Computer help

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Computer help

6 comments, 162 views, posted 1:31 pm 04/06/2012 in Requests by LtHorn46
LtHorn46 has 164 posts, 42 threads, 165 points
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A buddy of mines computer is acting up. When he starts it up all he gets is a black
screen. It doesn't even pull up the HP splash screen, gives no post code or anything.
He brought it to me to look at, and the damn thing booted up fine for me. I did a physical
inspection of the Memory chips and the Mobo, found nothing visually wrong. He took it back
and it worked fine for 3 days, He called me this morning and it is once again not even hitting
POST.
The only thing I can possibly think, is the Memory is going. But what puzzles me is the fact that
it's not giving any beep codes. If anybody has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate the help,
Because I am completly flummoxed.

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Comments

[1]

1:37 pm 04/06/2012

blackspy

HDD controller, likely on the motherboard.. I had a problem like that before, even a bad cable to one of the drives can potentially do that. A bitch to troubleshoot because you move it and it works, move it again and it doesn't .. sometimes the same even if it doesn't move.

Try removing any cards, memory and reseating them. If no difference, try removing all but what is required to boot. If it boots add them back one by one until it fails.. might point you in the right direction.

Also, power issues can have weird effects like that. Minor voltage fluctuations in one house/office compared to another.

Not saying those are the problems, but stuff to look at.

Try swapping some cables and see if there is a difference... if not run a diagnostic tool on the motherboard and see if it reports any controller issues.

1:38 pm 04/06/2012

waints

Looks like memory to me. Sometimes I have seen computers not giving boot codes. If it has RAMs on multiple slots, try experimenting with those.
I have had an almost similar experience with a bad SMPS as well.

1:41 pm 04/06/2012

waints

Quote by blackspy:

even a bad cable to one of the drives can potentially do that.

Technically, that should get you to a POST screen, but I have feeling that blackspy could be right here. Sometimes it defies logic..

1:47 pm 04/06/2012

Cnik

Quote by waints:

Looks like memory to me. Sometimes I have seen computers not giving boot codes. If it has RAMs on multiple slots, try experimenting with those.

I have had an almost similar experience with a bad SMPS as well.

Gotta agree... probably memory since it doesn't even get to the flash screen or the HD post. I had a 4 year old Dell desktop just die the same way about a month ago.
Some days it would work, other days it wouldn't boot at all. Moving memory chips seemed to make it work (at least at times).

2:10 pm 04/06/2012

LtHorn46

OK, He has actually ordered new Memory for it. We are both hoping that solves the problem.
And thanks for the quick responses guys. This gives me a bit more to try. The biggest reason
I was leaning towards the memory is, his dads computer did almost the exact same thing and
replacing the memory fixed it right up.

5:50 pm 04/06/2012

bytehead

My last motherboard crapped out on me like that. No beep codes, nothing on the screen, stripping it down to video card and one DIMM (and yes, I tried different DIMMs and sockets), nothing. And so I built another computer. The motherboard (which replaced a motherboard that crapped out before, that was one from the time of the bad capacitors, and I wasn't about to try and unsolder and resolder those...) was five years old. A better system for cheaper of course.

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