quite a lot :)

Re: PC will not boot
 

out of the case and on an insulating sheet of cardboard I hope, not an anti-static bag.

What ratings the PSUs? They are ATX 2.x with all the extra connectors aren't they?

Re: PC will not boot
 

one thing you dont say you have changed is the gfx try booting without one see if it beeps then

Edit see you have. Did you build this? when it spins all fans are working? heat sink definately correctly seated?paste not to think? gotta ask these questions cuz basically u could tr to have 2 machines build here. You try building your mates system and see if that works on its own board chip ram and one of the gfx you have tried see if this gets to post something smells of kippers here lol lol

Re: PC will not boot
 

The hard drives do nothing with the cables attached, but without the cables attached, the drives spin up :scratch: Ok - I might be missing something but could it not be the cables :idea:

Re: PC will not boot
 

Ha ha...... Unfortunately not. My computer that is broke, is a bought machine, has been working fine for last year, the problem was just there when I went to switch it on yesterday. The only reason I used my mates bundle is that I assumed everything would be OK on it, the board, processor and RAM were all in place when delivered and Novotech supposedly test them before sending them out. It did not help my problem so its gone back in the bag ready for him to pick up.

The two PSU's I have used are 400 & 500W, the 500W one bought today when I thought it could not possibly be anything else.

This one has really got me, I have now tried 2 PSU's, two graphics cards and on board graphics, three motherboards, three RAM sticks, three CPU's and half a dozen IDE ribbons. Tried it in the case and out of the case. The only constant I seem to get is that the hard drives and DVD drives only spin when the IDE ribbons are not connected, still don't get any posting though.

The problem reminds me of many years ago when IDE's did not have any little notches to make them fit the correct way and you put one on the wrong way round. The HD light and the lights on the DVD'd are constantly on, but don't work, you cannot even open the DVD drawer. Disaconnect IDE and drawer opens!!


Abs

Re: PC will not boot
 

The different IDE cables - from different locations?

Re: PC will not boot
 

does it post if the ide cables are removed totally from the board

Re: PC will not boot
 

It seems to me that the only thing you haven't tried is a different hard disk, or maybe I'm not reading things right?

Re: PC will not boot
 

Well, I have a similar issue at work. We narrowed it down to the one common factor - the user. He suspects nothing. We're waiting for the 5th

Re: PC will not boot
 

All fixed!!

Now for the really embarrasing thing of admitting what was wrong.........

It was all down to the ATX 12V power connector. On the computer, the original power pack had too short a cable to reach the 12V power connector, so someone had added a little 2 inch male/female extention. Each time I changed the board, I moved the extention over as well, goodness knows why because the new PSU reached easily.

Decided late last night to take everything apart and start from the beginning. Put it all together and it worked first time - couldn't understand why until I stood up and the little extention fell to the ground, I had forgotten to add it!!! (Thank goodness).

So many, many thanks for all of your help... sorry to waste so much of your time!!

Abs

Re: PC will not boot
 

lol no worries mate I thought something smelled fish like ;)

Re: PC will not boot
 

Not time wasted as they love a challenge, glad you got it sorted :)

Re: PC will not boot
 

It's always the small thing that you dismiss out of hand, or not even consider, that turns out to be the fault. That stress release that comes from solving it :D