computer shuts down at boot up

[edong]

Suddenly, while watching DVD movie, my PC shuts down. Tried to power it up a many times, it will only make the "happy" beep and will show a peek of the BIOS then shuts down. Any ideas of what the first thing to look at? Thanks.

[InXess]

Could be memory error, video array, keyboard, CPU fan error etc. Count the number of beeps (indicates the problem) and google for POST error codes to decode it. It will help you pinpoint which one it is. One thing is for sure: it's a hardware issue.

[grmpy]

Check your power supply too.

[normcar]

I could be a heat related problem. Try blowing out the dust from your system. Also make sure all fans are working properly, especially the CPU Heatsink Fan. Also ensure the Heatsink Fan connection is connected to the motherboard for proper reporting of fan speed to the motherboard Bios.

[Bjs]

Make sure keyboard , mouse ... anything connected to pc using pin array's is connected correctly ... ie , you have not bent any of the pins when these items where connected ... a bent mouse pin will cause this .

Make sure power on button on pc case is not sticking ... I have had a few custormer's turn up with this problem where pc repeatedly reboot's .

A single beep is a sign of bios check completed prior to os boot ... normal .

Check you dont have a sticking key on keyboard jammed down ... it to will cause pc to develope sudden random stupid error code mode .

Remove any usb device , and disconnect all / any optical drives before you do any of the following ...

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Take the cover off and check those capacitors on the motherboard (little metal cans)

They normally have flat top's .

Should they appear , bulging , darker in colour as compared to matching sibblings near by , brown mark on top , then they have overheated and should be replaced by someone who knows what they are doing ... not for newbies .

Sometime's they can blow their bottom's ... but to see this you need to take the board out of the pc for inspection .

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As pc starts up ... try entering bios ... read motherboard manual will determine which key is used ... most normally it's the "dell" key .
Just keep tapping the key from boot up ... if bios appears and stays put ... try reseting bios to factory settings , exit , answer Y ... pc reboot's .
Should problem have disappeared ... bios setiing conflict was issue .

Rule 1 : Never ever update bios if system is running correctly ... on rare occassion's , bios updating can cause problems .

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If not able to enter bios , or issue remains ...

First thing : Turn pc off at power point ... a must

Having a "known" working power supply on hand is a must have as is a new power cable (they can become flaky in habit) .

1: Take all none essential cards out of their slot's
2: If two or more memmory chips installed , leave slot "0" ... take "1" , "2" , "3" memmory chips out (depends on board)
3: Locate pin connection for "reset" switch on mainboard ... remove it .
4: Connect power supply test replacement unit .

Start by turning pc on ... and use a small flat screw driver to short across those two pins for reset and remove screwdriver .

Should system fire up and behave ... you have a failed reset button on case (replace)
If problem persists ... turn off at power point , and exchange the remaining memmory module with the other unit ... try again .

Should problem persist beyond this point ... check ALL cable's inside case for any form of wear that might cause "shorting issue" ... try again

If your pc use's addon card for vga (no onboard) , then you are looking at two possible suspects .

1: Vga card damaged in one form or another ... you will need to source another .

If vga onboard

2: Motherboard developed issue / fault ... consider replacement .

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Test kit should contain : Required memmory module / power supply / power lead / pci vga / screwdriver kit / spare internal cables / ps2 keyboard and mouse / powerboard with active spike protection for both power and phoneline .

With these part's it is possible to test the system to locate the fault .

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Should your pc have had a card in every slot ... then the motherboard has decided to pack it in .

Slots are devided into pairs ... and you can only use one slot from each pair .

Motherboard with agp / 3 pci = apg/pci1 paired , pci2/pci3 paired
Motherboard with agp / 5 pci = apg/pci1 paired , pci2/pci3 paired , pci4/pci5 paired

For those with onboard

Onboard agp / 3pci = apg/pci1 paired , pci2/pci3 paired
Onboard agp / 5 pci = apg/pci1 paired , pci2/pci3 paired , pci4/pci5 paired

Next :

Onboard apg / agp / ? pci's

Onboard agp + agp slot + pci1 share resources' ... use one only .
Pair off all sots from pci2 .

Never ever use all slot's on mainboard ... you will guarantee pc issue's .

[normcar]

You may also have a loose memory module. This will prevent the PC from booting correctly. Reseat all memory modules. Reseat all cards in the slots too.

[edong]

Thanks all for the replies.

My son found out I did not put the CPU fan/heat sink back properly when I blew the dust off. It's working fine now.

[InXess]

Suddenly, while watching DVD movie, my PC shuts down. Tried to power it up a many times, it will only make the "happy" beep and will show a peek of the BIOS then shuts down. Any ideas of what the first thing to look at? Thanks.

So your description of how it occured was "incomplete" to say the least. I knew that... Next time you may try to stay closer to what really happened. It shows some respect for the time other guys spend thinking about your problem. Cheers.

[edong]

Suddenly, while watching DVD movie, my PC shuts down. Tried to power it up a many times, it will only make the "happy" beep and will show a peek of the BIOS then shuts down. Any ideas of what the first thing to look at? Thanks.

So your description of how it occured was "incomplete" to say the least. I knew that... Next time you may try to stay closer to what really happened. It shows some respect for the time other guys spend thinking about your problem. Cheers.

I'm sorry if my post upset you. The dust blowing happened a couple of weeks before the problem. Had I thought of it, I would have not posted the problem in the first place, would I? So, I'm thankful to the guys who gave me the idea of what to look at. Again, sorry.

[InXess]

Upset? No. It just helps to know ALL the facts.