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Clarification request: Many questions:

by pyrrhus55 - 3/7/13 3:43 PM

In Reply to: Computer shuts down before finishing start-up... by UbiquitousSheep

1. Will it boot up in safe mode (F8) ??
2. When you opened it to replace the graphics card. Was there any accumulation of dust?? I have seen a machine do this due to dust.
3. How many sticks of ram do you have? If more than one , have you tried to boot off of each one separately, after being reseated??
I'm not saying, it's not the power supply. Just some more things to check.

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Answer Best answer as chosen by user UbiquitousSheep

I think I'd ask what's changed

by wpgwpg - 2/24/13 6:01 PM

In Reply to: Computer shuts down before finishing start-up... by UbiquitousSheep

Have you plugged in any different devices? Have you changed power connections? Is everything connected via 3 prong grounded plugs? Many UPSes come with software that'll tell you what the voltages are, have you looked at that? Sometimes a USB device can confuse the POST (Power On Self Test), so I'd try unplugging everything except the keyboard and mouse to see if that helps. If the UPS is over 3 years old, the battery may not be up to snuff, but when plugged into the A/C, that shouldn't keep things from working unless maybe it's absorbed some voltage spikes. They're cheap enough, so you could replace it. As a test when the weather's good and there's no reason to expect lightning or power outages, you could try just plugging the computer straight into the power outlet just to see if it would boot. If you do that, I wouldn't leave it that way for more than just long enough to try booting up.

Good luck.

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Straight to outlet

by UbiquitousSheep - 2/24/13 7:24 PM

In Reply to: I think I'd ask what's changed by wpgwpg

Tried plugging it in straight to outlet. Same outcome. Before I only had the monitor and the chassis plugged into the UPS and then only the monitor and wireless adapter for the mouse and keyboard plugged into the chassis.

Going to have to purchase a voltage meter cause I haven't got anything for that.

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Answer Best answer as chosen by user UbiquitousSheep

(NT) Might help to know ...how old's is the PC and what's the OS

by VAPCMD - 2/24/13 7:55 PM

In Reply to: Computer shuts down before finishing start-up... by UbiquitousSheep

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(NT) It's about 2 years old. Running Windows 7.

by UbiquitousSheep - 2/25/13 10:42 AM

In Reply to: (NT) Might help to know ...how old's is the PC and what's the OS by VAPCMD

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If your house pwr OK, I'd suspect PC's pwr supply

by wpgwpg - 2/25/13 1:38 PM

In Reply to: (NT) It's about 2 years old. Running Windows 7. by UbiquitousSheep

Where I live it's rare to have low voltage. We have thunderstorms, but when we have power (which is the vast majority of time), it's pretty constant at around 118 volts. If yours turns to be similar, then I'd suspect the power supply in your computer. As Bob reminds us often, power supplies lose a lot of their punch over time, especially if they've been subjected to some harsh conditions.

Good luck.

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Working on getting a voltage meter

by UbiquitousSheep - 2/25/13 7:04 PM

In Reply to: If your house pwr OK, I'd suspect PC's pwr supply by wpgwpg

Will let you know the reading once as soon as I can.

Also, is there a way to test the power supply without just buying a new one and seeing if that works?

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Update

by UbiquitousSheep - 3/3/13 6:08 PM

In Reply to: If your house pwr OK, I'd suspect PC's pwr supply by wpgwpg

Okay, the outlet seems to be fine. Voltage is around 120 and the circuit is correct. Arg.

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(NT) Have you added or replaced any major components recently ?

by VAPCMD - 2/25/13 5:17 PM

In Reply to: (NT) It's about 2 years old. Running Windows 7. by UbiquitousSheep

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Not terribly recently

by UbiquitousSheep - 2/25/13 7:11 PM

In Reply to: (NT) Have you added or replaced any major components recently ? by VAPCMD

The last component I was having troubles with was the graphics card so I replaced it with my friend's spare.. That was over 7 months ago - maybe more..

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Answer Best answer as chosen by user UbiquitousSheep

Ram

by pyrrhus55 - 3/10/13 2:03 PM

In Reply to: Computer shuts down before finishing start-up... by UbiquitousSheep

Ok, I'll go the non power supply way......
You recently replaced the graphics card?
"The last component I was having troubles with was the graphics card so I replaced it with my friend's spare"
If your old card used system ram , perhaps it was warning you of something?
So the lights go on, fans power up, bios starts , and even windows tries?? Yes could be power supply.
But , It could also be a bad piece of ram.
I suspect a system bad ram stick . If your friend with the video card, could burn you a copy of memtest v420 . You could boot to the disk and test your ram.

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