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Offline Chappie

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Computer issues
« on: July 12, 2019, 03:01:43 PM »
I need computer wizzardry help. I have a 4 yo pc that a friend put together for me that intermittently will not start, screen is blank. It really only gets used by the kids to play Sims and a couple of other games so I am not keen to throw a heap of coin at it as the business laptop is also on its last legs.
Is there something I can do / check that might be an easy fix.
One of my other kids had a mate that said very confidently that it was the Ram?
Any ideas where I might start, the local computer shop told the minister for finance and warfare that it would be cheaper to buy a new one. I am not sure how he knows how much it will cost to fix, he may be right.
Thanks in advance.
Iain.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2019, 03:06:49 PM by Chappie »
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Offline austastar

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2019, 03:18:43 PM »
Hi,
    Check the main switch is not sticking on. That will cause it to start and cancel.
Cheers

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Offline noel_w

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2019, 03:49:11 PM »
Might be an idea to reseat the RAM. If the contacts/pins get a little bit of corrosion on it they don't work to well. Removing and reseating usually will fix it. You can clean the contact area with contact cleaner or a rubber eraser. Just make sure you ground yourself at all stages to prevent static electricity. Just saying, do this at your own risk lol.
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Offline Bird

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2019, 04:38:40 PM »
have you added any peripherals to the machine lately? new printer? new scanner etc?
Remove everything not required from the PC.. so only plug in the monitor, keyboard, mouse and power - and try a few times...

As said reseating the RAM can sometimes work, but it can be anyone of 1230923498203940239 things :( mate had a power button go south on his and was intermittent PITA to find...
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Offline saph

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2019, 05:17:33 PM »
Could be anything i would check any switch's or connections on the power plugs

Also
Quote from: noel_w on July 12, 2019, 03:49:11 PM
Might be an idea to reseat the RAM. If the contacts/pins get a little bit of corrosion on it they don't work to well. Removing and reseating usually will fix it. You can clean the contact area with contact cleaner or a rubber eraser. Just make sure you ground yourself at all stages to prevent static electricity. Just saying, do this at your own risk lol.
the RAM pins are gold plated 99% of eletrics in pc's are plated with gold they wont rust.
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Offline noel_w

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2019, 06:46:46 PM »
Quote from: saph on July 12, 2019, 05:17:33 PM
Could be anything i would check any switch's or connections on the power plugs

Also  the RAM pins are gold plated 99% of eletrics in pc's are plated with gold they wont rust.
Never said they would rust...
And the gold plating is infitismally thin. They do get a corrosion film on them especially if near coastal areas or if high humidity
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Offline Bird

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2019, 06:49:10 PM »
Quote from: noel_w on July 12, 2019, 06:46:46 PM
Never said they would rust...
And the gold plating is infitismally thin. They do get a corrosion film on them especially if near coastal areas or if high humidity
we use dell's at work and we've tried upgrading ram with all sorts of memory.. none works but the Factory Dell Shit... but their prices are insane... bought 32g of aftermarket for <170, dell 8g $220....
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Offline saph

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2019, 07:59:10 PM »
Quote from: Bird on July 12, 2019, 06:49:10 PM
we use dell's at work and we've tried upgrading ram with all sorts of memory.. none works but the Factory Dell Shit... but their prices are insane... bought 32g of aftermarket for <170, dell 8g $220....

Thats dell for you they seem to only like their stuff.

Quote from: noel_w on July 12, 2019, 06:46:46 PM
Never said they would rust...
And the gold plating is infitismally thin. They do get a corrosion film on them especially if near coastal areas or if high humidity

Thats funny ive had computers for 5+ years and i live next to the water and had 0 corrosion issues, maybe your just removing and reinserting it so much you wear away any gold plating.

Free to post proof to show me otherwise btw.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2019, 08:03:40 PM by saph »
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Offline paceman

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Computer issues
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2019, 08:49:11 PM »
Quote from: saph on July 12, 2019, 07:59:10 PM
Thats dell for you they seem to only like their stuff.

Thats funny ive had computers for 5+ years and i live next to the water and had 0 corrosion issues, maybe your just removing and reinserting it so much you wear away any gold plating.

Free to post proof to show me otherwise btw.


Or you could just accept Noel at his word, seeing as how he has forgotten more about computers and hardware than I’ll ever know, and I’ve been in the game for 20+ years...

The corrosion on ram doesn’t have to be rust... it can just be a contaminant like dust particles that interfere with data/signal transfer... exactly why a reseat and clean of ram modules can sometimes do the trick for a myriad of weird little issues... the reseat and clean dislodges a contaminant and you’re good to go...

Have recently been through this myself, with ram playing up and a clean with isopropyl alcohol did the trick.

Might be worthwhile, if game, to test your power supply with a multimeter, but if not confident, get it tested or buy a specific power supply tester to make sure voltages are as they should be...


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Offline Troopy_03

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2019, 09:00:05 PM »
Quote from: noel_w on July 12, 2019, 06:46:46 PM
Never said they would rust...
And the gold plating is infitismally thin. They do get a corrosion film on them especially if near coastal areas or if high humidity

I agree that removing, cleaning and reseating might fix RAM issues too (and I've had computers since the early 90's ;-) )

For OP, are you getting any POST (Power On Self Test) beeps? Does the HDD appear to be active? Is any thing appearing on the screen at all? Is the monitor actually working, or does it have a dodgy connection?
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Offline bkim

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2019, 12:39:51 AM »
Quote from: paceman on July 12, 2019, 08:49:11 PM

Or you could just accept Noel at his word, seeing as how he has forgotten more about computers and hardware than I’ll ever know, and I’ve been in the game for 20+ years...

The corrosion on ram doesn’t have to be rust... it can just be a contaminant like dust particles that interfere with data/signal transfer... exactly why a reseat and clean of ram modules can sometimes do the trick for a myriad of weird little issues... the reseat and clean dislodges a contaminant and you’re good to go...

Have recently been through this myself, with ram playing up and a clean with isopropyl alcohol did the trick.

Might be worthwhile, if game, to test your power supply with a multimeter, but if not confident, get it tested or buy a specific power supply tester to make sure voltages are as they should be...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Totally agree! it's very common here during the summer months with the humidity to have problems with ram and also video cards (not so commonly installed in most non gaming machines nowadays), I would have to check several of my friends and relations most years at this time for problems, as Bird said it can almost be anything that can cause problems, you just start with the most likely possibilities first.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2019, 12:44:53 AM by bkim »
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Offline Craig Tomkinson

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2019, 07:24:08 AM »
Our Computer plays up, i just take out the shed and blow it out the compressor blow all the dust out of the fan and everywhere as it gets hot, goes for months after that, but thats just ours, Craig
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Offline Fizzie

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2019, 07:52:54 AM »
I'll throw another maybe / possibly in out of my very limited knowledge (I just use 'em, I don't know what makes 'em work! :-[)

Possibly the back-up battery (10c coin size) ???
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Offline glenm64

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2019, 08:01:58 AM »
My expertise starts and stops here. Plug it in!

Cheers Glen

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Offline gronk

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2019, 08:18:12 AM »
Quote from: glenm64 on July 13, 2019, 08:01:58 AM
My expertise starts and stops here. Plug it in!

Cheers Glen

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Offline jwb

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #15 on: July 13, 2019, 09:31:43 AM »
I had an issue that turned out to be a dodgy wireless Keyboard!
A new wired keyboard installed and all sweet!

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Cheers

Jwb

Offline Chappie

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #16 on: July 13, 2019, 10:51:55 AM »
Thanks for all the help. I took the cover off and used the compressor to gently blow any dust out. I removed the 2 sticks of RAM and the contacts are nice and shiny. Put them back in and checked to make sure all the other plugs were in nice and firm.
I have plugged the monitor and power only and it is tries to start, fans kick in and the power button comes on, but then it goes for anywhere between 5 to 30 seconds it turns off for around 5 seconds and then trys to start again.  It has been doing this for the last 3 or so minutes.
Does that change the though process on what is its issue?
Thanks again all.
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Offline Chappie

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #17 on: July 13, 2019, 11:12:55 AM »
Bird, no new gadgetry added. I have a power button on the power supply and another on the front of the machine and both seem to work ok.
Saph, I checked all the plugs inside and out. They seemed secure.
Paceman would that be the thickest cable comes that out of the power supply?
I will add that to the list of things to check.
Troopy, I am not getting any beeps but that could be because it doesn't look like it has a speaker inbuilt and one of the kids has borrowed the external ones. I will track down a speaker and try that.  How would I check the HDD? The screen comes up with a logo and then it tells me no signal. So I think the monitor is ok.
Glen and Gronk, I think we might be at the same level. My great uncle would tell me not to force it, get a bigger hammer.
Jwb when it first started playing up we connected an old wired keyboard and mouse to check.


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Offline Wazza999

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #18 on: July 13, 2019, 11:18:50 AM »
The fact that it tries to restart might point to a fundamental motherboard /bios related problem. Are you hearing any beeps from the motherboard? Without rereading the thread, I'm thinking it restarts before you get to the computer (not windows) splash screen. When you get failures, boards sometimes emit diagnostic beeps. Can you get to the bios set up screen before it restarts?
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Offline Wazza999

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #19 on: July 13, 2019, 11:23:21 AM »
Quote from: Wazza999 on July 13, 2019, 11:18:50 AM
The fact that it tries to restart might point to a fundamental motherboard /bios related problem. Are you hearing any beeps from the motherboard? Without rereading the thread, I'm thinking it restarts before you get to the computer (not windows) splash screen. When you get failures, boards sometimes emit diagnostic beeps. Can you get to the bios set up screen before it restarts?
Sorry troopy already mentioned beeps. These come from a 'buzzer' on the motherboard and don't need an external speaker (which require this os to be loaded anyway) .
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Offline Troopy_03

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #20 on: July 13, 2019, 11:32:41 AM »
Quote from: Chappie on July 13, 2019, 11:12:55 AM
Bird, no new gadgetry added. I have a power button on the power supply and another on the front of the machine and both seem to work ok.
Saph, I checked all the plugs inside and out. They seemed secure.
Paceman would that be the thickest cable comes that out of the power supply?
I will add that to the list of things to check.
Troopy, I am not getting any beeps but that could be because it doesn't look like it has a speaker inbuilt and one of the kids has borrowed the external ones. I will track down a speaker and try that.  How would I check the HDD? The screen comes up with a logo and then it tells me no signal. So I think the monitor is ok.
Glen and Gronk, I think we might be at the same level. My great uncle would tell me not to force it, get a bigger hammer.
Jwb when it first started playing up we connected an old wired keyboard and mouse to check.

The mother board will have a tiny speaker built onto it. See here about beep codes https://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
Many computers have a HDD activity light, but if not, listen to the HDD and does it sound like it is randomly reading the disc (putting a finger on it can help you here, by feel). If it sounds like it is clicking, or seams to be a repetative pattern, or just nothing at all, could be a HDD problem.

The fact that your monitor says no signal could mean either there is no continuity between the comp video output and the monitor input, or it could mean the video card is shot (or video card memory, depending on what you have). Is your video a separate video card, or is it onboard the mother board?

Edit: You can find a few troubleshooting guides using google too. One here for example:
https://www.maketecheasier.com/pc-troubleshooting-guide-2/
« Last Edit: July 13, 2019, 11:40:43 AM by Troopy_03 »
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Offline saph

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #21 on: July 13, 2019, 12:59:31 PM »
as others have said seems to be bios if its rebooting itself or its blue screening and just cant tell without video output.

If you can get the cpu model i can see if it has a on board vga that might work if its not turned off in bios.
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Offline saph

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #22 on: July 13, 2019, 01:01:33 PM »
Quote from: Chappie on July 12, 2019, 03:01:43 PM
Any ideas where I might start, the local computer shop told the minister for finance and warfare that it would be cheaper to buy a new one. I am not sure how he knows how much it will cost to fix, he may be right.
Thanks in advance.
Iain.

If the local pc shop said that they didnt look at it very long since depending on the issue it could be as cheap as 50 dollars (hard drive).
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Offline corndog

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #23 on: July 13, 2019, 03:04:51 PM »
As said, try to get into the bios on boot up and check things out there. Had similar problems in the past. Could be hard disk related. Had something to do with the controller type  from what I remember. But it could be almost anything.
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Offline saph

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Re: Computer issues
« Reply #24 on: July 13, 2019, 03:13:14 PM »
Quote from: corndog on July 13, 2019, 03:04:51 PM
As said, try to get into the bios on boot up and check things out there. Had similar problems in the past. Could be hard disk related. Had something to do with the controller type  from what I remember. But it could be almost anything.

No video suggests video card issue and since i cant tell if they have a dedicated gpu or if its just igpu cant tell.
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