Really considering quitting computer repair

[slightlyhuman]

So, I was upgrading an xp machine to vista home basic. Everything goes flawless. Get everything updated/etc. Turn the machine off last night to deliver today. Take it to client's house and plug it up. No post/nothing on screen. I'm thinking maybe it's his LCD(westinghouse). So I take his LCD and his puter back to my place.

Nothing. No post. No beeps. Nothing. I've tried DVI/VGA cables on two different LCDs. I've taken the ram out, unplugged everything god damn wire. I've tried holding the insert button down and resetting the CMOS via jumper. NOTHING.

WTF? It really amazes me how ____ ____ up out of no where when it was working flawlessly the previous night. Haven't dropped it or put it in any situation where it would have acquired damage.

god damn it.

FWIW the mobo is a BIOSTAR GF7025-M2 AM2 . 2x1GB crucial, 4200+ AMD cpu. 350w rosewill PSU.


This is not Off-Topic. Please keep the language toned down appropriately for a tech forum :beer:

AnandTech Moderator
mechBgon

 

[Amd PhenoM]

i vote this for best thread of the day!! good read lol.

 

[Dillybob]

Oh man.....I have only run into two situations similar to this: My friend had his friend build a computer for him (instead of having me do it), and he built a Quad-FX system *shudders.* The fans would spin, the lights would come on, and that was it. No post or beep. Turned out to be the motherboard....although your situation is unique. I don't see how it could be the monitor......or anything else for that matter. It could be the graphics. I know you work with computers all the time, and you've probably checked all of this, but the graphics card could be loose, or maybe it just chose that moment to crap out on you.

How old is the computer, btw?

 

[slightlyhuman]

Originally posted by: Dillybob
Oh man.....I have only run into two situations similar to this: My friend had his friend build a computer for him (instead of having me do it), and he built a Quad-FX system *shudders.* The fans would spin, the lights would come on, and that was it. No post or beep. Turned out to be the motherboard....although your situation is unique. I don't see how it could be the monitor......or anything else for that matter. It could be the graphics. I know you work with computers all the time, and you've probably checked all of this, but the graphics card could be loose, or maybe it just chose that moment to crap out on you.

How old is the computer, btw?

I built it for him 3 months ago. It's using ATI onboard. I even threw my 9600GT in there and same thing, no good!

ordered a new mobo and psu. we'll see.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Did you check the psu?

Once saw a rig die like that after transport when a loose screw moved around in the case and shorted the mb.

 

[slightlyhuman]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Did you check the psu?

Once saw a rig die like that after transport when a loose screw moved around in the case and shorted the mb.

Yah, I tried my 500w rosewill. Come to think of it I remember hearing a screw rattle around when I took the side off... Hmm...

 

[Nolonemo]

I feel your pain, I have a Biostar TF7050-M2 that just up and refuses to post. My personal opinion is that this is a shit series of board, it's been flakey since day one. Sorry I don't have any positive advice.

 

[mpilchfamily]

First problem i see is you are using a Roswill PSU. As always there is a chance that something did get damaged while you where moving the PC from your place to the clients. Next problem i see is the cheap Biostar motherboard.

My theory is the PSu still had a charge in it. Durring shipping somthing rattled loose posibly shorting the PSU and damaging the motherboard. Just a theory.

Put a multy meter on the PSu and check the votages. Make sure it still operational and not the cause of any damage. Next inspect the motherboard really well. Check for any loose componets or buldging capacitors. also look around in the case for any possible shorts between the case and the motherboard or any electronic components that may be loose in the case that may have brocken off the motherboard.

 

[slightlyhuman]

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
First problem i see is you are using a Roswill PSU. As always there is a chance that something did get damaged while you where moving the PC from your place to the clients. Next problem i see is the cheap Biostar motherboard.

My theory is the PSu still had a charge in it. Durring shipping somthing rattled loose posibly shorting the PSU and damaging the motherboard. Just a theory.

Put a multy meter on the PSu and check the votages. Make sure it still operational and not the cause of any damage. Next inspect the motherboard really well. Check for any loose componets or buldging capacitors. also look around in the case for any possible shorts between the case and the motherboard or any electronic components that may be loose in the case that may have brocken off the motherboard.

There's nothing wrong with rosewill PSUs. My 500w PSU has been going strong for well over a year and I never shut the PC down. Every brand has bad apples..

I'm going to replace the mobo once it gets here, hopefully that will solve it.

Will update.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: DeePee

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
First problem i see is you are using a Roswill PSU. As always there is a chance that something did get damaged while you where moving the PC from your place to the clients. Next problem i see is the cheap Biostar motherboard.

My theory is the PSu still had a charge in it. Durring shipping somthing rattled loose posibly shorting the PSU and damaging the motherboard. Just a theory.

Put a multy meter on the PSu and check the votages. Make sure it still operational and not the cause of any damage. Next inspect the motherboard really well. Check for any loose componets or buldging capacitors. also look around in the case for any possible shorts between the case and the motherboard or any electronic components that may be loose in the case that may have brocken off the motherboard.

There's nothing wrong with rosewill PSUs. My 500w PSU has been going strong for well over a year and I never shut the PC down. Every brand has bad apples..

I'm going to replace the mobo once it gets here, hopefully that will solve it.

Will update.

Actually, rosewill are a low quality psu. You may have good luck with it, just as some people have good luck with pc chips and biostar motherboards. But in my many years of experience, they will cause you grief at some point. I'm not saying that this is the case now, but it will bite you in the behind at some point. Thats why I stick with enermax/antec/seasonic etc

 

[slightlyhuman]

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer

Originally posted by: DeePee

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
First problem i see is you are using a Roswill PSU. As always there is a chance that something did get damaged while you where moving the PC from your place to the clients. Next problem i see is the cheap Biostar motherboard.

My theory is the PSu still had a charge in it. Durring shipping somthing rattled loose posibly shorting the PSU and damaging the motherboard. Just a theory.

Put a multy meter on the PSu and check the votages. Make sure it still operational and not the cause of any damage. Next inspect the motherboard really well. Check for any loose componets or buldging capacitors. also look around in the case for any possible shorts between the case and the motherboard or any electronic components that may be loose in the case that may have brocken off the motherboard.

There's nothing wrong with rosewill PSUs. My 500w PSU has been going strong for well over a year and I never shut the PC down. Every brand has bad apples..

I'm going to replace the mobo once it gets here, hopefully that will solve it.

Will update.

Actually, rosewill are a low quality psu. You may have good luck with it, just as some people have good luck with pc chips and biostar motherboards. But in my many years of experience, they will cause you grief at some point. I'm not saying that this is the case now, but it will bite you in the behind at some point. Thats why I stick with enermax/antec/seasonic etc

That's a bit of a biased opinion imo. You're talking like enermax or other higher priced brands never have kinks in their hose.

 

[mpilchfamily]

As a matter of fact Enermax Liberty, Antec Truepower II and many other series from high end vender have had there share of problems. But these companies use good quality parts. The Antec TPII problem was t a string of bad batches of capacitors. But for the most part these companies have had very good track records. Rosewill on the other had has had a fairly consistant track record of poor qualtiy. They like to cut corners and use some of the cheapest parts they can find. Unfortunatly you get what you pay for in PSUs. Now to there credit some of there more recent lines of PSUs have been improving in overall quality. But they still have a long way to go to become a trusted PSU maker again.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: DeePee

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer

Originally posted by: DeePee

Originally posted by: mpilchfamily
First problem i see is you are using a Roswill PSU. As always there is a chance that something did get damaged while you where moving the PC from your place to the clients. Next problem i see is the cheap Biostar motherboard.

My theory is the PSu still had a charge in it. Durring shipping somthing rattled loose posibly shorting the PSU and damaging the motherboard. Just a theory.

Put a multy meter on the PSu and check the votages. Make sure it still operational and not the cause of any damage. Next inspect the motherboard really well. Check for any loose componets or buldging capacitors. also look around in the case for any possible shorts between the case and the motherboard or any electronic components that may be loose in the case that may have brocken off the motherboard.

There's nothing wrong with rosewill PSUs. My 500w PSU has been going strong for well over a year and I never shut the PC down. Every brand has bad apples..

I'm going to replace the mobo once it gets here, hopefully that will solve it.

Will update.

Actually, rosewill are a low quality psu. You may have good luck with it, just as some people have good luck with pc chips and biostar motherboards. But in my many years of experience, they will cause you grief at some point. I'm not saying that this is the case now, but it will bite you in the behind at some point. Thats why I stick with enermax/antec/seasonic etc

That's a bit of a biased opinion imo. You're talking like enermax or other higher priced brands never have kinks in their hose.

Thats not bias, its the truth. Yes any manuf can make a bad run, but companies like enermax have a track record of producing quality gear. Rosewill on the other hand produce the bare minimum to make it work.

Sure you may think you are having good luck with the cheap stuff, but stop for a second and go with some quality stuff and you will see your problems and returns go waaayyyy down.

Its akin to buying the walmart brand hand tool and saying it works fine, sure it does but it is nowhere near the level of a craftsman. If you dont put too much weight on reliability and don't mind fixing stuff for customers on your dime then keep using cheap stuff. It will only come back to bite you. I've seen it more times than I care to remember.

I always tell people

Speed
Cost
Reliability

Pick 2

You can have something fast and cheap but its not going to be reliable. On the other hand if you want something fast and reliable you are not going to get the best price. Or you can get something reliable and cheap but its not going to be fast. Etc etc

 

[amdskip]

I agree, your system is only as good as your weakest link and that would be your Rosewill $2 power supply. Would you put gas in your car that was low quality and could potentially blow your motor up, no, so why use such a cheap power supply that could fry your computer? Same idea, please do consider an upgrade.