Computer having trouble posting

[bobnolan]

I built my computer about a year ago, and I had no problems with it then. Now, I'm having a hard time turning my computer on. I have to power up my system multiple times before an image comes on the monitor and the keyboard/mouse lights up. Stuff like fans and lights come on with no problems. I think my highest record was about 200 times powering up the system before an image appears on the monitor. I have no MB speakers, so I can't test anything with a beep (but I'll doubt it will work anyway if it's a motherboard or cpu problem?).

So...is this a cpu problem or motherboard problem? Can this be fixed without replacing anything?

 

[IH8U]

Please list your specs, as this could be bad RAM, bad PSU, bad MB, bad CPU, grounding issues, or even overheating. (suggest first using a can of air , and a vacuum on your system)(Vacuum to suck up any large chunks of dust)

 

[bobnolan]

From my order history

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
MSI NX8800GTX
MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA motherboard
OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W power supply
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 (3 gb of ram)
Tuniq Tower 120 Universal CPU Cooler 120mm
Windows Vista Ultimate

 

[superfuzzy]

My guess is a bad PSU, and second most likely problem is the MB. The PSU is easier to swap out so you might want to try that first.

 

[geofelt]

1) As mentioned, clear out any dust.
2) Check that the cpu cooler is on solid. Power off the PC and try to wiggle it. If it moves, it is time to reseat it. Depending on the tim used, it might be good to reseat it anyway.
3) Run memtest86+ for several passes to check out the ram.

4) Once running, run prime95 with round off error checking on to test the cou and ram.

5) Some one can suggest a vga card exerciser.

6) If anything is overclocked, back it off.

You need to try to find the failing component.

 

[bobnolan]

I thought about the power supply being a problem as well, but I hooked it up to my old P4 Dell computer, and that computer seems to work fine with my newer power supply.

I honestly wish I can test my processor on a working computer, but I have no other computer in my house that supports the Q6600.

In the meantime, I'll try adjusting the heatsink and cleaning the dust off the computer.

 

[Onus]

Rapid on/off cycles are NOT helping anything.
Look for bulging or leaking capacitors on your mobo.
Particularly if you think you might build more systems in the future, order some mobo piezo speakers. They're about $2 apiece. Google will help you find some. I think I bought a handful of them recently, and remember them being cheap. Having beep codes could really simplify this debugging process.

 

[Onus]

What case is this in? Disconnect your Reset switch.

 

[jsc]

What jtt said. You really need a system speaker to help troubleshoot this. Right now you have no idea if you are getting silence indicating a failed POST or beep codes indicating memory, video, or other problems.

 

[IH8U]

Noticed the MB was an MSI, replace it, and the problems should go away (however they like taking out other things when they go). Recommend either Gigabyte, or ASUS to replace this MB.

Rule 1 Never buy MSI (overpriced POS, with little support, terrible BIOS, lacklustre performance, and poor support). Sadly ECS, ASrock, and Foxconn are better choices (at least their customer service departments care a little).

 

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