PC will not power up - motherboard or power supply??

[Malladine]

I get an orange light on the motherboard and the cpu fan spins around several times, (indicating the motherboard is definately getting power?) but the system doesn't power up at all.

Earlier today the system rebooted and froze consistently at the starting windows screen. Then I got a windows cannot find ntoskernel error when trying safe mode. I felt heat coming from inside the system and when i touched around to find out which part the heat was coming from it turned out to be one of the small coils of metal on the motherboard. It burned me.

I had been having 3d game issues for a while, pointing a fan at the gpu only seemed a temporary fix, and as it happens this particular coil is sitting very close to agp slot...

I already ordered a replacement motherboard thinking this was the problem but then the system plain stopped powering up as detailed in the first line of this post.

basically i need advice on this to help me decide whether or not to cancel the motherboard order and buy a power supply instead!

Thanks in advance!

If you need further explanation of anything here please ask!

EDIT: oh and during one attempt to power up I heard lots of beeps...in fact it kept beeping til i powered off. Does that mean anything beyond that it's broken?

 

[ShadowBlade]

those beeps are beep codes that tell you whats wrong....really handy if you speak computer 😉

 

[Malladine]

Originally posted by: ShadowBlade
those beeps are beep codes that tell you whats wrong....really handy if you speak computer 😉

well right but this wasn't a code, like 2 for ram, etc. This was the same beeping, but it didn't stop at 2 or 3. It continued well over 10 times until it scared me and I powered it off again 🙁

 

[Krugus Runeblade]

You might try checking the manual that came with your Mobo, it should list what those beep codes are trying to tell you.

 

[Malladine]

I didn't think constant beeping meant anything, do you think it does?

XP 3000+
1gb Crucial PC2700
400W Antec Smartpower
Gigabyte GA7VAX
Radeon 9800 non pro

 

[Krugus Runeblade]

Your mobo using Award bios which states:

producing constant beeping in no specific pattern, or a fast "ringing" sound.

This is usually caused by a problem with the system memory, or possibly the video card. The memory is more likely--the system complains long and loud if it can't find any usable memory, as there is no way to even start the boot process when this is the case. The motherboard itself could also be the problem.


So with that in mind have you tried a different Vidcard and/or Memory in the system?

Just wondering 🙂

 

[Malladine]

yeah i looked that up too. I'm seriously thinking motherboard now. I tried a different vidcard but just swapped the memory into different slots and took one out, then the other to test them individually.

I don't get beeps at all anymore, i switch the power supply on, hit the power button and all i get is all the fans spin up then immediately back down and the orange light on the mb