Computer Problem

Atlas_IRL

Hi i recently bought windows 7 to upgrade my self built computer.

I opened it up(powered off) and took out a stick of ram to check what it was(upgrading to 4 sticks) when i put it back in and started the computer it went

vrroooom, vroooooom vroooooooom(fan) with a very low beep and turned off.

Now it just has the very low beep and when switched off the fans turn for a sec(only when it is switched off not when turned on)

I think it is the power supply but am not sure, i know this post may sound vague but bar a video its the only way i can describe it.

I really hope it is not the power supply as i cant afford to replace it and really need the comp for my masters course. Any suggestions on what could fix it??

Case is an Antec sonata 2.

Spear

Atlas_IRL wrote: »

Hi i recently bought windows 7 to upgrade my self built computer.

I opened it up(powered off) and took out a stick of ram to check what it was(upgrading to 4 sticks) when i put it back in and started the computer it went

vrroooom, vroooooom vroooooooom(fan) with a very low beep and turned off.

Now it just has the very low beep and when switched off the fans turn for a sec(only when it is switched off not when turned on)

I think it is the power supply but am not sure, i know this post may sound vague but bar a video its the only way i can describe it.

I really hope it is not the power supply as i cant afford to replace it and really need the comp for my masters course. Any suggestions on what could fix it??

Case is an Antec sonata 2.

Could be the self-protection cutting in. Check the fans and all their connectors. Keep an eye on the main CPU fan to see that it's starting up okay.

Solitaire

Can you get into the BIOS? Are the new RAM modules a different speed from the old ones?

Spear

Solitaire wrote: »

Can you get into the BIOS? Are the new RAM modules a different speed from the old ones?

He hasn't added new RAM modules, he only took an old one out to check, so in principle nothing has changed.

Pacifico

Tried re-seating the RAM?

hare05

Pull the RAM out again and test without that stick.
You might have killed the RAM with static the first time round.

I've seen it happen before, same kind of symptoms.

Atlas_IRL

Ok ill try all these when i get home, hopefully its something small

Ill also add that the motherboard light turns on, so that would rule out the power supply?

hare05

Not totally. It rules out the possibility of the PSU being broken, but not the possibility of it being unstable. Can't see any reason for it to become unstable though, as nothing new was added to the system.

The RAM is the most likely problem. Pull out the same stick as mentioned before, then start the system. If it still doesn't work, pull them all out and test individually. Make sure to ground yourself while doing this.

Grounding Yourself: Place a hand on the outside of the case (If it's metal), a metal object in the room (such as a radiator) or use an antistatic armband AT ALL TIMES while interacting with RAM, motherboard, CPU, or expansion cards. It's fine to handle hard drives as long as you don't touch the underside circuitry.

Atlas_IRL

tested the ram there, both sticks still no joy.
I looked at the two internal fans and they spin for a sec when it is powered off(they dont when powered on) and the power supply fan does not move at all.

Atlas_IRL

hare05 wrote: »

Not totally. It rules out the possibility of the PSU being broken, but not the possibility of it being unstable. Can't see any reason for it to become unstable though, as nothing new was added to the system.

The RAM is the most likely problem. Pull out the same stick as mentioned before, then start the system. If it still doesn't work, pull them all out and test individually. Make sure to ground yourself while doing this.

Grounding Yourself: Place a hand on the outside of the case (If it's metal), a metal object in the room (such as a radiator) or use an antistatic armband AT ALL TIMES while interacting with RAM, motherboard, CPU, or expansion cards. It's fine to handle hard drives as long as you don't touch the underside circuitry.

I didnt ground myself when i opened it first and it hadnt been opened in a while before that.

hare05

Atlas_IRL wrote: »

I didnt ground myself when i opened it first and it hadnt been opened in a while before that.

Well then it's pretty likely you fried that stick of RAM. The static charge involved could be minuscule (Under 1000 volts) while people generally can only feel static shock from voltages 3 or more times higher than that.

Computer parts can be damaged by voltages of around 300 and upwards.

Here's a link you may find useful.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/82184/avoid_static_damage_to_your_pc.html

Atlas_IRL

i only touched one stick then though, i tested two today and neither work.

dun79

Hi Atlas_IRL

Try taking the 2 sticks of ram out then turn on the pc,

the low beep your getting is it 3 beeps in a row
on some motherboards 3 beeps is a ram problem.

hare05

Atlas_IRL wrote: »

i only touched one stick then though, i tested two today and neither work.

You may have only taken one out, but in my experience it's pretty damn hard to take out one without touching another. You could have fried more than one, or both could be fine, in which case the problem could be something else.:eek:

Before I suggest anything further, might I ask what previous experience you have with upgrading / maintaining computers? This would help as I tend to take things for granted when giving advice.
The fact you didn't take precautions against static and that you referred to the ram by number of sticks rather than capacity tells me you aren't overly familiar with computer maintenance, but I don't want to unnecessarily go down the "Dell Tech Support" route. That could get tedious ^^

If you are completely new to upgrading, I'd advise you to just bring it to a repair shop (Expect to pay between €30 and €100 depending on whether you need replacement RAM). No point in damaging something more expensive like the motherboard (which is just as susceptible to static) or even the CPU.
I lost about €200 worth of equipment on my first home build (processor, motherboard) when I forgot to place thermal paste on the processor. I then fried the RAM with static when I tried to take the CPU cooler off. ^^

dun79 wrote: »

Hi Atlas_IRL

Try taking the 2 sticks of ram out then turn on the pc,

the low beep your getting is it 3 beeps in a row
on some motherboards 3 beeps is a ram problem.

I forgot to mention error codes, good post dun79!

Atlas, find the manual for your motherboard and compare the number of beeps you're getting to the error codes in the manual. If you don't have a manual or bought the computer as a single unit, find the product code/type of your computer (eg Dell Studio 1557 is the product type of my Dell Studio 15, the extra -57 at the end denotes the specific hardware inside).
Once you have the product code/type, you can get the manual from the manufacturer's website.

Atlas_IRL

use any terminology you want its my second build but i lose interest in builds and parts after their built. Ill try those suggestions after college. Thanks.

hare05

Atlas_IRL wrote: »

use any terminology you want its my second build but i lose interest in builds and parts after their built. Ill try those suggestions after college. Thanks.

Yeah I'm the same. Usually 4-5 years between builds, so architectures are pretty different when I get back into it ^^

Well stick with the above suggestion, check the manual for error beeping codes. That will tell you exactly which part is problematic.
Codes are similar across all motherboard ranges, but not exactly the same, so make sure you get the right manual.