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Desktop not booting up

Hi! I've got an old desktop that won't boot up.

When switching on, the fans all fire up, and the two lights at the front come on then go off. It's not the hard disc, as I put this in another machine and it works, and its not the power supply as I tried another one and still the same.

Any ideas what it might be, and what to try next?
I can spell - but I can't type

Comments

  • Could possibly be the motherboard or possibly your components want more power than your power supply (and the replacement you tried) is giving it. Have you upgraded anything in your computer setup recently?
  • Thanks Mike!

    The original power supply was 250W (Low, I know) and the other one I tried is 450W. No changes to the components in the last year. I did wonder if it is the motherboard.

    I've got another 2 desktops with the same specification, so I might be able to keep it for spares.
    I can spell - but I can't type
  • Exo
    Exo Posts: 176 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    If it is quite old, then perhaps the motherboard battery is dead and you will then lose your saved CMOS settings (BIOS boot order for instance).

    Is anything displayed on the monitor such as the POST display as you attempt to boot?
    Can you boot into your BIOS setup screens?
  • Exo

    Nothing shows up on the monitor, so I can't see if anything is happening in the background. I did try the screen, and its working OK on another PC.
    I can spell - but I can't type
  • Exo
    Exo Posts: 176 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Try reseating the graphics card and check its connection pins to ensure none are bent.
    Better still, try a substitute known working card if available.
    Normally a defective /unseated card will cause a BIOS error beep but worth checking anyway.
    If you have onboard graphics device and a separate graphics card on the motherboard, ensure you are connecting to the correct adapter as not all onboard graphics are disabled automatically by insertion of a card.
  • It would seem that 4 or 5 of us now have the same problem, there are several posts ongoing with this fault.

    Comp won't boot up, no post, checked ram, h/drives, psu, graphics & processor but still nothing, must be mobo surely!!!
    You can't be lost if you don't know where you're going.
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