PC froze and now won't reboot

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Rob125, Jun 29, 2010.

  1. Rob125

    Rob125 Private E-2

    Hi All, could someone help me?

    My PC (4.5 years old, used everday, a bit slow these days, running Win XP home) froze yesterday when loading a website that had a lot of multimedia content and I could not even move the cursor, so I switched it off at the plug and tried to reboot, but now when I turn it on, it does not boot.

    When I press the 'ON' button, the LED light comes on (but no beep sound) and I can hear the fan come on but that's it. There is no signal going to the monitor at all and I can't hear any sounds of anything happening inside the box.

    I recently backed up most of the key documents I have so that's OK, but all my holiday photos I took from travelling around the world last year (a trip that I'd waited to do all my life!) are still on there and I would be absolutely devastated if I've lost them.

    Which part could have failed?

    The only other relevant thing to mention is that a few weeks ago my Norton said that Malicious code had been detected which came from MsiExec.exe and told me to block the script (recommended) which I did each time this Norton window popped up. However, I had noticed my PC was running my slower since this issue came up. Is this related?
     
  2. brandypeppy

    brandypeppy MajorGeek

    Make and model? Might be able to get you into safe mode, though I'm somewhat pessismistic, but, in order to save your stuff this is the best starting place.

    Post make and model and somebody can give you directions.

    Should also test to see if you can access the BIOS at the same time.

    If a desktop, next I would open it up, reseat the RAM sticks, and esp. check the HD connections for anything loose. This works just often enough to give it a try.

    Failing any successes, you can remove the HD and connect to another computer, unless it was the HD that failed.

    Post if you need any help with the above, also.
     
  3. Rob125

    Rob125 Private E-2

    Thanks for your quick reply brandypeppy :eek:)

    It's a packard bell PC I purchased from PC world in Sept 05. I'm not sure of the exact spec but I think it is 512 MB RAM with a 160 GB Hard Drive. It's pretty slow these days.

    I'm not very technical, but I'll open it up and have a look. So, unless it was the HD that failed, I could buy a new PC and then put the old hard drive into the new PC as a slave drive or something?

    When I turn the PC on, there is no sound of anything happening at all, other than the sound of the fan and the red LED light does not blink at all (which would indicate at least some activity inside I suppose).

    Does the lack of clicking sounds from the HD suggest it was maybe the HD itself that failed? Or if that was the case, maybe the screen would show XP trying to boot up initially or at least something?
     
  4. Rob125

    Rob125 Private E-2

    Sorry, I forgot to metion that it is a desktop PC, not a laptop.
     
  5. brandypeppy

    brandypeppy MajorGeek

    Immediately upon turning it on, tap the F8 key repeatedly, to see if it brings you to a menu screen.

    If that fails, try doing the same with the F2 then F1 keys to see if you can access the BIOS.

    Before opening it up, unplug and push in the power button several times, wait 5 minutes. Then check out the connections. Unplug and replug the ones you can.

    How does the MOBO look? Any black areas, swelled leaking capacitors?

    If you can't access the BIOS, it is probably a bad motherboard, and you should be able to slave and recover data from the HD.

    But what I've given you here goes from least destructive to most, so do try it all.
     
  6. Rob125

    Rob125 Private E-2

    Many thanks for your advice; I'll try those and report back :)
     
  7. Rob125

    Rob125 Private E-2

    OK, I tried what you suggested but it made no change, so I've opened it up. It was pretty dirty inside, 4.5 years of accumulated dust in the fan etc. I've cleaned that all out from the fan and the whole inside now.

    All the connections seem fine everywhere and there are no black marks on the motherboard anywhere. I can see a green LED light on the circuitboard (that you wouldn't be able to see if the sidecasing of the PC was back on). There is no obvious reason for the problem that I can see.

    Hence, the problem is still the same, when I turn the PC on, the fan starts and the green light on the inside comes on, as does the red LED on the front of the PC but that's it. No sounds of any activity all apart from the fan and no clicking noises of any sort. The red LED on the front of the PC is constant; it doesn't blink at all.

    Any other ideas? or does this mean my only way forward is to buy a new PC and try to insert the HD on this PC into the new one as a slave drive?

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
     
  8. brandypeppy

    brandypeppy MajorGeek

    But you did try accessing the BIOS by tapping the F1 or F2? That would likely a dead motherboard, this should accessible even without a HD.

    Get a IDE/SATA to USB cord;

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232002

    You can remove the HD and read through a USB connection on another computer. Fairly simple procedure.

    But, the MOBO does sound gone.
     
  9. Rob125

    Rob125 Private E-2

    Yes, I switched it on 3 times, whilst pressing F8, F1 and then F2 but nothing happened. There is no response from the PC at all.

    That sounds like a helluva device you linked - so if I bought one of those devices with a USB lead, I would be able to just

    1) buy a new PC
    2) plug that device into the Hard Drive on my older PC that has just failed, and then plug it into the USB port on my new PC
    3) I would then be able to access the data on my older hard drive from my new PC as if the older hard drive was simply a (big) portable memory stick?

    (assuming that it is the Motherboard on my current PC that has failed rather than the Hard Drive itself).

    I had absolutely no idea such a device existed. That sounds great! Am I making the correct assumption here?
     
  10. hrlow2

    hrlow2 MajorGeek

    Just finished working on a Dell.
    F2= Setup
    F12= Boot Menu.

    Ensure that your hard drive (C) is listed as the first boot device.
    If CD or DVD is listed first, ensure that no disk is in the tray.
     
  11. brandypeppy

    brandypeppy MajorGeek

    YES! Done it lots of times. BUT, you made mention of potential malware in your first thread, you may want to first scan that HD, although you Should be ok as long as you only copy data files, but even that is not a guarantee. You just don't want the new system to get infected from the get-go.

    And, as I said, if you have no BIOS access, it would indicate a failed MB and, unless your system received some type of catastropic event, like a lightning shock, the HD should be easy enough to access.
     
  12. Rob125

    Rob125 Private E-2

    Many thanks brandypeppy, I'm off to buy a new PC now, which I've been meaning to do for a while as my PC was getting really slow anyway before it failed.

    I'll get one of those devices and will update this thread if I have any probs.

    Thanks again! :)
     

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