«

My daughters pc seems to power up when she switches on but it turns itself
off before it gets tot he boot up stage. All the lights on the case front
come on but there is no bios beep and then it switches off.
Is there any obvious cause I should look for first?
going to take spare pc down thee next week and try fastening her HD into
it, see if it boots like that. Can't be a power supply problem can it,
otherwise it wouldn't turn on at all?

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 17:56:32 +0100, Devi wrote:

> My daughters pc seems to power up when she switches on but it turns itself
> off before it gets tot he boot up stage. All the lights on the case front
> come on but there is no bios beep and then it switches off.
> Is there any obvious cause I should look for first?
> going to take spare pc down thee next week and try fastening her HD into
> it, see if it boots like that. Can't be a power supply problem can it,
> otherwise it wouldn't turn on at all?

Make sure your CPU fan is running. Some systems incorporate a safety that
won't let the PC boot if that fan is broken to avoid cooking your
processor.
--
Registered Linux User #267152

"Devi" <spamukpc@.net> wrote in message
news:42fe2667$0$17490$...
> My daughters pc seems to power up when she switches on but it turns
> itself off before it gets tot he boot up stage. All the lights on the
> case front come on but there is no bios beep and then it switches off.
> Is there any obvious cause I should look for first?
> going to take spare pc down thee next week and try fastening her HD into
> it, see if it boots like that. Can't be a power supply problem can it,
> otherwise it wouldn't turn on at all?

This sounds exactly like what happened when I tried to fire up a computer I
was experimenting with without a CPU fan.
If it's not working, thats your problem.
The good news is that it's Low Cost, Quick and Easy to fix.

"Simon Lee" <> wrote in message
news:ddm0dk$oli$...
> "Devi" <spamukpc@.net> wrote in message
> news:42fe2667$0$17490$...
>> My daughters pc seems to power up when she switches on but it turns
>> itself off before it gets tot he boot up stage. All the lights on the
>> case front come on but there is no bios beep and then it switches off.
>> Is there any obvious cause I should look for first?
>> going to take spare pc down thee next week and try fastening her HD into
>> it, see if it boots like that. Can't be a power supply problem can it,
>> otherwise it wouldn't turn on at all?
>
> This sounds exactly like what happened when I tried to fire up a computer
> I was experimenting with without a CPU fan.
> If it's not working, thats your problem.
> The good news is that it's Low Cost, Quick and Easy to fix.
>
OK, I've had a chance to look and no the fan isn't starting. I've taken the
fan of but not the heatsink (and of course fastened it all up again without
checking what motherboard it is). Do I have to replace the heatsink as well
as the fan or can I just replace the fan?

> OK, I've had a chance to look and no the fan isn't starting. I've taken
> the
> fan of but not the heatsink (and of course fastened it all up again
> without checking what motherboard it is). Do I have to replace the
> heatsink as well as the fan or can I just replace the fan?

If you can find a fan for sale on it's own, there is nothing stopping you
just replacing the fan.
However, depending on what CPU you have, it's sometimes just as cheap to buy
a new Heatsink/Fan.
What CPU is it? (Manufacturer and Speed?)

"Simon Lee" <> wrote in message
news:ddtc90$13l$...
>
>> OK, I've had a chance to look and no the fan isn't starting. I've taken
>> the
>> fan of but not the heatsink (and of course fastened it all up again
>> without checking what motherboard it is). Do I have to replace the
>> heatsink as well as the fan or can I just replace the fan?
>
> If you can find a fan for sale on it's own, there is nothing stopping you
> just replacing the fan.
> However, depending on what CPU you have, it's sometimes just as cheap to
> buy a new Heatsink/Fan.
> What CPU is it? (Manufacturer and Speed?)

It's an Athlon 1200 - about 4 years old (how we've moved on!). However it's
sufficient for what she needs so don't want to start trying to do any
upgrades. Any idea where to look for the fan?

> It's an Athlon 1200 - about 4 years old (how we've moved on!). However
> it's sufficient for what she needs so don't want to start trying to do any
> upgrades. Any idea where to look for the fan?

I am Presuming that this is a Socket A (otherwise known as Socket 462)
Processor.
You could always try any Computer shop or a Computer Fair and ask for a
Heatsink for a Socket A Athlon (just describing the age and speed should
send them in the right direction).
However, I bought a brand new Akasa Heatsink and Fan with pre-applied
thermal compound pad for a Socket A processor for £4.50p on Ebay!
One more thing. Always check the Heatsink has thermal grease or some kind of
thermal protection pre-applied before installing the Heatsink or else it
could lead to the CPU burning over time.

Just remember the above, to shop around for the best deal (I saw a guy at a
Computer Fair charging £15 for exactly the same Akasa product I bought on
Ebay for £4.50!) and you should have this sorted within 10 minutes of
getting the Heatsink/Fan home!

I also found this video by AMD to help install your Heatsink although it
should come with adequate instructions.
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/...5E6678,00.html

"Simon Lee" <> wrote in message
news:ddu04g$fp2$...
>> It's an Athlon 1200 - about 4 years old (how we've moved on!). However
>> it's sufficient for what she needs so don't want to start trying to do
>> any
>> upgrades. Any idea where to look for the fan?
>
> I am Presuming that this is a Socket A (otherwise known as Socket 462)
> Processor.
> You could always try any Computer shop or a Computer Fair and ask for a
> Heatsink for a Socket A Athlon (just describing the age and speed should
> send them in the right direction).
> However, I bought a brand new Akasa Heatsink and Fan with pre-applied
> thermal compound pad for a Socket A processor for £4.50p on Ebay!
> One more thing. Always check the Heatsink has thermal grease or some kind
> of
> thermal protection pre-applied before installing the Heatsink or else it
> could lead to the CPU burning over time.
>
> Just remember the above, to shop around for the best deal (I saw a guy at
> a
> Computer Fair charging £15 for exactly the same Akasa product I bought on
> Ebay for £4.50!) and you should have this sorted within 10 minutes of
> getting the Heatsink/Fan home!
>
> I also found this video by AMD to help install your Heatsink although it
> should come with adequate instructions.
> http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/...5E6678,00.html
>
>
Thanks so much for help - I'm a bit out of my depth but she can't afford to
take it to repair shop!