Would a faulty power switch cause it to switch off during the boot process, each and everytime.

I doubt it, a on off switch is mechanical so its more a will work or won't work item. If you had trouble turning the machine on then I would suggest a switch... or a paper clip.

That's why god invented zip ties and duct tape. :03:

Mine did. Sometimes all it did was start the fans spinning for a second and that was it. Sometimes if I kept the button pushed it would start. Sometimes it would start right up like nothing was wrong. It would run a day or so then do the "windows is shutting down." This is the normal message you see when you shut down the machine. I went and jammed in a new PS I had. I did the memtest. No change. The last straw was the power button. I had an old one that I just hooked up and left hang. Fired right up and worked for a week. I ordered a new case with power button. The computer has run flawlessly since then. Still does today as it runs SIM 3 and surfs the net for my daughters. It is a real workhorse still pushing XP. The machine is about 6 years old now. Emachine....and people laughed :haha:

Also, the watch battery. My friends would boot to a black screen then BSOD and shut down. All in a matter of seconds. Battery replaced and runs fine now.

Now that I think about it if there is a short somewhere in the wiring in the computer it can cause the fans to start to spin then shut right down. I had that happen with a faulty case fan.

But my system with the faulty fan never booted.

Whatever the case, it is extremely frustrating to say the least. A simple 1/2 cent power button was between me tossing the computer for a new one or keep on throwing new parts at it until it worked. :doh:

I'll put $10 on the GPU. Once it went just too hot and thereby its thermal grease was severely degraded.

If that will turn up not to be the case, then I'll put $8 on the same issue with the CPU. But I doubt it.
The AMD should shut the system down at way lower temps that the 9800GTX will...



http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...nching_out.gif

I replaced the 9800gtx with a 7950 gt to see if the 9800gtx was the culprit, and was getting the same results. The CPU is watercooled, so i dont know if it overheated.

I looked over the MoBo really good. I saw some capacitors that looked like they were "leaking", but some canned air and a toothpick cleaned the grooves on the tops of the ones that looked suspect to reveal that they were infact still good. (Hopefully)

The tracking # on the PSU shows it is at the UPS in Greensboro, NC, where i live, (arrival scan 1pm yesterday) but, they do not do ground deliveries on NewYears Eve, and I can't go pick it up because customer support there is off today. Oh well. Will be here Monday.

I have already have begun to look at MoBo's online just in case.
The one I am using now is a MSI K9N SLI Platinum.

Ok, I may have found out what is going on...

Haven't got the PSU yet, so I am not sure, BUT, after looking over each capacitor closely, I have noticed four beside the processor, that are slightly bulged. Not much, but they are not flat like the rest.

So, the MoBo may be the culprit. Can the capacitors be replaced, or, am i gonna have to get a new MoBo if in fact this is the problem?

R&Ring a mobo takes some skill. If you can do it, I guess so.

I'm assuming your mobo is out of warranty.

I would wait until I got the psu and tried it first tho.

I would see if Intrex could put new caps on the MoBo. I will try the PSU first, but I have a feeling those caps are blown, after looking at pictures online and reading up on them. They are raised ever so slightly. All the others are flat.

The board is 4 or 5 years old, so its not covered. I don't want to spend cash on a new MoBo, but if I have too i will. I am sure I can install it, but I have never installed a processor before and the whole thermal grease application would have me nervous. Plus a watercooler sits on top of it. It is not a repair I would feel 100% confident in doing. But I will try!:DL

I have swaped caps on a mobo myself and have had it done a few times sicne I no longer have the tools to do so. Gotten good results each time.

I will try to replace the caps if this is indeed the case. If it is already broke, why not? :D

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...nching_out.gif Interesting thread!


If needed, I have an Asus M2NS-NVM/S doing nothing but floating around. :salute:

The PSU will be at my door in the morning. I will let ya all know if it fixes the problem. I have a feeling it is those caps on the MoBo.

If it is the MoBo, I will just upgrade it for the future....(tax returns are soon!):D

You didn't hear me mention the Core i7-930! http://images.txtagif.com/gifs/B1A-_nZgT7g.gif


And yes, it's an AMD+ motherboard in need of a job.
If you choose to upgrade however, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the performance lift. :up:

That's the spirit Factor. :up:

Well it wasn't the PSU. Computer is doing the same thing as before. So I assume it is the caps on the MoBo. Going to try and change the battery then rewire the power button, but......, whatever. lol.

I feel your frustration man. Been there. I too did the change this and that. I looked at the caps also to see if there was leakage or some crap. But it as my power button as I posted above. It is a pain in the arse no doubt! :damn:

Yea, it is! lol.

Anyway, I am going to have it looked at by Intrex Computers, see if they can figure it out so I dont keep throwing parts in it. :up:

Well after a few weeks of having the computer just sitting dead on the desk, I called Intrex to see how much it would cost to repair the mobo. They gave me a insane quote. So I did it myself.

I got a ASUS mobo to install. Since i was going to have the whole rig tore down, I decided it was a wise move to put in a new processor too.

So, from Tiger Direct i got a ASUS mobo and AMD phenom quad core processor.

Put the rig back together and it works! So it turns out I did have a fried mobo before.

Anyway, I cannot believe how FAST this rig is with the new cpu chip. I was using a 3800 single core. The difference is mind blowing. For example, SH5 was choppy with the old cpu, now, I am getting frames of 75 inside and out of the sub. About 30-40 near ports and land. (full detail. AA slider set at half way)

So I installed a new processor, new motherboard, new power supply, and upgraded the vid card last march with a nvidia 9800 gtx. Runs nice! The only original part is the tower, and ram. (Aspire Cruiser X tower, 4 gig Corsair ram)

I plan on upgrading the vid card again after i fry the current one i am using. Proberly within the year I would bet! :haha: