cant start my computer

so i've had this computer for almost 3 years, and now i am having trouble starting it. when i hit the button to power it on all the fans and lights go on, but the moniter doesn't and it just stays that way.

this just started to recently happen and before just powering it off then on would start it up. even if it starts up, it takes a while to get past the windows screen and to the actual desktop.

this is really bothering me as that i need my computer because everything is on it. i was thinking that this is either a power supply problem because it's only a 550 . or it is a mobo problem because sometimes when the computer does start, it reaches the screen that lists everything (master and slave disks) then on the bottom it should say boot from cd-rom, but it never comes up and just stays at this screen.

my build is this:
mb gigabyte ga-965p-ds3 p965 775
mem 1gx2 cor 240p twin2x2048-6400c4
xp home sp2
sapphire rx1900xtx 512
antec 550 power supply
intel core2duo 6400

my friend suggested this is a malware problem, but i find that to be highly unlikely.
thanks in advanced.

 

I recommend that you find a program and external hard drive or other media to back up your data before doing anything else.

This is just a precaution but I would hate for you to loose all your data.

 

i have norton ghost 9 to take me back to when i first installed my drives. now that i think of it eveything is backupped to my external except my word documents which i probably don't need.

 

Power LED on the mobo does not turn on when I power on the computer. Does this mean that the mobo is receiving no power? What should I do?

 

Removing my ram did cause the mobo to beep. But putting them into the other two slots did not do anything. The same error occured.

 

That is a sign the power supply is failing (not because it is a 550W).

I use a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester for power supply (PSU) testing when I am in the field. It is not as good as a qualified technician testing the PSU under "true" (realistic) loads with an oscilloscope or power analyzer, but they are better than nothing. Just remember these testers can NEVER be used to prove or certify a PSU is good. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you can better detect a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, not a true load. Alternatively, you can swap out the PSU with a known good one that meets the computer's power requirements.

I do not recommend using a multimeter to test power supplies. To do it properly, that is, under a realistic load, the voltages on all the pins must be measured while the PSU is attached to the motherboard and the computer powered on. This then requires poking (with some considerable force) two, hard and sharp, highly conductive, meter probes into the heart of the computer. One tiny slip can destroy the motherboard, and everything plugged into it.

You might try just one stick at a time, or you can test RAM using one of the following programs. Both require you to create and boot to a bootable floppy disk or CD to run the diagnostics. Using the floppy method is generally easier (and another reason to include floppy drives in new builds). However, the CD method is just as effective at detecting RAM problems. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors.

Windows Memory Diagnostic - see the easy to follow instructions under Quick Start Information.
or
MemTest86+ (for more advanced users) - an excellent how-to guide is available here.​

 

i will try each ram stick one at a time. the problem with those two programs though is that it sounds like you need something on your screen. why is it that if on fof the two ram sticks would prevent a computer from completely starting up?

regarding the power light scratch that part i was wrong, i was thinking it was something else.

another thing i have tried based on my friends advice is taking out the gfx card and listening to the speakers for the windows start up sound. this did not work. i have also used the two pins to short the mobos bios, this did not work.

my friend also told me to listen to make sure all the fans are spinning even in the hdd. now i don't quite remember EVER hearing it, but when i listened to the comp without the gfx card in i didn't hear an hdd. would a busted hdd cause this kind of problem?

 

Yes, you do need to see what is going on, but each program runs from a bootable disk - meaning generic graphics drivers will be loaded, and should provide a display. If you don't get one, you have other problems besides RAM.

RAM can be fickle - that's about all I can say. Even RAM that passes all tests can be stubborn and not work with some motherboards, or other RAM.

I am not surprised. I have never heard of doing that. I do, however, often recommend folks remove everything, including all drives, except the monitor/graphics, 1 stick of RAM, and the PSU. Then, when booted, it should start the boot process and you should see the graphics splash screen, part of the POST, then it will fail when it cannot find the boot disk.

I sure hope you has the power cord pulled from the before doing this.

Hard drives don't have fans. They do have motors that you might be able to hear spin up. A bad hard drive would not cause this problem because the hard drive is not touched until late in the boot process.

So, IMO, you still need to eliminate the PSU first.

 

Well, I am finally able to start my computer up and it works again. The problem was one of the sticks of RAM. Well, now I guess its time to update the bios lol. And yes I did unplug the computer when doing it, although in the manual it only specified to unplug it if removing the battery and not shorting the pins. Why is that you must unplug the power?

Also seems like I am going to need to buy another Gig of Ram... Luckily DDR2 is cheap now.

Thanks for the help.

 

Why? You should not update the BIOS unless (1) the new one addresses a problem you are having, (2) it addresses a security issue, or (3) yours is corrupt.

Because the ATX Form Factor standards call for the power supplies to deliver +5Vsb standby voltage to various parts of the motherboard whenever the PSU is simply plugged in. This is to support such features as Wake On LAN, Wake on Modem, and the like. Unplugging is the only way to remove that voltage (unless your PSU has a Master power switch on the back).