I press the start button. It begins to start up for about 1 or 2 seconds then just cuts out. It does this about 10 or 20 times before I can get it up and running.
I installed an extra hard drive a while ago. I thought this may have been the problem, but I removed it and this still happens. If anyone can think of why this is happening i would be most greatful.
2007-10-20 03:24:29 · 7 answers · asked by SaiKhan 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Other - Hardware
Are your fans working? Sounds more then just a hard drive issue, power supply,? I want to say it sounds like overheating.
2007-10-20 03:58:29 · answer #1 · answered by krennao 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This sounds a lot like a safety feature found on newer computers. You should check that the fan on the CPU heatsink is working properly, when you start the computer watch and see if it spins. Newer motherboards have a sensor that detects if the fan is not running, and cuts power if it is not working. This is to protect the CPU from overheating (the fan cools the heatsink, which is responsible for removing heat generated by the processor) and being damaged.
You can find the CPU fan by opening the case and looking at the motherboard (the main circuit board of the computer), you will see a heatsink and a fan on top of it physically attached to the circuit board. There should also be a wire, usually 3 pairs, leading to a plug on the motherboard from the fan. This cable provides power to the fan and allows the computer to detect the RPM of the fan.
2007-10-20 10:37:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What the computer does during boot up
1. POST (Power On Self Test) It test hardwares, making sure everything is up and running.
2. Then it'll proceed to load some small software that will handles the loading of your operating system, such as Windows.
3. Windows will be loaded and all controls of the PC will be handed to Windows.
If you could tell at what stage it fails, it will help alot. failing to boot up at POST stage indicates hardware malfunction.
If you manage to get to the part where windows load (You could see it show Windows XP, and there's a moving status bar at the bottom), try booting up under safe mode.
Hit F8 after POST stage to have several boot up options.
If you succesfully boot windows under safe mode, that probably indicates driver issues. (driver do not get boot up under safe mode, so it will not cause its problem)
If you fails to boot up windows under Safe mode, that could indicates that Windows itself is corrupted.
======================================
For power supply/ overheating issues:
Furthermore, during POST stage, you could access the motherboard BIOS by hitting certain key (depends on your motherboard). You should see the instruction on how to access your BIOS.
Under BIOS, you could see your hardware temperature. newer motherboard even allows you to see your motherboard temperature, not just CPU. Make sure everything is in the safe range (depends on your CPU type).
Also, you may also see the voltage level even
Generally, there are 4 set of voltage, the 12v, 5v, 3.3v and CPU voltage (depends on your CPU)
Make sure the voltage there are in 5% range of those value. If its too far off, it indicates Power Supply Unit problems. For example, if your 12v voltage reading is only 10v, something is wrong.
2007-10-20 13:54:49 · answer #3 · answered by Hornet One 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Uh Oh, Sounds more to me, like a lot of trojan horses. Download a free trial of AVG's Antispyware, and see if you don't find some, if you can keep your computer on, long enought to do it. www.grisoft.com. I made one click on a card that a friend sent me recently and got 57 in one click. I got them all out but one, which was persistent. I finally got it with AVG. They didn't shut my computer down, because I have plenty of empty space on it, maybe. But I know my brother in law's grandson got them in his, only 7 and it acted the same way. www.grisoft.com
2007-10-20 10:31:53 · answer #4 · answered by Joan H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds like you might be having problems with the power supply. or it could be a problem with overheating....
make sure fans are clean and they are all spinning....
remove cover on tower and blow out dust
2007-10-20 10:32:45 · answer #5 · answered by Rob 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try reseating the ram, if that doesnt work remove everything off the motherboard except one stick of ram and power button cable and try it. if still no then try another power supply.
2007-10-20 10:32:00 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think it might be a virus maybe called doom or mydoom or something like that look on a virus defenition site
2007-10-20 10:27:48 · answer #7 · answered by jamesington 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋