Trying to diagnose a computer problem

[alarimer]

Or at least an annoyance; I don't know if it will escalate or not.

Anyway, sometimes it just will not start up. I hear the fan running and I hear the hard drive start to work but it never comes on. When this happens I usually have to turn it off (by holding down the on button). Sometimes I have to do this several time. Other times it comes on normally. Is my hard drive failing? Or is it something else?

[dogday]

1. Could be your power supply

They start doing that when they are going out.....

Also check your video card to make sure it is seated and the video is connected properly in the back....

[BluePatriot]

5. Seconded

That's how hubby's computer acted when he started having way too much drain on his power supply from his drives....He upgraded to a 750 watt.

In your case you can just go get a standard one for $30ish and swap it out. Not to alarm you, but please do so before a capacitor explodes like mine did, LOL.

[alarimer]

12. Mine did that once before

I heard a snapping sound, and then the power supply quit. Fortunately it did not short anything else out.

[billyskank]

10. To test,

when you get your machine to boot, go straight into the BIOS (you probably have to hold down delete or F2, but it should say on screen). There will probably be a voltage monitor in there somewhere. If any of the voltages are way out of tolerance (say >10%) then you can be assured that your power supply is fubar.

[alarimer]

13. What should the voltages be?

Or does it indicate if they are over?

[billyskank]

16. It should say on the screen what they're meant to be

There'll be a +12V and a -12V one, and a +5V one, and another one called VCore which will probably be something like +1.7V

[alarimer]

17. well I didn't see anything like that

Thanks, though.

[alarimer]

11. I am on the second power supply now

Hopefully that is all it is.

[Squatch]

2. Your computer is seriously screwn.

The flux capacitor is cross-referencing the phased plasma coupler in the 40-watt range.

[alarimer]

14. oh no!

What do I do?

This sounds like some kind of Star Trek reference but damned if I can come up with a response.

[KG]

3. (premptive mac user response) 'you shoulda bought a mac.'

:hi:

[bleedingheart]

4. sounds like the drive is preparing to die...

I would back up any files you want from it and proceed to get a new drive..

[BluePatriot]

6. Also good advice (nt)

[Beausoleil]

7. Try re-seating your memory

also disconnect, reconnect hard drive connectors on both ends. If those don't fix it, it's probably the power supply or hard drive going out.

[TrogL]

8. It's dead, Jim

[Zywiec]

9. Does it make any beeping noises?

During the POST, the number of beeps is indicative of the type of problem.

[alarimer]

15. I don't hear any beeps n/t

[Crabby Appleton]

18. What make and model of PC? not a Dell GX270 is it?

[alarimer]

19. no, it's an HP.

I've never had any problems with it in three years so maybe it is time for the hard drive to be replaced.

[necso]

20. Sometimes,

the default setting for a computer is not to show detailed startup/test info on boot-up.

If this is the case with your computer, then change the settings (however) to show the details. (The long memory test is a pain, but it's better.) This might show something useful. (There are a number of possibilities -- and more data would be nice.)

And run good memory (I've used Memtest) and hard drive (manufacturer's, and Window's thorough/surface) tests.

...

Having had a near-disaster myself recently (I was shocked at how long it had been since I had made a backup), let me encourage everyone to make backups whenever significant work (an amount of work that you would not like -- or would not be able -- to duplicate) has been done since your last backup. I'm back to daily backups, and if I have to buy more CDRs, then so be it.