Desktop Computer Turns on But Won't Show BIOS or Boot. HELP.

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010.

  1. #1
    Hello my friends.
    A friend just gave me a desktop computer, its pretty old. AMD Athlon 1.25 GHZ, 1 GB RAM, 2 hardrives with 30 GB each, and a radeon 256 mb graphics card (not exactly sure which one).
    The PC is quite clean, and i managed to reinstall XP and everything was working fine. I was just looking at random stuff online, when the computer just turns off. Like it had been unplugged or something, and now it will not start. When i press the power button, the lights light up, the fans spin, and everything seems to have power. But, it will not show the BIOS or boot up, the screen remains blank.
    I spent a great deal of time searching the internet for solutions to this problem but nothing worked. I tryed almost every solution that was mentioned online. I reset the CMOS battery, detached the hardrives and other interior components one by one and attempted to start, but im still unable to even get to the BIOS screen. I also held down the power button for 60+ seconds and nothing. I don't think the motherboard is broken, because when i remove the RAM and attempt to start it will beep continuously, which it woulden't do if it was broken. I also tryed rubbing the RAM with a eraser to remove the static electricity, but nothing. I don't think it overheated because i wasen't doing anything CPU intensive, and i also didn't see/smell smoke so i doubt anything is burnt inside.
    The only thing i can think of now, is take it to a repair store and see what they have to say about it. I could have also missplaced a couple wires while i was rearranging stuff, and im not entirely sure where everything needs to be. I really could use some help, if you can think of anything that might be able to make it start please let me know, this is driving me crazy, thanks.
     
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  2. UB Media

    UB Media Peon

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    #2
    Sounds like a dead GPU. I had the exact same issue a month ago with my laptop.
     
    UB Media, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  3. timbonitus

    timbonitus Active Member

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    #3
    Well, do you know how i can troubleshoot to see if its that? This is getting really frustrating now, everything i do dousen't work >.<
     
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  4. mubashirnisar

    mubashirnisar Banned

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    #4
    were you able to go to bios before?
     
    mubashirnisar, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  5. timbonitus

    timbonitus Active Member

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    #5
    Yeah, i installed xp and everything. Now it dousent do anything, the screens just blank.
     
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  6. nihangshah

    nihangshah Prominent Member

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    #6
    Try hitting 'F10' or 'DEL' keys when you restart your PC to get into the BIOS.

    Also, how come you installed Windows XP when the screen is just blank?
     
    nihangshah, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  7. timbonitus

    timbonitus Active Member

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    #7
    ... I installed xp before, i was using it, it turned off, and now its blank and i can't get it too turn back on.
     
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  8. Kerosene

    Kerosene Alpha & Omega™ Staff

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    #8
    Have you tried resetting/clearing the BIOS settings?
    Most motherboards have a jumper you can move to set it back to factory defaults. Might be worth a try.
     
    Kerosene, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  9. timbonitus

    timbonitus Active Member

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    #9
    ..How? I'm not used to desktops since im always using my laptop. Is there a tutorial somewhere?
     
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  10. perfectblue

    perfectblue Well-Known Member

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    #10
    Reset the jumper positions .. boot it once ..
    Turn off PC...
    swap to original place and reboot. it should work out... it happened once with me.

    Also try replacing the lithium battery inside it...
     
    perfectblue, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  11. alien

    alien Well-Known Member

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    #11
    Just open the CPU and take out the RAM and put it again. It will work
     
    alien, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  12. nihangshah

    nihangshah Prominent Member

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    #12
    nihangshah, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  13. timbonitus

    timbonitus Active Member

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    #13
    @alien; I already did that, I cleaned the RAM with an eraser, I switched it to a different slot, and it still didnt turn on, i don't have another ram module to try but i doubt this ones broken.

    @nihangshah; i did method 2 already. Whats a jumper? :p

    @perfectblue; I'm gonna buy a new battery soon, but i can't seem to find the jumpers on this motherboard. Probably because its pretty old, its a A7N266-VM REV 1.05 :-/ But i took out the battery and left it out for like 30+ mins and still nothing happened.

    Thanks everyone for the quick replies.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2010
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  14. Kerosene

    Kerosene Alpha & Omega™ Staff

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    #14
    Kerosene, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  15. paypallimited

    paypallimited Peon

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    #15
    yes i like to know too
    what is jumper?
     
    paypallimited, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  16. timbonitus

    timbonitus Active Member

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    #16
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  17. Kerosene

    Kerosene Alpha & Omega™ Staff

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    #17
    @timbonitus:I only had a quick read of the thread, and apparently that motherboard doesn't have a BIOS reset jumper. Maybe it's time to admit defeat. It's a pretty old motherboard after all. :)

    ----------

    A sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. They are often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top

    also...

    In electronics and particularly computing, a jumper is a short length of conductor used to close a break in or bypass part of an electrical circuit. Jumpers are typically used to set up or adjust printed circuit boards, such as the motherboards of computers.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumper_(computing)

    FFS
     
    Kerosene, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  18. timbonitus

    timbonitus Active Member

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    #18
    Thanks? Anyone know how to change the jumper settings?
     
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  19. Kerosene

    Kerosene Alpha & Omega™ Staff

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    #19
    Kerosene, Aug 1, 2010 IP
  20. timbonitus

    timbonitus Active Member

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    #20
    ... This is really confusing. But if the jumper settings are not configured properly already, why was i able to install xp? Is it really necessary to change the settings? It looks quite complicated. I can't even get a grip on the jumpers to remove them. Damn. New update: I removed my graphics card and attempted a boot, the fan was spinning at reduced speed for like 5 seconds and than it sped up (CPU fan) Still nothing on the monitor. Gosh, I'm just gonna have to by a new MOBO.
     
    timbonitus, Aug 1, 2010 IP