Was trying to insert usb cable into slot; now pc wont work?!

[Ephemeris]

I'm tired, exhausted and frustrated but i'll try my best to be as clear and concise as possibe.

Couple days ago i went to my PC and started to plug the usb cable of my external HD into the USB front panel (antec p160 case). Suddenly the PC froze. i thought nothing off it and pushed the reset button.

nothing happened. =/

Concerned a bit, i pushed in the power button for a couple seconds... and still nothing. I quickly reached behind and turned it off via the PSU. I put it back on, and i got no image on my monitor. i turned it on and off for about two times afterwards and i got a messaging saying something about my cmos date needing setting. i felt a little relief as i went to update the date..but i realised the PC froze up. Since then i have been unable to get back to that screen (still no image on the monitor; the monitor is working, btw). I should add that i could power on the PC with the power button...but i couldnt reset and power if off (had to do it via PSU).

What i did so far:

Took the cmos battery out for about 15 mins. replaced but no changes.

I took all the wires out (the HD led, power, reset etc) and plugged back in the power and reset only. I could now reset and power off again(got to hold it down rather than pushing it once; usually you could push power once during the bios screen and it would shut off instantly.)

i've scanned the mobo for any exploded capacitors or anything of the like and found nothing. took out the memory and plugged them back in.. nada. Case didn't come with a case speaker (Dammit!)

i use an Asus p4c800 e-deluxe mobo if memory serves; no vga port and I cant seem to get the s-video thing to work for me, so i can't tell if it's a problem with my vid card(i hope not -__-)

Any suggestions guys (and gals)?

 

[mechBgon]

If you haven't done this already, unplug the case's front-USB cable from the motherboard as a fact-finding step.

 

[PurdueRy]

I seem to remember something about certain ports not having enough power to supply a external HDD. I don't really remember though, maybe someon else will

 

[montag451]

Most ext hdd have their own power supplies i think.

 

[RichUK]

Originally posted by: montag451
Most ext hdd have their own power supplies i think.

they nearly all do, its to substitute for the molex power cable, i think that USB only allows upto 4.5 to 5.5V, and a HDD will require voltage from the 12 volt rail ...

 

[FlyingPenguin]

I'd be more concerned that the cable he was using was shorted out, or maybe the front jack is shorted. I concur he should disconnect the front jacks from the mobo.

I'd disconnect EVERYTHING from the mobo (hard drives, all header cables except the power switch, all cards except the video card, and diagnose from there).

 

[Ephemeris]

thanks for the replies guys.


I disconnected everything and still nothing. well,a few changes:

sometimes pushing the power button doesn't turn it off (currently working)
sometimes pushing the reset button doesn't reset the Pc (currently not working)


any ideas?

 

[Ephemeris]

anyone?

 

[Slikkster]

Let's get back to the USB front panel. I have an Antec case, myself. My Antec wiring for USB was all single wires (vs a harness with one plug). If yours is the same, you will notice you have 9 wires coming from the Antec to be plugged into your motherboard.

However, here's where the problem arises. USB only requires 8 wires, and connecting the ninth will no doubt cause problems. The ninth wire is an extra ground wire.

Even though you will see 9 pins on your motherboard USB, only the parallel 8 should be connected. In other words, the pins will look like this:


....
.....

Only the first four pins of each row should be connected. The last one on the bottom row that's by itself, with no corresponding pin on top, should be left unconnected.

Your orientation might be slightly different, like the fifth pin might be on the bottom left vs. bottom right; that's ok. I don't think I could reproduce that view here.

Now, as to your other problem, first take a look at this if it applies. See if that takes care of your other issues, too.

If not, doublecheck your case wiring to the motherboard (pwr, reset, etc.).

 

[jonnylingo]

Originally posted by: Ephemeris
thanks for the replies guys.


I disconnected everything and still nothing. well,a few changes:

sometimes pushing the power button doesn't turn it off (currently working)
sometimes pushing the reset button doesn't reset the Pc (currently not working)


any ideas?

Does the computer load your OS after you have pulled all the cables? I had a motherboard that went bad. It would lock up all the time...sometimes it would post and sometimes it wouldn't. I ended up RMAing the motherboard and getting a new one. Its possible that your motherboard was fried. Strange...yes. The motherboard I had went bad because the fan stopped working on the power supply. It was really hot. After I got the new motherboard all the old components still worked.

Good luck

Jonny

 

[replicator]

I have a VERY similar problem and with the same case too, the ANTEC P160.

I just bought it a few days ago, and i found that if i plug in the power cord for the temperature LED, the computer will NOT boot. If I plug in any of the front panel pins (power led, reset sw, ide led) other than the power sw, the PC turns on, but I get a blank screen but I know that my PC is on.


I plan to try to exchange this today at the shop I bought it. Definitely something screwy with the front panel.

 

[doctorgonzoo]

Hey there,

Yup, similar thing here too,

p4p800e
3.0 ht cpu
1gb ram
ati 9600xp 256m
sata120gb

Had the machine just kicking along well, halflife2 running great, all good, decided to plug in a 512 mb usb2 stick in the front usb port, BOOM! 'puter froze, would'nt reboot. Took it apart, tried all of the above, nothing. Took the board back to my retailer, they swapped it no probs! Put it back together. Ran fine, plugged in front usb again, BOOM! Crap crap crap. Gonna take it back again, was gonna try p4c800, but now, I dunno....


just my info,

DG

 

[montag451]

I just got a P160 -

MAKE sure that the FIREWIRE/USB front cables are correctly connected to the mobo -
They weren't labelled in the case I got, and it took some time of checking and double checking to make sure the right plug went on to the USB

 

[superkdogg]

Originally posted by: montag451
I just got a P160 -

MAKE sure that the FIREWIRE/USB front cables are correctly connected to the mobo -
They weren't labelled in the case I got, and it took some time of checking and double checking to make sure the right plug went on to the USB

Sounds like to me that some of the wires were crossed and your mobo had a fit when the voltage wasn't managed properly. I'd try to reset CMOS, unplug all the front panel plugs except power switch (or that too and just use a jumper to start and shut down) and try to start up. If it works, plug in one more wire (or component) and see if works. This process is mundane and tedious, but when it's done you'll know what happened.

Edit: Since many have had this issue with the same case, could be that the case's front panel wires are mislabeled-I'd almost contact Antec to make sure.

 

[Leros]

I had a similiar occurance happen to me when pluggin in an mp3 player via USB (basically an external drive i suppose). My computer froze, blue screened, and was toast.

I know my PSU and mobo are toast. Still not sure about the CPU yet.

I hope you fix your problem.