Will not boot up

Is this a "new build"? If so, "back to basics". Remove the mobo and set on the box it came in. Install CPU, memory, and video card (if needed). If it boots now, start installing other things until you find where it quits! The most common problem on a new build is a stand-off post that is in the wrong place, shorting the mother-board to the case.

micker377.....I do not understand the term "new board" can you elaborate please.

Trumpy

I insert a thumb drive but there is no flashing light which I usually get signifying that the thumb drive is being accessed.

I have external speakers in addition to the computer speaker mounted on the motherboard.

I have not yet tried clearing CMOS memory. Will have to try and find jumper.

I meant a new build with a new mother board. Now I am confused: you say it won't boot to XP Pro, and then you say you get no indication of USB use "as usual". If it won't boot - how would you get ANY indications of anything?

Allo Sand Gnome

Are you getting any display on the monitor at switch-on??? even a screen flicker or the monitor power light turning green???

When a PC first switches on, it checks what hardware is connected to it, then it starts to load the Operating System (Windows XP, Vista or whatever). Only when most of Windows has loaded, will the USB ports come to life, along with the soundcard etc.

Any hardware faults will cause the PC case to make a series of beeps, via a little speaker (of some type) that's connected directly to the motherboard. The beeps are spaced apart, so they can be used to diagnose most problems. Unfortunately, the diagnostics rely on a working CPU, if the CPU dies, no beeps. If the motherboard dies, possibly no beeps. If the Power Supply Unit dies, also possibly no beeps.

What brand and model of PC is it???

Sand Gnome wrote:

Trumpy I insert a thumb drive but there is no flashing light which I usually get signifying that the thumb drive is being accessed. I have external speakers in addition to the computer speaker mounted on the motherboard. I have not yet tried clearing CMOS memory. Will have to try and find jumper.

GDay All,

Sand Gnome, I'm afraid that, that also points toward a non functioning CPU. This could also be caused by a lack of +5v from the power supply but that is fairly rare. Usually both the +5v and +12v rails will drop out at the same time.

Micker377, if the motherboard was simply shorted it would shutdown the power supply. Therefore no fans etc. would be able to operate. Either that or there would be some pretty conclusive smoke and fire!!

Werebo, the USB ports are initalised at switch on by the BIOS. There will usually be some activity going on before the USB ports are ignored and then initialised by the Windows drivers.

If that didn't happen, it would not be possible to boot from a USB device.

As I have stated this all points toward a failed CPU. However, some MB's are prone to losing the CPU parameters normally held in CMOS. I have one such MB myself, an ASUS P4PE. It will occassionally lose its settings, particularly after a power blackout or a sudden shutdown.

The simple fix is to disconnect the machine from the main power and let it sit for a minute or two, usually two, it won't reset after one minute sometimes. Then reset the CMOS and voila!! it returns to normal, although I have to go back into the BIOS and set it up again.

You may be asking at this point how I know it's losing the CPU parameters, well thats easy, on the P4PE MB I have a little taiwanese lady screaming out that the "system CPU fail". She does this in the most annoying screech you can imagine!! and it repeats over and over until you shutdown the power. I might add that this machine lives downstairs but it can be quite clearly heard upstairs!!

To this end I have now installed a UPS on this machine to help shut her up!! ...

Werebo

No display on the monitor....nothing, the power button will not light.

The only lights I get when booting up are the two CD\DVD drives.

The computer is a Gateway 700XL I think it's about 4-5 yrs old.

Righto Sand Gnome, the fact that the drives light up eliminates a dead PSU. I suspected it wasn't that, but it was just to confirm.

That leaves either a dead CPU (as Trumpy suggested), or a dead motherboard.

That leaves you with 2 options: 1} a new PC or 2} a new motherboard or CPU.

Unless you have access to another PC with the same CPU socket to swap it with, there's no easy way to test the CPU.

If you go with the 2nd option above, there's some excellent bargains available on 'barebones' bundles, where you get a CPU+heatsink+fan fitted onto a new mobo with new RAM already added. All you do is swap the main board over.

You will need to re-install Windows, the new mobo will have a totally different set of chipset drivers etc.

To all that offered help.

It looks like the best solutions is to junk the computer and get a replacement.

I would like to get some programs off of the old hard drive, can I remove the old hard drive and install it on the new computer?

Thanks again for all the help.

Sand Gnome wrote:

. . . . . . . I would like to get some programs off of the old hard drive, can I remove the old hard drive and install it on the new computer?

Not easily, if you want to transfer the software

Most programs install files all over the place and writes various entries to the registry.

Windows itself will require the various motherboard drivers, specific to that particular motherboard too.

The hard drive itself CAN easily be transferred to the new PC, but all that will be usable are any files you've saved/created. The installed software will likely be useless

I've done it with a External HDD.

mrsbrat

Sure you can!

It's done every day.
Just take the old drive out of the old computer, set the jumper on the drive to SLAVE and install it in the new computer, usually on the IDE cable that goes to the CD drive. Leave it there long enough for you to get all your data off'n it, etc.

If you leave it installed, make sure the power supply in the new PC is strong enough to handle the power draw of another hard drive.
And, also make sure you can mount the old HD somewhere that it will cool properly.

If you're going to leave it installed and use it for a Storage Drive, you can just delete the Windows folder and any other folders you don't need, so save space. I've done all this stuff, many times, when I've upgraded the hardware in my own system.

good luck,
Doc
PS: When you need to transfer data from one HD to another and you don't have room in the case to mount two HD's, you can always do something like this:

<<-- click to expand

GDay All,

drwho07, the photo above shows a rather large cover over the CPU. Can I ask where you got that from?

I've been looking for something similar to help cool/isolate the CPU in one of the machines I have downstairs.

Sand Gnome, if you do decide to scrap the gateway machine, keep in mind that you can also use the CD-Rom Drive from that machine in the new one. The same procedure applies as for the Hard Drive, sans any copying of course

Also, having a spare power supply can come in handy too, even if its too wimpy for the new machine, it can help you diagnose any power supply problems you might have in the future. Food for thought anyways.

The green plenum is a DELL exclusive.
Not my favorite way to cool a CPU. It blows fresh air "at" the cpu heatsink, not directly down thru it.

In the picture, the drive on the right is still inside its (Dell) factory mounting bracket.
I did cut out the bracket to allow the cooling air from the two-fan cooler to blow directly on the bottom of the drive, where the heat generating components are. Originally, the drive could overheat during heavy usage periods. The stock drive in this computer, DID fail after only about two years of use. Now the replacement drive always stays at room temperature.

Cheers!

Doc

I was experiencing heating issues and random rebooting after a bit of research I found this beast of a cpu cooler and it works great the only problem is it is a bit on the large size and may not fit in smaller cases but now no matter how hard I push this puter it runs nice and cool. This is the link check it out! Newegg

I was having the same problem. Had my hand on the hard drive with the op sys on it and it was not starting. By accident I moved the power cord on the HD and it started. Comes that one of the solder conections on the HD connectors was bad.

Hello,

Given the description of the problem, the computer and its age, I suspect you may have a motherboard that has some capacitors on it which ruptured, and leaked electrolytic solution out.

If you open the computer's case and examine the metal cylinders on the motherboard do any of them have bulges on the tops or sides or a reddish-brown to black crust on them or where they attach to the motherboard? If so, they will need to be replaced before the motherboard is operational again.

This Wikipedia article discusses the problem, and this company specializes in repairing this type of damaged component.

Give the age of the computer, though, and costs involved, it just might be easier to buy a new one, as Werebo noted. Some of the parts, such as the disk drives and some expansion cards might fit in a new computer, but given the age of the system, it is unlikely you will be able to recycle the processor, memory or video card as the intefaces and connectors for these have changed since your computer was manufactured and are no longer used.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky