Help! Power Interrupts Have Killed My Computer

by DanPatrick Sep 13, 2006 3:17PM PDT

We have three computers protected only by a surge protector (UPS on the way). All were left on while we were away. Apparently, according to neighbors, there were several interruptions of power in a row while we were gone. On returning, we found both desktops were off (the laptop, with it's battery, was still on).

One desktop computer works fine, but the other won't boot up. It gets no further than the motherboard screen and does not react to any keyboard or mouse input. Something is cooked, I imagine, but I have no idea what. Nor how to find out.

Any advice as to how I can learn what is wrong and what needs to be repaired or replaced would be very much appreciated. They fans work, but I don't think the hard drive spins. I just don't know where to start, specifically, how to go about isolating the problem.

Thanks, Dan

System: 2 gigahertz AMD 64 Athlon X2, 2 gigabytes of ramm, ABIT AN8 motherboard, Windows XP Pro, Svc Pk. 2

Discussion is locked

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Quick check

by Willy Sep 13, 2006 9:00PM PDT

On the broken system try getting into the bios, if you can do that then likely something amiss and reset whatever needs to be done or verify but save anyways upon exiting out. If not, then, remove side cover with power-OFF and reduce the system to a bare one. Unplug all drives and only kybd, video, ram and FD(if available) remains, power-ON and check results. If it wants to boot or errors to boot device, then eneter bios and select FD as main bootable. Try again to boot, if it fails, then you got a bad mtrbd. or weak psu(power supply). Replace psu with a higher wattage one. Of course be sure to have better protection and if possible surge protection separately for each system at least 1 AC plug type per AC cord(small surge protector). You may have to replace the old surge protector as it maybe spent already. Thus, get any surge proptrector using LED's showing active protection, etc.. Understand, if you replace psu, its very possible some device is cooked and it *may* fry the new psu in worse case scenaro, try with as few componets as possible.

tada -----Willy

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Help! Power Interrupts Have Killed My Computer

by DanPatrick Sep 14, 2006 3:35AM PDT

Thank you for your reply, Willy, but I have to ask some questions, as my level of understanding is, uh, beneath yours, so to speak. How do I get into the bios if the keypad doesn't work? I don't know what kybd means, also FD, though I suspect the latter is a CD drive.

If the power supply is bad, would the fans spin?

Again, thanks for your reply. Hope you can follow up with some clarifications for a relative newbie.

Regards, Dan

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Reset CMOS

by samkh Sep 14, 2006 5:38AM PDT

Read your mobo manual, find the CMOS jumper and reset it. Then try to power up again. If you still can't get kybd (keyboard!!!) to work, your mobo is probably cooked.

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PSU, provides several volatges

by Willy Sep 14, 2006 3:14PM PDT

kybd = keyboard FD = floppy drive

The psu(power supply) provides more than one volatage. The fans can run because the 12v is present but the 5v and/or 3.3 voltage is gone or kaput as it were. I suggest you remove as many devices as they're not needed if a psu is at fault but is weak. maybe it will allow a boot-up and that proves the psu is weak and/or flaky. Sorry, flaky covers alot of issues for me w/o getting too deep. the best course of action many times after any power interuption is to replace/swap the psu.

tada -----Willy

Help! Power Interrupts Have Killed My Computer

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