Friend with PC problem

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,200
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I built this PC for the friend.

It has an Abit IP35 board, MSI Twin Frozer GTX460 768MB OC card, Q8200 quad-core, 4x1GB DDR2-667, a 1TB SATA HD with Windows 7, and a 250GB IDE HD with XP, and a IDE DVD drive. PSU is a fairly recent Antec Neo Eco 620W PSU, that was put in when the video card was put in.

He said he has previously had issues booting it up, and had to wiggle the cable in the back. I think he mean the monitor cable.

Today he told me that the computer shut down on him, and said that in order to boot the computer, he had to take the side off, and push/pull up on the video card.

Sounds like the video card is loose, except, I remember when I rebuilt his machine with the quad-core, I'm pretty sure I used both screws, it's a double-wide video card.

So I'm not sure what to think. I've offered him one of my machines if he needs it, but I would like to figure out what's wrong, whether it's the mobo, video card, or PSU.

Note that these issues were not present, immediately after I re-built the computer. They only developed a few months ago.
 

denis280

Diamond Member
Jan 16, 2011
3,434
9
81
Like you say. he wiggle the wire and now he move the card. maybe dust????
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,200
126
Like you say. he wiggle the wire and now he move the card. maybe dust????

He used to have an IP35-E mobo (before I accidentally screwed it up, re-building his rig with the quad-core). Anyways, when he had that mobo, one stick of RAM mysteriously stopped showing up.

After removing the RAM, and blowing the slots out with compressed air, and fiddling with it for a bit, it worked again. So perhaps you are on to something here.

Maybe just do a re-build? (Remove cards, blow air can, put everything back?)
 

Bubbaleone

Golden Member
Nov 20, 2011
1,803
4
76
I'd agree. Over half the PC's that come to me for repairs are suffering from nothing more than bad connections. Dust accumulation can be taken care of with compressed air.

But I also use 'CRC QD Electronic Cleaner' to remove corrosion and contaminants that build-up on all the connectors and sockets over time, causing real degradation of signal quality and conductivity. It's inexpensive, readily available, and safe to use.
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,541
1,652
126
Sounds like what happened to me with the first failure. I've an IP35-E and though it's rock solid running 24/7 between events, once every few months (closer to a year between events), it'll get shut down or see a power outtage for some reason. Won't power back on then, keep getting memory beep code and have to pull memory, clear CMOS, try with one module to get it to post, add back more modules, maybe clear CMOS a few more times and spin a chicken around my head for good luck.

Last time this happened, no matter what I tried I could not get it to POST again with 4 memory modules so it's down to running 2 modules (doesn't matter which two out of the 4 nor which slots) and can be powered off and on again over and over but SOMEDAY it'll do this again and it'll go in the trash at that point.

Once when it did this I pulled the PSU and was happy to find it had vented capacitors in it. I thought I found the problem. Nope... a few months later with a new PSU it happened again and new PSU is known to be working properly.

One last thought. Those 4 x 1GB memory modules in it, they wouldn't happen to be the ones that were free after rebate from HP a few years back? Might just be coincidence as these were popular parts back at the time that was a current-gen board but I have that memory in mine. Different video card though, nVidia 7600GT if I recall correctly, and running the last (Beta) BIOS they'd offered, don't recall the revision #.
 
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VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,200
126
One last thought. Those 4 x 1GB memory modules in it, they wouldn't happen to be the ones that were free after rebate from HP a few years back? Might just be coincidence as these were popular parts back at the time that was a current-gen board but I have that memory in mine. Different video card though, nVidia 7600GT if I recall correctly, and running the last (Beta) BIOS they'd offered, don't recall the revision #.

Yes, they are the nearly-FAR HP 1GB sticks.
 

sm625

Diamond Member
May 6, 2011
8,172
137
106
It could simply be the way the mobo sits in the case. If that isnt lining up correctly, then the peripheral cards wont line up correctly. I've seen many cases (derp, pardon the pun) where when you tighten the video card screws to the case, it applies upward pressure on the pcie/agp edge connector. Those little locking clamps dont always work the way they are supposed to either.
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,541
1,652
126
^ I agree that's possible but in my case, even switching to a PCI video card during attempts to get it to post didn't make a difference, then leaving video card(s) untouched, once it started POSTing it kept POSTing until I changed the memory config.

Could just be a coincidence... but I still wonder why HP offloaded so much memory FAR over more than a few weeks with multiple promos, you'd think a tier 1 OEM could find a use for memory.
 
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