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Thread: Computer troubles after a power surge

  1. #1
    Since 2006 DaJe's Avatar
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    Exclamation Computer troubles after a power surge (potential cpu problem)

    Hey guys, haven't been around the community here in a while. I may have a serious issue though. Following what seems to have been a series of power surges, my computer shut itself off, and now I'm having issues with starting it back up again.

    Last night there was a brief, yet powerful, thunderstorm. I think at one point lightning may have even hit the house, due to the power flickering, my tv going slightly staticy, the bright flash of light outside, and the giant boom shaking the house all at once. At some point after that, there was a power surge that managed to shut off a few items in my home, including my computer. Earlier there was just a brief moment when the lights dimmed and only the TV shut off. But this time, the main culprit was my computer.


    I've essentially tried troubleshooting ever piece of hardwear......except for the processor. And that is what my biggest concern is. I now fear that my cpu may have died.

    Everything else on the computer seems to start up just fine. The fan on the video card spins up, of course the one on the power supply does as well, and that seems to work since it still provides power to everything, all the case fans turn on, the cpu heatsink fan turns on, the light on the motherboard is on, and the hard drives seem to spin up as well.

    I have tried removing every part so far, and troubleshooting everything I can. I've even tried it with just the hard drive, and even just the power supply plugged into the motherboard and nothing else. The strangest thing to me though, is that the motherboard makes no sort of beeps at all. I don't even mean the POST beep that it usually makes. I mean the serious of warning beeps it would usually give to inform me that something is wrong, just doesn't happen. No beeps to tell me the video card is missing, no beeps to tell me if the hard drive is missing. However the light on the motherboard remains on, and everything else seems to start up just fine.

    So that remains one big piece of hardware I have not tried troubleshooting yet, my processor. I have a spare computer nearby which I believe may have the same CPU socket as the trouble computer (LGA 775, and I think it may have a pentium 4 in it). A few details about the problem computer; the motherboard is an Asus P5W DH Deluxe, and the processor is an intel er700.

    So I may or may not have a spare processor to test it out with, and see if it'll start up. The reasons I haven't done it yet, is because I'm not fully sure if I actually have spare processor to troubleshoot with, and I also really hate having to take off the heatsink, mostly because I have no idea where my thermal paste is, and I'd want to re-apply it afterward.


    So before I do any of that, I want the opinion of you guys here. What do you think the problem may be? Do you think my processor may have died?

  2. #2
    Like a Lightning Bolt in Your Cheerios! Drum Thumper's Avatar
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    Did you pull the RAM and test with just one stick yet?

    Edit: Welcome back, stranger!
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  3. #3
    Since 2006 DaJe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    Quote Originally Posted by Drum Thumper View Post
    Did you pull the RAM and test with just one stick yet?
    I pulled it out and tested it with two sticks (have 4 total). Think I should go back and try one at a time?

    Edit: Hehe, thanks : P

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    Religiously tolerant. Luke122's Avatar
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    Did you try to reseat the CPU?

    Also, welcome back! Been a long time!

    \m/ d(-_-)b \m/

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  5. #5
    Since 2006 DaJe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    Quote Originally Posted by Luke122 View Post
    Did you try to reseat the CPU?

    Also, welcome back! Been a long time!
    I have not tried anything with the cpu yet. It's pretty much the one piece of hardware I have not touched yet. I wanted to get the opinion of some people on here before I went and messed with it. But I guess I'll probably have to anyway.


    Also, another thanks to you ^.^

    Slightly off topic, I seem to keep having things that come up that make me disappear from this place for months at a time. In 2008 I went off to Yellowstone for 3 months with not much internet, and then last summer I was busy with a road trip across the country. And now that I'm having computer problems I return once more : P

  6. #6
    Like a Lightning Bolt in Your Cheerios! Drum Thumper's Avatar
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    Yeah, try it with (preferably) a known good stick, each slot.
    Quote Originally Posted by artoodeeto View Post
    aw heck guys. We're modders. Let's just build our own, shall we?

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  7. #7
    Since 2006 DaJe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    I just tried cycling all 4 ram sticks through all four slots, one at a time. And it seems to have done nothing. Still stuck with the same problem. The one thing that just catches my attention is that the motherboard makes no noise at all. Yet everything still powers up, everything lights up, all the fans turn on, but the computer just does not start up. the cpu is still the one thing remaining that I haven't touched now it seems. I really hope it isn't broken.

  8. #8
    Water Cooled pcclan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    have you tried removing the cmos battery
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  9. #9
    Since 2006 DaJe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    Quote Originally Posted by pcclan View Post
    have you tried removing the cmos battery
    Nope, thought about it though. Guess it wouldn't hurt to go try that now.


    Edit: Just did that, and still nothing. Looks like the last thing remaining is the processor still. Or perhaps I should leave the battery out for longer.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Computer troubles after a power surge

    Pull the battery as well as the power cord and then attempt to start the computer a few times, that should purge all electricity out of the system.

    And is anything appearing on your screen or is it just black? Bios, etc?
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