telecomguy9 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 A friend of mine has an HP Pavilion a000 and when you turn it on you get nothing but the fact that the power is on and the fans are working. The hard drive doesn't spin, you get nothing on video and there are no beep codes. I tried swapping memory and that didn't work. I tried installing a different video card and that didn't work. I tried resetting the BIOS using the mobo jumper and that didn't work. I even removed all memory sticks and turned it on and I didn't get any beep codes. It seems fried to me. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkehoe Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 The drive not spinning up is obviously not right, and it may be hanging the whole system.Disconnect all drives, external hardware, and remove all the internal cards other than video.You could try another supply if you have one handy.If none of that works, then you're probably looking at motherboard issues and it would probably be a good time to evaluate whether or not the system is worth further troubleshooting.Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Thanks for the quick reply. If I do all of those things and basically find that the mobo is shot it might be worth it to replace it. If I do that, aren't HP cases proprietary, in the sense that I won't be able to buy a cheap replacement mobo and put it in that same case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 If I do that, aren't HP cases proprietary, in the sense that I won't be able to buy a cheap replacement mobo and put it in that same case?Yes, you can except that you may need to customize the front panel control plug so you can connect the power button and LEDs to the connector of the new motherboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 It would probably be easier to just get a new case and a new mobo. I'm not good at customizing like you're talking about... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 The drive not spinning up is obviously not right, and it may be hanging the whole system.Disconnect all drives, external hardware, and remove all the internal cards other than video.You could try another supply if you have one handy.If none of that works, then you're probably looking at motherboard issues and it would probably be a good time to evaluate whether or not the system is worth further troubleshooting.KevinOkay, so I disconnected all drives from their IDE connections (I left them connected to power, tho), I removed the only add-in card that was present (a PCI modem), and connected only the power cable and the monitor cable. The mobo has integrated video. I still got nothing. Sounds like the mobo is dead, doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 (edited) Try swapping the power supply unit. Edited March 8, 2007 by b2cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Really? You think that might be the problem? I'd never have guessed that since everything seems to power up okay (well, everything except the hard drive I guess). I'll do that tonight and let you know what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Well, the power supply unit is the first thing that gets checked at startup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Okay, I understand. Fortunately I have a few of those sitting around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 I tried another psu and got the same result. The computer powered on but nothing else happened. All IDE devices were disconnected, PCI cards removed, memory chips removed, etc. It seems like the mobo is what's fried. Do you think I'm right on or could it be something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Did you try with memory installed? Do you have a PCI video card that you can try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 No, I didn't try it with memory installed or with another video card installed, either, at least not with the different psu. I'll give that a try shortly and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 Okay, here's what I just did. I put a single stick of memory in the PC. I tried 3 different sticks, actually, just to make sure one of them wasn't fried or something. I also tried the built-in video and an AGP card. I tried a different psu and had nothing else plugged or powered on - just memory, video, and psu. I tried a bunch of different sets of these things and got nothing. The same thing happens every time. The fans start spinning (cpu, psu) but nothing else happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Do you have a working motherboard to try the processor on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 Nope, that's where we're stuck. I don't know if the cpu is still good or if it's fried or what. Let me tell you the circumstances surrounding the problem.Their computer had been acting up for weeks. It would lock up and they'd just have to turn it off and back on to bring it back up. The last time they did this they had to pull the power cable out of the back of the computer to get it to turn off (after it had locked up). They plugged the power cable back in and it worked like it's been working for me. It seems that power is getting to some places (fans, cd drives) but nothing is happening.I'm worried that the cpu is fried as well, but I have no way to test it and see. A new mobo will run them about $39, and they'll need a case to go with it since the HP case is proprietary, so that will run them another $30. With shipping they're looking at about $100 but that's without knowing if the problem is the cpu and nothing else, or if the cpu and everything else is the problem. From the symptoms you've read about in here could the cpu be the only problem?I'm also concerned about getting them the mobo and case if the cpu needs to be replaced, too, because I'm getting them a socket 478 mobo to go with their current cpu. If the cpu has to go I'd rather go with LGA775 or even something AMD.What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 (edited) The motherboard, most likely, is bad. If you plan on a replacement, I suggest you source the motherboard from a local shop so they can first test the processor. Also bring the case so the servicing personnel could see the motherboard form factor and do the front panel cables customization if necessary. This is a very good case in terms of air management.As for the last resort, go AMD. Edited March 11, 2007 by b2cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Wow. Had a weird thing happen with that same model recently. We are replacing the power supply in it. And hoping it's not caps or something on the motherboard causing it.Got a good price on a replacement power supply (slightly higher rating) at NewEgg.com.This one wouldn't come up at all but the green power light on the back of the P/S instead of staying green was blinking.Unplugged it from the motherboard and replugged it and it would come up and work great, then after sitting cold, it would come back blinking again.Did some research and dead power supply seems to be common with that model. I hope it works out when the P/S comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 (edited) Those who buy pre-built systems should seriously consider upgrading the power supply unit if they are adding cards, drives, fans, usb devices, etc. Most of PSU problems (and the resulting hardware failures) are caused not only by overheating or dirty power but also overloading. Edited March 12, 2007 by b2cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Yep, very true, b2cm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecomguy9 Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 Thanks for all of the ideas and insight fellas. It's been very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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