so my computer stopped working about 2 weeks ago. it worked the day before then i started it up the next day and it doesnt work. i'm positive its a hardware problem.

problem:

i press power and it starts to boot, either one of two things happened:

#1 all my fans turn on and hdds start spinning but no signal is sent to my monitor

#2 it boots and sends a signal to my monitor, it makes it to CHECKING NVRAM... and then at the bottom it says overclocking failed.... and then it just stays at that screen

i dont remember overclocking it, if i did it was awhile ago. i have overclocked it but had stability problems so i just put it all back to normal, at least i thought i did...

since i cant get into the bios i cant reset the overclocking parameters like it says to do in the manual so i decided to clear the RTC (real time clock) RAM in the CMOS. the first time booting after this it sent a signal to the monitor but all i got was a blinking dash in the upper left corner... now i cant get a signal to my monitor...

i've narrowed the problem down to my mobo and/or my processor... if anyone has any suggestions i'd be very grateful... i'm trying to cut the cost of repairs as much as possible, here are my comp specs:

MOBO - ASUS p4p800 deluxe
CPU - P4 2.4C intel socket 478
RAM - 1G Corsair (really fast timings)
VGC - ATI AGP 128mb something
PS - 550watt power supply
HDDS - 2 36Gb raptors raid 0 (main hdd), 100gb western digital, 500gb lacie
cd /dvd - sony dvd rom; plextor cdrw
sound - creative labs 5.1 w/ medusa 5.1 headphones

plz help, i'm using a 266MHZ gateway, i play minesweeper and free cell all day and i've mastered both of them...

Well, take your CMOS battery out for about 45 seconds and then put it back in. Only do that if you OC from your BIOS, it'll reset everything.

If it's not sending signal to your monitor, but it does occasionally and says the NVRAM thing, then says something about overclocked failed, you might've fried your GPU.

Try throwing another video card in it, if you dont have one just go pick one up, and if that doesnt fix the problem, return it. But if it does fix it then there you go, no need to return, just needed a new videocard.


if none of this is the case get back to me, there's a few more things we can try.

while troubleshooting it might be good to keep the computer off completly instead of itting the reset button.

Also, if you have lots of usb devices, it might be good to keep them unplugged until you can at least post.

It sounds like you have lost your bios.If this is the case then your gonna have to buy a new one or rma that one.Motherboard that is.Also it is possible the coin battery is dead.But i would try evrything in the previous posts first and here it comes ....wait for it .....wait for it......POWER SUPPLY :!:

first,thx for your posts...

mindless, i have done that alrdy and have ruled out the video card ( i used an old pci videocard with the same results...

evil pie, i turn off the computer completely every time and shut off power to the mobo each time before trying again

super, yes i have lost my bios :( i built this comp almost 5 years ago to the day so i dont know if i can rma... also, i unplugged all non essential hdd from my power supply and it didn't work either...

i think i'm going to need a new cpu and maybe a new mobo...

if you guys have any other ideas i'd love to hear them, thanks again

i was going to say, if it wasnt your video, and it mentioned Overclock. It's your processor and/or mobo. Sorry, I have input for that except www.newegg.com

thx i like www.zipzoomfly.com better, i'm probably just gonna upgrade my hardware as an xmas preset to myself... i think i'll get an intel core 2 duo and a decent vid card

bt you cant beat me at minesweeper. My record is 7 seconds for easy. 48 for medium. 1 min 13 seconds for expert

Ever had a girlfriend?

your index finger moves faster than mine

i hate mind games in which you have to guess takes all the fun of it... i got my mom to buy me this electronic version of Sudoku, its a very addicting game if you like mind games.. i really need to fix my comp.