PC Problem

The_Bullman

Does anyone know why i am having trouble with my pc?
It happens when i try to start up the machine. All of a sudden it seems to be having trouble with 2 hard drives, and it also seems that it might have issues with my GF2 pro. Sometimes when it starts up everything is fine(apart from the 2 hard drives) other times the screen wont even switch on or the keyboard work either
The only think in the pc is the graphics card+1 hard drive+cd rom.

I have no idea at all what is going on. I just did a clean install of windows 2k, if this might cause problems, but i don't think so as i have done a dozen installs of win 2k pro this last 2 months( on other machines)

Please feel free to ask questions, i should be able to answer them pretty quickly.


I don't know why this had to happen now. I have just bought JK II and GTA3 and i havn't had a chance to play them at all

BTBB

Check that all your cables, cards etc. are in properly. Also have you messed around with any BIOS settings or jumpers?

This sounds like a hardware/firmware problem to me.

Also a more descriptive subject might help responses. We all have PC problems.

BTBB

po0k

*could* be a shor on the motherboard.
Have you transported the PC lateley/done any modding?
What make of hard drive is it?
Have you had a chacne to test the equipment in another machine?

The_Bullman

i have fiddled about with the pc checking various parts.

It seems that ther is a problem with my GF2 as i tried it in another machine and it ain't working.

Also, Syxpak, what effect would a short have on a pc. Oh, and how would i spot it, if it is a short.


another thing i noticed with the pc is that if i so get it going(with a different graphics card in it) it will restart. But if I shut down the pc and try to start it up it wont work. It is hard to explain actually.. When i hit the on button, the fans start up, th4e cd rom led flashes but nothing happens. if i then switch it off(with the switch on the back of psu) and switch it on again really quickly then hit the power button it will boot up. it is verry strange really.

If anyone can figure it out i would be grateful.

The_Bullman

*bump

Inspector Gadget

The_Bullman:

The short answer to "what effect would a short have on a pc" is "almost anything that can go physically wrong with it", unfortunately.

As a very brief backgrounder, a short circuit is when two wires (or PCB tracks - the mass of copper rails on the circuit boards - by this I mean the motherboard, expansion cards and the green fibreglass sheets with electrical components on them inside every component in your PC - that connect things on the various components together) are electrically connected where the original design says they shouldn't. The most common causes of short-circuits in PCs are:

• the risers that are used to bolt the motherboard onto the (usually metallic) cases touching a piece of the board they shouldn't - there's a visible ring of metal around each screwhole that should be isolated from the rest of the board, and no screws or washers should be used that are bigger than this ring.
• Metal filings from people's case modifications falling onto or getting lodged in various circuit boards.
• Conductive liquids being poured or condensing on the inside of the PC (the latter here only generally being evident in people with refrigerated cooling systems, such as Vapochill systems, or people who occasionally bring their PCs into very cold environments).

These can cause any number of things, but generally a short circuit can mean (listed in order from best-case to worst-case scenarios) that some of your devices won't be recognised by the computer on startup, or that your computer will not start up, or worst, that the short-circuit provides too much voltage or current to a device not designed to handle it and you cause permanent damage to something.

How do you check for a short-circuit? Unfortunately, there are no straightforward rules for how this can be done; the best thing you can do is to check both sides of each circuit board with a flashlight (while the PC is plugged out - modern PCs are still receiving power from the PSU while "switched off") to see if there are any unusual bits of metal or any liquid droplets present.

As an aside, another suggestion I'd make to you is to check any hardware you've added recently, and if you have recently upgraded, see if the power supply you've got is able to supply all your peripherals with the power they need. If your PSU is rated at anything less than 300W (especially if your system is AMD powered) it's probably advisable to trade up to a 300W/350W PSU.

I'm sure other people will have useful suggestions...
Gadget