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Desktop Computer Help

perksy - 12/12/10 at 08:50 PM

Hello Lads

a mate at work has just contacted me with a problem he has with his desktop computer

He turns it on at the mains and it powers straight up but nothing is showing on the screen

It doesn't seem to turn on or off using the on/off button on the tower

i thought it might be just the on/off switch but why is there no display to the screen ?

is this 2 seperate problems ?

he's not getting any mad sucession of bleeps from the motherboard

cheers for any help

perksy

graememk - 12/12/10 at 08:51 PM

i'd start with PSU

RichardK - 12/12/10 at 09:08 PM

Sounds like the screen is either unplugged or gone up the swanny to me, have you another screen that can be used to test.

Cheers

Rich

greenwood03 - 12/12/10 at 10:58 PM

could be the graphics card? if he has fitted an 'after market' card worth trying to connect to the original vga output....had that with my daughters pc recently - spent ages despertaley backing up the info as was sure that the thing was on the way out - only to find that the super dooper graphics card was broken.....

RazMan - 13/12/10 at 09:30 AM

quote:
Originally posted by perksy
He turns it on at the mains and it powers straight up but nothing is showing on the screen

Sounds like either the monitor or cable - if the graphics card goes phut it normally gives an error beep on startup.

Airhead - 13/12/10 at 04:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by perksy
Hello Lads

He turns it on at the mains and it powers straight up but nothing is showing on the screen

It doesn't seem to turn on or off using the on/off button on the tower

That is almost definately a fritzed PSU.

RazMan - 13/12/10 at 04:11 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Airhead

That is almost definately a fritzed PSU.

How can it power up without a psu?? Surely if everything except the monitor is powering up it has to be .......

Airhead - 13/12/10 at 04:56 PM

The machine shouldn't be turning on without the intervention of the power switch - if it is and isn't throwing out beep codes and if the monitor is blank it is fair to assume that the PSU is faulty and whilst able to power up the fan it isn't supplying the graphics card with sufficient juice.

I might be wrong, I accept that, but what on earth does a faulty graphics card, sVGA lead or whatever have to do with the fact that it doesn't switch on using the power switch?

15 years in the trade, I'd be trying the PSU...

RazMan - 13/12/10 at 05:16 PM

Apologies - I just re-read the original post and saw the reference to the mains switch not making any difference.
Yep, I agree it has to be the PSU - I've also been in the trade for a few decades and simply missed the detail

graememk - 13/12/10 at 05:52 PM

is its a E-machine with a p4 478 by any chance ?

Airhead - 13/12/10 at 09:38 PM

quote:
Originally posted by RazMan
Apologies - I just re-read the original post and saw the reference to the mains switch not making any difference.
Yep, I agree it has to be the PSU - I've also been in the trade for a few decades and simply missed the detail

Yep, if I had a pound for every time I'd missed a detail I'd have at least Ł12.37. Always nice to meet another techie