Computer wont boot :(

[Ravioli]

So my computer was working fine yesterday, and i turned it off and went to sleep and saw no signs at all of problems. Today when i start it, it wont give the "beep" sounds it usually does during POST, and it wont send signals to my mouse, keyboard, or monitor. None of them lights up. The fans all spin, the LEDs are on, the DVD player opens and closes. But for some reason there is no signal to the monitor, the Mouse LED wont light up, and the leds on the keyboard wont light up.

I opened it and everything is seated perfectly, no loose cables at all. I tried pushing the button on the mobo to see if that worked but that did nothing.

Im thinking its the motherboard going bad, so im checking if you guys have any idea what could fix this. Thanks

EDIT:

Tried reseating the RAM but that didnt work.

EDIT:

Specs:
MSI K9N Platinum SLI motherboard
AMD Athlon 64bit Dualcore 3.0 ghz
2gb kingston DDR2 800 ram
Nvidia 8800GTX

 

[Kadayi]

Check your motherboard manual for warning light details on the motherboard. That your DVD drive opens and closes means your PSU is working, so it might well be the MB. However it could just be a loose cable. Sometimes just dismantling your rig giving it a good dust off and then reassembling it sorts out the problem.

 

[Ravioli]

I unplugged all hard drives, still nothing. I took the cmos battery out and let it rest for a few minutes, put it back in and still nothing. Removed the GPU and cleaned it, (tried with and without it) and still nothing.

It just wont boot at all I think the mobo is ****ed.

 

[barbarbarbarbar]

I am 100% sure that your GPU is dead.I had the EXACT-SAME-PROBLEM couple of months ago.

EDIT:Just to be sure , try borrowing one from your friends but be sure that you take a card with the appropriate slot (PCI-E , AGP)

 

[Dinnesch]

Start without GPU(should cause lots of beeping), try taking out your RAM sticks 1 by 1(to check if one of them is dead). Also try different RAM slots.
Otherwise it's likely to be your PSU or motherboard.

 

[Ravioli]

thx for the help. However im not sure its the GPU, because neither my keyboard nor mouse recieves any power/signal at all from the mobo. They should light up right when you start it, but they both remain dead, no power at all. Same with the monitor. So im suspecting its the motherboard doing something. It doesnt even do the regular beep noises it always does when i boot it.

I took the GPU out but that didnt change anything. I dont have another GPU laying around so i cant test that

I found a new cheap mobo in a store nearby so im probably going to buy it tomorrow and see if that helps. If not..then i am truly ****ed deep in the anus.

 

[VirusType2]

Well, I think it's either your motherboard or the PSU, but I'm not sure - maybe it could be the CPU? I don't know if because the fans spin and the Drive opens that the PSU is ok.

 

[Dinnesch]

Motherboards usually don't suddenly die, more likely to be your PSU.

 

[Ravioli]

Hm yea it could possibly be a PSU problem, since the keyboard and mouse wont recieve any power. But then again, all the LEDs and fans works (except the keyboard/mouse leds)

So i have two options, get a new PSU or Mobo. Just dont know which one i should try first lol.

 

[VirusType2]

It can't hurt to have a 2nd PSU handy, it will be useful one day.

Same can't be said for the motherboard since you probably won't need that socket type next time.

 

[Ravioli]

Hm, does anyone know if POST is done completely by the motherboard itself, or does it need the CPU in order to do a POST? Maybe the CPU doesnt work...but then...would that effect keyboard/mouse power?

 

[Dinnesch]

No CPU no life. No, it isn't gonna post without a CPU.
But CPU's usually don't die unless you overclock/overheat them, so it's most likely your motherboard/PSU.

 

[Ravioli]

I read about another guy who had the same problem, and it turned out his CPU was fried.

I removed the CPU heatsink to take a look at it and it doesnt look burned, however, there is a serious lack of thermal paste. I havent changed it since i first put it in there ( 2.5 years ago). The paste is very very very thin, and the CPU had spots with no thermal paste on it. So could it be a possibility that it overheats and decides to shut off? Wouldnt it shut off the entire computer? Or does it just not...start?

The CPU fan works perfectly though.

Tomorrow is christmas so i doubt any shops will be open, but i will try to find some thermal paste and put it on there and see if that helps.


Here are pics of it, can anyone tell me if that small amount of thermal paste can be a problem?

 

[barbarbarbarbar]

thx for the help. However im not sure its the GPU, because neither my keyboard nor mouse recieves any power/signal at all from the mobo. They should light up right when you start it, but they both remain dead, no power at all. Same with the monitor. So im suspecting its the motherboard doing something. It doesnt even do the regular beep noises it always does when i boot it.

I took the GPU out but that didnt change anything. I dont have another GPU laying around so i cant test that

I found a new cheap mobo in a store nearby so im probably going to buy it tomorrow and see if that helps. If not..then i am truly ****ed deep in the anus.

Did you try pulling the CMOS thingy battery and then returning it in ? I heard that it could help (but only if it is a software malfunction)

 

[Hectic Glenn]

Looks like enough to me, you only put a pea sized amount on a CPU and let the pressure of the HSF to spread it thinly. Too much will actually be of detriment as the heat as further to travel (and it gets squished out the edges).

You'll need to clean that up now properly before you re-apply.

This doesn't necessarily mean it isn't your CPU. Anything smell burnt on the mobo? Any popped capacitors? Have you tried one RAM stick in, one out (then swap).

Based on the the first post I really thought it was your GPU. I you said later you think you've disproved that but it really does sound reminiscent of a GPU fail.

 

[Ravioli]

Nothing smells, and ive tried the ram swapping. Would the GPU really cause problems with the mouse and keyboard tho? thats whats throwing me off

 

[Barney Fife]

can anyone tell me if that small amount of thermal paste can be a problem?

Your thermal Paste looks fine. I dont think it is CPU, CPU don't just die like that; they must BSOD first, shut computer off, if heat threshold is ever reached. That is, unless you over-volt insanely and fried the damn thing.

Ravioli, Take everything out, and bare the MB with only CPU in it, one stick, and onbaord VA attached. Boot and see what happens.

Good Luck.

 

[Ravioli]

Thx for all the advice from everyone. However, nothing seems to work. One more question: Is it possible that the CMOS battery can die? Is it normal that people replace their batteries after a few years?

 

[Dinnesch]

I had a dead battery on a 4 year old motherboard.

 

[Barney Fife]

Thx for all the advice from everyone. However, nothing seems to work. One more question: Is it possible that the CMOS battery can die? Is it normal that people replace their batteries after a few years?

Normally, batteries die with the computer... that is, unless you keep a dead computer like Dinnesch. Then again, the thing may be diffective with short lifespan.

Did you get it to work?

 

[sixteenth]

This'll do it. Take a large magnet and run it over the hard-drive in a forward/backward motion. After about 20 times, start your computer again. It'll start.

This is a guaranteed fix btw. Believe me.

 

[Barney Fife]

This'll do it. Take a large magnet and run it over the hard-drive in a forward/backward motion. After about 20 times, start your computer again. It'll start.

This is a guaranteed fix btw. Believe me.

Not funny.

 

[barbarbarbarbar]

Thx for all the advice from everyone. However, nothing seems to work. One more question: Is it possible that the CMOS battery can die? Is it normal that people replace their batteries after a few years?

Did you at least read my post ?

 

[Ravioli]

Yes i did try re-inserting the battery etc, but im thinking that maybe the whole battery is dead because that wont work either.