Several strange computer issues, will not boot now.

[volrath]

I turned on my computer this morning. Everything turned on for about 1/4 of a second and turned off. Tried unplugging things but that's all I could get it to do. Same as when I blew a power supply last time. I bought an Aspire 500W PS. Did the same thing. Then I noticed I accidentally bought a returned one. Thought it was already blown, took an hour to exchange for a new one. Did the same thing. My motherboard's LEDs were stuck on 4 red. My motherboard manual says the processor may be incorrectly installed. I took off the heatsink. Where did my processor go? Oh, it was stuck to the heatsink. I took it off, re-as5'd it, but it wouldn't go into the socket. Because pulling it out bent pins. SIGH. Un-bent the pins, got it to go back in, put everything together, and windows boots.

But my keyboard and mouse didn't work. I rebooted with them plugged in, and now the computer doesn't boot. It is stuck on the second stage, "Early Chipset Initialization" (3 red 1 green). Edit: I tried again and it got to the last stage before booting and hung, reset and it did the other one again.

Uhh... what do I do? I would think the mobo is bad but how did I boot windows?

MSI K8T Neo-FSR
Athlon 64 2800+ w/ retail HSF
2x512 Kingston PC3200
3x ATA HD
1x DVD-RW
Geforce 5950U
2x PCI cards
2x Case fans

Original PSU: Thermaltake 420W w/ Active PFC
New PSU:
Aspire 500W
28A @ +3.3V
30A @ +5V
34A @ +12V
.3A @ -5V
.8A @ -12V
2A @ +5VSB

Suggestions for course of action?

 

[volrath]

Well it's booted into windows a few times but it eventually crashes no matter what. Seems the longer I turn it off the more likely I am to get into windows. Help?

 

[volrath]

Bad processor or motherboard? Any way to tell?

 

[Jojo7]

Do you happen to be using any usb devices? I've seen usb stuff cause hangs like that. If so, try ps2 devices.

If that doesn't help, try running barebones and see if it still hangs on boot. (cpu, mobo, mem, video)

Define "crashes" you are experiencing in windows. Crashing is such a broad term.

PS- NEVER EVER EVER EVAR pull a heatsink straight up and off a cpu. Especially one with a heatspreader. Twist and wiggle it side to side first.

 

[volrath]

Well, I thought I described it pretty well. It doesn't get to post. It doesn't get to anything. I hit restart, my video card fan spins up to full speed, and the screen is black. The motherboard's LED shows it is stuck on "early chipset initialization" (manual's decoding of the LED symbols). Before any memory, video, post, usb stuff. I'm on it right now, it is working. I suspect it will crash soon.

Thanks for the tip on taking off the heatsink. Learn by mistake. =P

 

[dahunan]

you ae going to have to remove everything but one stick of ram and the video card and of course the processor...

clear the CMOS and then try to boot.

If the problem still happens then use a different stick of ram - if it still happens then try a different video card

etc etc

If it boots then slowly put one piece of hardware back in the system and boot up.. if it starts then try to add another piece and so on and so on...

I hope that helps

**Could a dead battery cause anything like this> Do you have a different battery you could try?

 

[volrath]

I don't have a different anything I could try. I took the mobo out of the case and found a screw under the mobo. Short? Maybe. Started up the computer sitting on cardboard, without a hard drive. I let it sit in bios for a while and it never crashed. I figured the screw was the problem. I put everything back in the case (cleanly, too, hid all the wires) and now it crashes whenever it feels like it.

On first boot up after putting everything together I got a MACHINE CHECK EXCEPTION after logging into windows. Reboot, and it hung before post, at the previous "Early chipset initialization." I have 2x512 PC3200, I tried both and only one of each, it doesn't make a difference. I don't have another video card to test, I would have to buy one. I tried a different power supply, same results. I don't have a different processor or motherboard to try, but I am going to buy another motherboard for testing tonight. MSI tech support basically said the same thing, swap components that I don't have for testing. So I get to buy some. I don't have another battery to try, either. But wouldn't it probably forget all my settings if it was dead? Also, how would it die after a whopping 2 months of use...

Basicaly no matter what I do it does the same thing. Everything plugged in, nothing plugged in, whatever. Earlier tonight it ran great for about 30 minutes, then I launched SW Battlegrounds and it crashed within 2 seconds of showing video. I'm really confused as to how my computer was 100% stable for 2 months and now is destroyed, after nothing had changed...