machine wont start up

[Dr.tweaker]

hi friends ,please bail me out of this problem.I have a desktop which is not starting up.as i press the power switch(the original power switch of the cabinet was broken,so i made the reset switch as the power switch),the power light just glows up for a second and then goes off and machine does not start(the processor fan also starts up during this period for a second and goes off as soon as the power led goes off) .i recently replaced my old proccy,mobo and ram with a amd 64*2 4200+,gigabyte mobo+2gb transcend ddr2(about 3 months ago).the machine was working fine.but now from the past 2 days it is not starting up.i have checked all the connection.is it an smps problem?but then why should the power light and the fan start for a second and then goes off?i have checked the mobo battery.it is also fine.BTW i do not have a ups(after the old one died).tell me what to do

[pimpom]

As is often the case, there's more than one possibility. My first suspect would be the PSU, probably the 5V rail. Can you lay your hands on another PSU that you can use to test with - maybe borrow one?

Tip: when trying to solve startup problems, it's a good idea to disconnect the hard disk. Repeated power-on surges put a lot of avoidable stress on the HDD.

[Dr.tweaker]

tried to disconnect the harddisk but it it very tightly screwed with the cabinet cannot remove it

[realdan]

the original power switch of the cabinet was broken,so i made the reset switch as the power switch

could this be your problem?

[Dr.tweaker]

nope,i was using it in this condition for about 9 months,actually i live in hostel and my dearest roommate broke it

[pimpom]

Originally Posted by Dr.tweaker

tried to disconnect the harddisk but it it very tightly screwed with the cabinet cannot remove it

Can't you just pull out the cables? Or is the cabinet design such that you cannot access the cable connectors without physically removing the hard disk? BTW, is it SATA or PATA? Anyway, disconnecting the hard disk is not essential - it's just good practice when trying to solve problems like this.

[Dr.tweaker]

my harddisk is a pata western digital cavier 80gb one.i have checked all the cable connections,there is no fauli.so.is the psu the culprit or my new mobo has died

[realdan]

try the memory in another slot...

[pimpom]

Originally Posted by Dr.tweaker

my harddisk is a pata western digital cavier 80gb one.i have checked all the cable connections,there is no fauli.so.is the psu the culprit or my new mobo has died

Nothing is certain at this point. If I had to bet, I'd place my money on the PSU. But it could also be the mobo, processor or RAM.

You could also try realdan's suggestion as that is easily done.

It could even be that your hard disk has died in such a way that it is shorting one of the power supply rails.

Whether it's the mobo, proccy, HDD, the PSU itself or any other component, the symptoms you observed can be due to a short-circuit: When you push the power button, the PSU turns on, but then detects a short-circuit and quickly shuts itself down again. I've seen this happen more than once. (This does not mean that I'm ruling out other possibilities completely).

[Dr.tweaker]

but i have only one 1gb module at ddr2 slot 1,can it be inserted in the second slot leaving the primary slot blank? also if this has occurred due to a short circuit and the mobo has died ill it be replaced ?

[pimpom]

Yes, you can run it with a single RAM stick in the second slot.

To your second question: Unless there is clear visible evidence that your mobo was damaged by an external cause, the warranty should still hold.

The short circuit may not be on the mobo itself (if the cause is a short circuit). It could be in the HDD or the PSU itself.

[Zangetsu]

@Dr Tweaker: Open up ur cabinet...remove RAM & boot...& tell us wat happens

There can two reasons for ur problem....faulty RAM or faulty PSU...

[imgame2]

Originally Posted by KaranTh85

@Dr Tweaker: Open up ur cabinet...remove RAM & boot...& tell us wat happens

There can two reasons for ur problem....faulty RAM or faulty PSU...

agreed ...do that and tell us what happens ...

[Dr.tweaker]

ok will try it tomorrow when i get back 2 hostel and post the results.BTW i also need a lappy.budget is strictly 30,000/- -32000/-.can any one suggest a core2duo or amd dual core lappy in this range(not pentium dual core,i really dont like it)