red light blinks and no boot for Compaq Deskpro EN

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc (More info?)

I recently adopted a 866 MHz Compaq Deskpro EN, sans hard disk and spent
last weekend souping it up as a gift for my folks. Installed a 40 Gb
hard disk, replaced a broken floppy drive, added a modem, more memory,
and a HP CD-Writer Plus (in addition to the CD-ROM drive it already
had). Purchased and installed Windows XP. Life is good.

This weekend I fired up the machine again to do some additional software
twiddling and ran into problems. The first time I booted the machine, I
was able to log into Windows. Everything seemed fine until I started
using the HP CD-Writer Plus. While accessing a CD-RW disk, the machine
suddenly powered itself down. The power light on the front of the box
blinks red.

Now, whenever I try to power up the box nothing happens. I just get the
blinking red light. Cold silence - no fan activity, nothing on the screen.

I have three wild guesses about what the problem could be -- (1) there's
a short someplace, (2) I've installed more hardware than the power
supply can support, (3) the power supply is dead and needs to be
replaced. My hardware knowledge is primitive, so I could use some
advice -- do any or all of these sound possible? If so, how can I
determine which is my problem? Or, are there other possibilities?

Thanks in advance for any help!

-- Don

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc (More info?)

A power supply problem seems to be the most likely scenario. Some of the
DeskPro EN systems use standard form factor ATX power supplies. Others do not,
using instead a different 24-pin power connector. If the former, you can check
out the power supply theory by attaching another power supply to the motherboard
only, i.e. do not attach any other devices except maybe the floppy. Disconnect
all the other devices from the Compaq power supply first... Ben Myers

On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 18:15:03 GMT, Don Dornblaser <donnyd99@yahoo.com> wrote:

>I recently adopted a 866 MHz Compaq Deskpro EN, sans hard disk and spent
>last weekend souping it up as a gift for my folks. Installed a 40 Gb
>hard disk, replaced a broken floppy drive, added a modem, more memory,
>and a HP CD-Writer Plus (in addition to the CD-ROM drive it already
>had). Purchased and installed Windows XP. Life is good.
>
>This weekend I fired up the machine again to do some additional software
>twiddling and ran into problems. The first time I booted the machine, I
>was able to log into Windows. Everything seemed fine until I started
>using the HP CD-Writer Plus. While accessing a CD-RW disk, the machine
>suddenly powered itself down. The power light on the front of the box
>blinks red.
>
>Now, whenever I try to power up the box nothing happens. I just get the
>blinking red light. Cold silence - no fan activity, nothing on the screen.
>
>I have three wild guesses about what the problem could be -- (1) there's
>a short someplace, (2) I've installed more hardware than the power
>supply can support, (3) the power supply is dead and needs to be
>replaced. My hardware knowledge is primitive, so I could use some
>advice -- do any or all of these sound possible? If so, how can I
>determine which is my problem? Or, are there other possibilities?
>
>Thanks in advance for any help!
>
>-- Don

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc (More info?)

Thanks for the advice. Since I don't have a second power supply handy,
would it be a reasonable test to unplug all devices and the motherboard
from the existing power supply and attempt to turn it on? If the fan
starts spinning, I'll assume that the problem isn't the power supply.
Otherwise, I'll go pick up a new one.

If this is an obvious question forgive me. thanks again

Ben Myers wrote:
> A power supply problem seems to be the most likely scenario. Some of the
> DeskPro EN systems use standard form factor ATX power supplies. Others do not,
> using instead a different 24-pin power connector. If the former, you can check
> out the power supply theory by attaching another power supply to the motherboard
> only, i.e. do not attach any other devices except maybe the floppy. Disconnect
> all the other devices from the Compaq power supply first... Ben Myers
>
> On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 18:15:03 GMT, Don Dornblaser <donnyd99@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>>I recently adopted a 866 MHz Compaq Deskpro EN, sans hard disk and spent
>>last weekend souping it up as a gift for my folks. Installed a 40 Gb
>>hard disk, replaced a broken floppy drive, added a modem, more memory,
>>and a HP CD-Writer Plus (in addition to the CD-ROM drive it already
>>had). Purchased and installed Windows XP. Life is good.
>>
>>This weekend I fired up the machine again to do some additional software
>>twiddling and ran into problems. The first time I booted the machine, I
>>was able to log into Windows. Everything seemed fine until I started
>>using the HP CD-Writer Plus. While accessing a CD-RW disk, the machine
>>suddenly powered itself down. The power light on the front of the box
>>blinks red.
>>
>>Now, whenever I try to power up the box nothing happens. I just get the
>>blinking red light. Cold silence - no fan activity, nothing on the screen.
>>
>>I have three wild guesses about what the problem could be -- (1) there's
>>a short someplace, (2) I've installed more hardware than the power
>>supply can support, (3) the power supply is dead and needs to be
>>replaced. My hardware knowledge is primitive, so I could use some
>>advice -- do any or all of these sound possible? If so, how can I
>>determine which is my problem? Or, are there other possibilities?
>>
>>Thanks in advance for any help!
>>
>>-- Don
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc (More info?)

In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc Don Dornblaser <donnyd99@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Thanks for the advice. Since I don't have a second power supply handy,
> would it be a reasonable test to unplug all devices and the motherboard
> from the existing power supply and attempt to turn it on?

Keep the mainboard connected. You cannot start an ATX PSU without it.
(Well, you can but it requires shortening the correct two lines in the
cable). The test is one-sided: If it works without all the additional
devices then it is the PSU. If it still does not work then you know
not much more.

> If the fan starts spinning, I'll assume that the problem isn't the
> power supply. Otherwise, I'll go pick up a new one.

> If this is an obvious question forgive me. thanks again

Not too obvious and there are details like the mainboard being
needed (if ATX).

Arno

 

[Ruud]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq (More info?)



Hi everybody !!

I have a deskpro allso but there is no OS on the system also it starts
up with the compaq logo on the screen plus F10 for setup and F12 for
booting from a network. After that the 3 choices for installing W98
will come up. But here is the problem the keyboard does not do a
thing, I have changed it to another sysem and it works fine.

I tried to open the case but even that I can't do, it seems that the
upper case is locking somewhere on the richt backside of the system,
looking from the frontside.

I used I boot floppy and a W98se setup cd-rom. I have used it on
several other pc systems and they are working fine for some years
now, so I am a little lost on this one hihi (I never work with these
deskpro"s before) but I like the size of them.
Can you help me on my way to 2 working systems pls ???

Tks and regards from Ruud From the Netherlands

 

[syizrinizry]

My Compaq Deskpro EN also hv d same problem: red lightblinking every 2sec. I've tried to disconnect all devices except d mainboard, d fan spinning but d red light still blinking. I'd changed to a new power supply, still not working. Cld somebody help me hw to solve this? Tks.