My computer won't boot

[kp_72110]

I have an older P4 with an Intel MB.

Facts: P4 1.4 423 pin GB850GBC, 300 watt ps

I don’t know what else really pertains. I built it myself and it has always run fine. It uses RAMBUS (please no flames).

Anyway, I moved and I stored it at my mothers house on the floor for about 2 months. It ran fine when I left it there. But when I finally went and picked it up, I plugged it in and turned it on. Nothing. No lights, no beeps. Nothing. I opened it and and the MB has a light on it which lights up (i thought that indicated that power was getting to the mb). But it will not boot at all.

So I says to myself “power supply is hosed”. Although I questioned why the the light on the board worked. I even pulled the power supply and it smelled like a fried electrical unit. You know the smell. Though not quite as acrid. More like, well like a power supply that has been used for awhile.

I checked all the connections. Several times. I even rebuilt it (or took apart and reconnected) EVERYTHING. I’ve tested all the compnoents in other pc’s and they work fine. Hard drives, floppy, agp, nic…all cards. They all work.

So I thinks to myself “maybe the power switch is toast”. Well to myself I say “Big effing HA!” I throw another board in there and that works too. I didn’t put it all together but at least I know the switch works. (after I bought a new atx case and it still didn’t work. duh. :smack: )

I can get the same board for about $50 on pricewatch. But still, I’m perplexed. What the hell happened to it? As far as I know it just sat there. My mother wouldn’t know a computer from a toaster, so there is no chance anyone else used it. None at all.

What would cause a board to fail from just sitting there in a power off condition for 2 months? Could I use an altimeter (sp) to test components on it? Realize, i don’t know how to do that, but I could figure it out if I had the right guidance.

Fact2: I did not leave it on all the time. I often powered it down for days at a time when I wasn’t using it. I’m out of town a lot and while I trust my zonealarm, with a cable modem, I still don’t take chances. Any ideas?

[Urban_Ranger]

What about the CPU? Did it work fine?

Check all the sockets, make sure none of the ICs became loose.

[Urban_Ranger]

Once I had a problem with a peculiar mobo. It wouldn’t boot normally, but after I warmed it up with a blow dryer, it would. It almost seemed like voodoo…

Anyway, a problem could be your power supply had deterorated and doesn’t have the max power to boot your computer. It works, just not working well enough.

[Q.E.D]

I’m guessing possible insect or rodent damage. It happens. In any case, forget about component-level testing. It gives even us highly experienced techs grief, nevermind someone who’s never done it. Replace the board.

[Urban_Ranger]

It can be the CPU or the power supply.

[t-keela]

I can’t say for sure what the deal is w/ yours…but I had kinda the same thing happen to one a while back. It had been in storage for awhile and somebody needed a PC so I was gonna hook’em up.

Well, the room it was in wasn’t kept at a constant temp…I didn’t go through it before puttin the juice to it. The condensation had built up inside the PC and when I booted up, toast!

Talk about being pissed…I knew what I’d done immediately.
I haven’t tried to fix it yet, I had a couple more…but damnit man this was a good Pent2 w/ lots of upgrades.

Oh well, live & learn

[Desmostylus]

Intel® Desktop Board

**Using the Correct Power Supply; Avoid “No-boot” & “Lock-ups” **

An ATX12V or SFX12V with the 2x2 connector is required for all Pentium® 4 processor based Intel® Desktop Boards. Power consumption requirements for high-end video cards, sound cards, peripherals, and the Pentium 4 processor will exceed the typical 5A current capacity of standard ATX & SPX power supplies.

The ATX12V and SFX12V † power supply design guides recommend a minimum of 8A at 12Volts to properly power any Pentium 4 processor based Intel Desktop Board. Standard ATX and SFX power supplies typically provide approximately 5A of current, which is not capable of reliably powering the Pentium 4 processor based Intel Desktop Board.

[Desmostylus]

Hit “post” instead of “preview”.

Anyway, I’d guess that PS wasn’t quite up to it, despite being rated 300 W. It got hot, and probably caused one or more of the elctro caps to start leaking. During the storage period, further leakage and corrosion has occured.

[Alereon]

Speaking of capacitors, check the ones on the mobo, specifically around the CPU socket. See if any of them are leaking, bulging, or have exploded. The tops should be flat, if they bulge outward or have crusty stuff on top or below, the mobo’s dead.

If you do decide to replace the motherboard, it would be a good idea to consider a major upgrade. $150-$200 would be enough for an Athlon XP+motherboard+512 DDR RAM, which would provide a lot of value for a little cost. Dropping $50 to keep a somewhat aged system like that running might be a losing proposition for you. Then again, if its only a backup system, keeping it around in its current state might be fine. Just something to think about.