Help troubleshoot Dead HP Pavillion

Came home this weekend to a message that my C drive failed SMART.
SInce I lost a lot of files to a Dead external Drive already I wasted no time running to the store to buy a new drive. Came home computer worked fine rebooted a few times no issues other than SMART msg. Took computer apart to add new drive to bay for the cloning process. Put it back together and now the whole computer is Dead. I've looked at all the similar errors people have had, but no one else has reported the same symptoms I am seeing.

HP A410e
Light on back of power supply on (pulsing) Stays on for a while after power unplugged.

Power cord plugged in - 3 beeps from Bios in rising half tones
No fans, No lights no drive activity, no signal to monitor.

Press power switch on front panel - NO Change no beeps, no reponse at all
Unplug power cable - no reaction - light on back of power supply eventually goes off. Plug power cord back in same as above.

computer was not shaken, bumped or abused during disassembly.
I checked all cables, cmos battery, memory reseated,

Every other reference to 3 beeps dead MOBO problems said they had lights and fans, I get nothing.

Seems too weird that this happened right in the middle of fixing a hard drive issue. Any help will be appreciated

mjcp

 

It could be a failing/failed power supply.

Not sure about HP; however many Dell desktop boards give a generic "beep" message that signal either a power supply or motherboard issue.

If your power supply is over 2 years old and/or you've upgraded the video card from stock, it makes the power supply an even more likely suspect.

Unless you've added a beefy video card, a 350-400 watt replacement PSU should be fine. If you have a Fry's or MicroCenter nearby, you should be able to find an Antec or CoolerMaster (both good brands) for about $30-$40. If ordering online, here are a few good bets:

http://www.amazon.com/Apex-ALLIED-P...PDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1300743128&sr=1-9

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...DKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1300743128&sr=1-20

(Amazon has free shipping and will pay for the return shipping if it's DOA within 30 days).

Hope this helps.

 

I have come across that before: I would take that description to mean the PSU has died.

It is an un-nerving coincidence to happen in the middle of another seemingly unrelated job.

 

I would hate to get a new power supply only to find the mobo dead, so I will try troubleshooting the power supply first. ( a software test I did while troubleshooting the hard drive passed the power supply, but I won't trust that). I'll check voltages at each plug any other suggestions?

PS I won't get home till Saturday to test it, so please check back on this issue

Is there any info on component level repair of a motherboard? It seems a waste to throw out a computer without even trying to find out if a simple component failed.

 

Using a basic multimeter or PSU tester won't always give you accurate disgnosis. This is because the testing is none at almost no load (<10 watts); it will not reflect the actual power draw of your PC. This is similar to a car battery: Holding a multimeter on the pos. and neg. terminals may show 12 volts; however the starter goes "click, click, click" since the 12-volt draw exceeds the available cranking amps.

Although it's impossible to do a full diagnosis on-line, my money is still on the power supply. At worst, you could buy one from a store with a decent return policy and bring it back if it doesn't solve the problem.

Unless you're an experienced GWSI (Geek With Soldering Iron :-D), trying to diagnose a single bad capacitor or other hardwired piece on a board will drive you crazy with little chance of success. Keep in mind how tiny the solder points are on a motherboard. Even if you diagnose it correctly and locate the correct replacement part, a miss of even a hair while soldering will trash the board.

The a510e is a 2002 model PC - basically obsolete:

http://www.ehow.com/list_7411537_hp-pavilion-a410e-specifications.html

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...=us&site=null&lang=en&key=null&product=391729

Don't shoot the messenger, but - unless you have already done some serious upgrades to it - $30 or so for a power supply (which can be removed and reused in another PC when the a510e bites it for good) is the most I'd spend on attempting to repair it. No mfr. currently offers a replacement board that runs a socket 478 processor and DDR (not DDR2) memory. Buying a used one off eBay is like rolling dice.

You can buy a new pre-built PC with Windows 7 from Dell that will be several times faster than your old one for around $350. If money is an issue, consider an off-lease refurbished model with XP for about $150, such as:

http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5974404&CatId=5139

 

I'll just drop a link to HP's troubleshooting power supply guide which might be of some use. Make sure to expand the section "Power supply light is on or flashes" by clicking on the (+) sign.