Another Won't-Boot Issue

[Lightpost]

Hi! Noob here,

I was self-studying with Photoshop the other night on a handed-down, roughly 7-year old computer. The next day my Dad woke me up because the desktop refuses to boot...

Here are the specs as far as I can remember:
Motherboard: Intel DP35DP
RAM: 2 Team Elite 1GB DDR2 800 MHz
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
PSU: ORION ATX-600w
A 180/160GB (not sure of the size) HDD with Windows XP.
A 250/260 (also not sure) main HDD with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.

My dad switched it on and left it to do some chores while waiting until it's ready for browsing. Few minutes later he noticed that the screen is blank.


Symptoms:

I observed that the Power LED and the green Mobo LED is on and the fans are spinning but the monitor gets "No Signal."
I pressed the power button which instantly turned the lights (except the one on the Mobo) and the fans off but the it momentarily switched itself back on, still nothing on the monitor.

I unplugged the computer's power supply to completely power it off and plugged it back in which made all the lights on the tower, mouse and keyboard light up and the fans spin for just a second, which what the computer usually does when it's plugged in.
I pressed the power button and get the same results; it won't even load the Intel screen where I can press F2 to enter BIOS. Pressing the power shuts it down right away (I didn't have to hold it down) but it immediately turns back on!

Troubleshooting:

Unplugged both computer and monitor to try the Hold-Power-Button-for-a-Minute-or-Two trick but it didn't work after plugging it back in. In fact I kept at it during the following troubleshooting steps I took - held the power button for a minute while everytime I had to unplug it.

I then thought it could be a monitor/VGA cable issue but it seems like it's not as the AOC monitor detects when it's unplugged from the video card - it displays the connection type (VGA) but then says "No Signal."

The tower just sits on the floor and a month ago the dog got in the room and marked it as its territory, fortunately didn't reach any critical areas.
I thought maybe it got it this time so I opened the chassis and tried to smell for something burnt, but the interior smelled the same way so I thought there was nothing fried.

I disconnected all external devices, the video card and both RAM, turned it on and the Mobo gave long three beeps for "No Memory" (The mobo manual seems to indicate that it only has two beep codes, the other is for the overheat warning). Note that I always unplugged the cable from the power outlet and the PSU whenever I removed something from the mobo.

I re-attached 1 stick of RAM securely into place and turned it on, silence. But the it still does the unusual immediate power-on when the power button is pressed to try to turn it off.
I exchanged the RAM with other and got the same results.

With just 1 RAM, I re-attached the video card securely into place after dusting it off and didn't forget to screw it to the computer case, connected the monitor and turned it on. The issue persisted.

I added the other RAM and removed the CMOS battery and placed it back. The computer booted up and asked to connect a drive! I pressed the power button, unplugged it, connectf the HDD with Windows XP but again the issue came back.
I removed/replaced the battery and it successfully booted to Win XP.

Thingking that it's fixed, I reconnected everything but sadly, the issue came back. I disconnected everything again leaving only the RAMs and GPU and bought a new battery of the same type thinking it could be the culprit and replaced the old one. No go.

I never got it to work again and am waiting for a Skype call for an online home-based work I applied for.

I badly need your help....
:-(


Update:

I decided to give troubleshooting another go in the evening. I remembered that while I was editing with Photoshop, Microsoft Security Essentials was running a scheduled scan and found a severe infection (I don't remember what the virus was) but it was already taken care of. I'm just not sure if that was worth mentioning.

Anyway, I thought I should disasemble everything and give it a good dusting. Of course, I made sure I discharged static by touching the computer's metal case while it was plugged in but turned off. By the way, we never set it back on the floor ever since.
When I removed the front panel plastic face plate, I found out that certain areas of the inner side, from where the power button and the LED are located, was a little slimy! And it looks like dried dog pee mixf with dust and dog hair because of the yellow tinge it had. Upon further inspection, a lot more slime accumulated near the front bottom of the case. It looked like it may have drenched the power and reset buttons, the lights, the front audio jacks and USB ports. The small circuit board where the audio and USB was heavily drenched but has already dried. The pee obviously got in through the front panel intake fan holes (I don't have a fan installed there though).

I wiped it all try with cloth and q-tips.
I then decided to try the breadboard method.
I just connected the PSU (it had 8-pins but the mobo needed only 4, and also made sure that the other many-pinned socket was seated properly) to the mobo, which was both placed on a dry, wooden table.
When I plugged in the PSU to the wall outlet, the PSU's fan didn't do the usual momentary spin but the mobo light lit up.

Since I was scared of trying to turn it on by shorting the power pins with a screwdriver (I had several traumatic experiences that made me jumpy with electric sparks).
I ended up connecting the power button but it never came on when I pressed it. Both PSU and CPU fans didn't spin but the mobo LED stayed on.
I thought I ended up killing both mobo and PSU so I just reassembled everything.
The computer once again does the momentary fan spin and keyboard, mouse, LEDs on the front panel light up for a second whenever I plug it in the wall outlet BUT when I press the power button, it doern't power up. The fans don't spin and the lights stay off. I unplugged/replugged and it still springs to life for a second but pressing the power button no longer work..


I hope if I did end up frying something, it's only the power buttn. >_<

I am currently looking for a job to earn money and get a new computer but I need one to do so! Argh!

I'll post an update once I get someone to test the PSU (shorting it on) as well as the mobo. I just can't do it myself. I currently live in a place away from people whom I can borrow spare parts from..

 

[badboyrog2]

can you try an other psu? i mean from a friend or somebody else

 

[Lightpost]

Thanks for the input but I can't at the moment. I don't have immediate access yet to tools and spare parts.

I hope that I can rule out the PSU as the problem because I was able to successfully boot to Windows once since the issue started. The issue only seemed to worsen when I tried to clean the Power button and the other frnt panel circuitry.

I can't afford to buy replacements! Sheesh! I'm such a loser!
I can probably bring it to my brother (the original owner and builder) tomorrow.

I'll posts updates a.s.a.p. In the meantime, though I feel like I shouldn't touch the computer any more than I had, I'd appreciate it if someone can provide me additional troubleshooting that you think a noob can do/something that I have guts to do (doesn't involve shorting). ;-P

 

[badboyrog2]

if is not the psu?........ it can be a gpu driver conflict or overheating issue
if you can install HWMONITOR and tell me the voltages and temperature readings should help or go in the bios and see the readings there

HWMONITOR link

http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/hwmonitor/1.25-setup.exe

 

[Lightpost]

I doubt it's a GPU or temperature issue. I think the last driver update I had from NVIDIA was a couple of months ago and I never experienced any video-related issue prior and after the update.

I guess I should've also mentione that our place easily collects dust very fast and also dog hair gets into and build up even in hidden places so I had to improvize and covered the intakes with a curtain - a breathable one, carefully chosen. I read some people use ladies' stockings.

I already had HWMonitor Pro installed and as far as I can remember, the CPU cores get 45 -46 C and the GPU at somewhere between 47 - 50 (I'm not sure of this estimate)when the computer is idle.
When I play with Dolphin Emulator for a couple of hours, CPUs maxes at 57 - 62 and the GPU at 71 but most of the time just at 68/69.
But I rarely play games on it. Most of the time, I just edit drawings on PS while playing a Youtube playlist in the background.

The home-made dust filter has been attached outside the case's fan intakes for months now and has dramatically reduced dust buildup and no more hair got in! The computer didn't seem to complain about it.

I highly suspect that the power and reset buttons, along with the front panel jacks just got shorted after being peed on.

I gotta go sleep and bring this thing over to my brother for further inspection!

Thanks again! I'll keep you posted!

 

[Lightpost]

Hi!

I just got my PC back. It's now working fine after my big brother re-seated the processor/HSF. But there's one more thing that's preventing it from booting up; when the second HDD is connected, it doesn't boot up. I'm not sure if it's the SATA Cable or the port itself that has the problem. We didn't bother isolating that issue further as long as it boots up with just one HDD.

One last thing, since I replaced the CMOS Battery, do I have to reconfigure the BIOS or something? I vaguely remember reading somewhere that some RAMs needed to be configured in the BIOS for it to work properly. Do I have to do something like that or should I leave everything as is. So far that computer's working as smoothly as before.

 

[Lightpost]

Waaah!!! 3 days later, the problem came back! I was playing games with it for five hours straight, shut it down and woken up by my mom telling me it won't boot again. I wonder why. Some say that the PSU is failing. I already disconnected the DVD Drive and only have one HDD connected to it as well as two 120mm and 1 80mm fans.

It's been working smoothly with 2 HDDs, 1 DVD Drive and 3 fans for a very long time; does connecting that many devices wear the PSU down? Why is it that when my brother re-seated the processor and the HSF, the computer started working again?
I can't try re-seating the processor/HSF this time as I don't have thermal paste.

The troubleshooting I saw for PSUs that involved shorting the green and black wires, does that also tell you if the PSU is failing? We don't know anyone whom we can borrow a multimeter to test it with.

If the PSU really is the culprit, it would take a year before we can replace it with a branded PSU. :-/

But what do you guys think? Should I just send it to a technician to know what the real problem is or is it okay for me to assume that the PSU is faulty?

 

[Lightpost]

Bump!