Computer wont work

[motorbikeking1]

recently my pc has stopped working. I can turn it on and it boots up fine, but a minute or two after loggin on the screen freezes and nothing happens. So i restart it doesnt post, and the moniter doesnt show anything or come out of stand by mode. Trying to start up after this also doesnt work unless i leave it for about an hour, then the same thing will happen again. (starts up, crashes etc...)

Ive tested the video card in another pc and that works, and i doubt its the ram. I dont see why it has sudenly stopped working as the night before it was working perfectly fine, i turned it off like a usually do and turned it back on the following evening to find this problem.

Does anyone know how i can find out what the problem is/know what the problem is and how to fix it?

 

[Tarrant64]

Even though you are sure it isn't the memory, have you tested it? Any new windows updates or drive updates you have done? If it's a simple software issue you can try to use Windows Restore and go back a couple days to see if that helps.

Otherwise remove all hardware that isn't essential for the PC to run, and test to see if it is something faulty. Often when this happens hardware/drivers are the cause.

 

[oynaz]

Try to boot with an Ubuntu live CD. This might help you rule out software issues.

 

[Tarrant64]

Originally posted by: oynaz
Try to boot with an Ubuntu live CD. This might help you rule out software issues.

Well now, if he can't very well get to a point to burn the CD he may just be out of luck.

 

[motorbikeking1]

The fact that after the first start up after a few hours it doesnt post and no video shows up suggests that its not anything to do with software (it it was software then the pc would at least boot). I will test the memory tonight to rule that out. Is it possible that the cpu is overheating? it might explain why it craashes and doesnt post afterwards, but works again after a couple of hours.

I hadnt done anything to it (no new hardware/software, drivers or updates) and had just done what i usually did, it had no reason to suddenly stop working like it it (unless there is something that happened to it while it was or, or i am missing something here).

 

[herbiehancock]

Possibly it is the power supply heating up and losing its regulation.....under or overvolting. Dependson condition, wattage, age, and brand of the power supply, of course.

 

[Muse]

Yes, power supply seems possible. I also had that idea of the CPU overheating. Does the fan on it seem OK? Sometimes a heatsink can come loose and that will cause it to overheat although the fan appears to function. It's because of problems like this that I multiboot my machines whenever possible. It makes troubleshooting a lot easier a lot of times. I only boot to other than my usual partition in order to troubleshoot a problem or for the rare instance when a program only runs in a certain OS. I also like the fact that I have built a few systems and have spare parts around for swapping out suspect parts or to stand in if an RMA is in progress -- it happens.

 

[motorbikeking1]

turns out is was the ram. I took out one stick of it and the pc worked perectly. Ill test the other stick and see if its faulty or whether its a problem with the mb or soemthing with having two sticks of ram. at least my pc works again.

 

[Roguestar]

RMA! Don't just take it lying down!

 

[jackschmittusa]

That sounds really strange that taking a stick of ram out solved the problem. The symptoms you described would almost certainly point to a thermal problem.

Did the stick you took out happen to be right next to the hsf?

Was it not fully seated?

Was it dirty/dusty?

Are the pins discolored?

 

[motorbikeking1]

The one i took out wasnt right near the hsf, but the non-faulty one is.

Im pretty sure it was fully seated, ive taken it out and put in back in and tried it in other sockets and it still didnt work.

No. There was no dirt or dust on it.

No. All the pins are fine.