computer won't boot up

[theboilermaker]

i was given a computer that is broken
it is an e-machines T1742 which is basically
1.7 Ghz Celeron
256 meg RAM
40 gig hard drive
some propriatary motherboard

ok the problem is that when it is plugged in the LED's on front start blinking and the power supply fan spins half way up but the computer will not boot i thought that the power supply had been struck by lightening or a power surge or somthing of the sort so i bought an identical power supply to replace and it does the same thing. i also tested the switch but it is good

My only guess is that the connector on the board may be bad and is causing these problems. Any help would be great on how to fix it and or would it be easier to buy a new motherboard and just take the proc., RAM and HD?????

 

[Alessandro]

I had a similar problem, so figured I would add to this rather than start a new thread. The PSU I have is a cheap one, and the PC occasionally had shut off. I thought it might have been the mobo, which is why I didn't replace the PSU. Now the PC will not turn on; the light on the mobo indicating some power is coming lights up when I plug the PSU into the wall, but when I hit the power switch, the fan spins half a revolution then stops, no POST etc. If I unplug the PSU and replug it in it will spin the fan half a rev again, then nothing. I tried plugging the PSU into a much older comp (Pent II 233, Slot 1) and some of the PSU cable colors were different, so not sure if this was a fair test, but nothing powered. I'm probably going to just buy another PSU, but I figured I would ask to know if this one has any juice in it. I don't have a multitester on me, but do have one at my home (visiting my parents now, this is for my mom's comp) - is this the only way for me to test it? Thanks.