Desktop PC not booting up

Hi

My 1st post so be gentle!! A friend built my desktop about 5 years ago now. Spec as follows:

Windows 7 home premium x64 SP1
3.2 Ghz AMD Phenom II x4 955
Asustek M4A785TD-V evo mobo
ATI Radeon HD 5700 graphics card
10 gb ram (2 x 4, 1 x 2)
Seagate Barracuda 400 gb hdd

Been working fine since new til now. Shut it down and turned it all off at mains while on holiday. Booted it up when I got back, didn't watch the boot but beeped as normal. When I looked the screen had gone to low res and there was a message saying computer failed to start correctly. Mouse cursor was present but all just frozen so not able to do anything.

I've tried to reboot it a number of times since and nothing...

When I power it up all the fans start up and I get one flash of the hdd light then nothing, except the fans seem to be pulsing.

The DVD drive opens but closes again straight away. If I get a disc in the drive light comes on then nothing.

I've tried everything I could find on forums but nothing has worked:

Disconnected power lead, held power button in for about a minute
Cleaned inside completely, disconnected and reconnected everything
Removed battery to reset CMOS
Removed all components and reinstalled them
Tried just running CPU and hdd

Sorry for the long post but I've run out of ideas and would appreciate any help. I'm just hoping it's not a virus of some kind!
:cry

 

Hi, chubby_monkey. Welcome to Major Geeks.

You say you removed the CMOS battery but, did you try replacing it? It is 5 years old. Lithium button cells generally last about 4 years.

 

Hi mdonah

I hadn't tried that but have now. Sadly no change but thanks for the idea.

 

Have you tried booting from a bootable CD, like a Windows 7 Repair Disk?

 

If you have not tested the PSU (power supply), or swapped it for a known good unit of sufficient wattage, that's where I would start...

:major

 

Thanks both.

The only disc I've got is the original windows 7 disc. I've tried that, the drive just spins for a few seconds then stops again.

As for the PSU I'm going to buy a new one tomorrow to try so watch this space!

Thanks again

 

Before splashing out on a new psu decided to check it with a multimeter.

Apart from the 12v readings coming in at 11.92v which appears to be within working tolerances, everything seems fine with psu even under load.

I'm going to order a POST card and try that but any other ideas gratefully received

 

This is one of my favorite tools, next to my Apricorn DriveWire:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...E16899109003&gclid=CJ33iLLHxcACFYMF7Aod9koA1w

Have you booted with the HDD disconnected?

Having a virus on the MBR, or on the BIOS EEPROM are two different animals. The latter is rather rare.

 

I've tried booting it up with the windows disc in and just the DVD drive and monitor connected and still the same. The drive lights up and spins for a few seconds then that's it.

Is it looking like a problem with the mobo?

 

Just to cover all bases, you checked every plug including the 4 pin for the CPU?

And, by POST card, do you mean you ordered a fresh EEPROM with an updated BIOS flashed to it?

 

Yes I've checked the CPU connector, that's fine as we'll.

By POST card I mean the self test diagnostics card.

I've read up a bit on the EEPROM and it might be going a bit beyond me, but if you think it's worth a shot I'll try anything! If so any ideas where best to get one from?

 

Let us know if you get any error codes after plugging the diagnostic card in
and attempt a boot. There is the possibility that something happened to the PROM which is an easy fix if it's not soldered in and you can remove it from the motherboard, or worst case that it is a component level failure on the motherboard.

Not seeing a BIOS splash screen is not a particularly good sign.

 

Right, the results are in.....

It's giving a code of 27FA.

According to the card's user manual this means:

27 - detected resetting signal for 3 times or more / stability testing in progress

FA - have CLK and FRAME signal. No IRDY signal / POST card didn't receive BIOS code.

Being honest this means nothing to me....:cry

 

Further to that, reading the manual the cause of the FA code is an IRDY signal error.

The given solution is to repair IC chip.

Any ideas?

 

Asus has a couple of features which can help in a case like this. However, if the EEPROM(IC chip) is fragged it will need to be replaced and it will have to be ordered from Asus. Last time I checked, they are about $25 USD, but don't quote me on that.

Do you have the support CD which came with the motherboard?



http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/M4A785TDV_EVO/HelpDesk_Download/

 

Yes I've got the disc. I'm guessing replacing the IC isn't a DIY job?

 

This page will at least give you an idea of what the IC looks like (if it isn't the exact one for your computer). I believe it's surface mounted to the mobo so, you'd need to desolder and remove the current chip and solder the new one in place. If you are unable to do so, you'll need to take it somewhere. IMHO, it would be easier to just replace the mobo.

 

if its removable it's very simple to do you just have to make sure you don't put it in backwards. there is a notch to indicate the direction it should be installed in. I would try running the disk that came with the motherboard first to see if it will load into memory and reflash the BIOS.

 

Thanks both....sadly still no joy with the mobo disc.

I would probably have been upgrading fairly soon anyway so I've decided to cut my losses and buy a new mobo and cpu.

By the time I've had the IC chip replaced with no guarantees I won't still have problems, it makes more sense to upgrade a bit sooner.

Many thanks for all the help and advice. It's very much appreciated and I'll definately be back to pick your brains again at some stage! :-D

 

Fortunately my Asus board has a removable IC, and I have a tool to flash an EEPROM via an RS232 port externally on another machine.

Thanks for keeping us updated, and sorry to hear about your "brick". That old Phenom isn't a bad CPU, and unless you're going Intel you could find a board which is AM3/AM3+ compatible, unless it's an earlier AM2+ model.

Take it easy...

:cool

 

Nope, I'm a dedicated AMD man. I'll keep the old CPU as a spare but I've gone for an FX 9590 with the Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5 mobo.

Having ordered them then looked at the PSU (4 into 8 pin) I've had to splash out on a new one of those as well...that'll teach me.

Still, fingers crossed it should keep me going for a while now.

Haven't upgraded the gfx card yet, I'm hoping my old HD 5700 will be ok with these for the time being.

Thanks again:-D