this may be too late but my desktop has a problem.... i have a 3 y.o. p.c. that simply won't turn on. i push the power button and the fan comes on, the optical mouse lights up, but thats it.... my monitor never starts, the keyboard doesn't light up (it has a few buttons that usually glow).. i hear a mild whirr of the hard drive but not like the usual whirr and click of booting up.... the cpu doesn't even get warm after an hour. the dvd and cd drives will eject but putting a disk doesn't make it do anything... i took it to datadoctors and they said likely the motherboard was bad and that it wasn't worth the expense to fix... i had them take out my hard drive and convert into an external hard drive so I can transfer data to my laptop (i forgot to backup the data in over 1 year)... 1. any suggestions... 2. is data doctors trustworthy (should have probably posted this before i went to them but oh well) 3. data doctors say they will build a new desktop to my specs - anybody with experience with them... thanks in advance,
What's the message appeared on your monitor when your computer was on? Are you sure that your monitor is working fine? Sounds like problem occured on your mother board, could be the chips or even the CPU as you mentioned that the computer wont get warm even turned on for certain period of time. You may ask the technicians which part was out of order and see if they can re-use some of your parts, say CPU, memory, display card (if any), sound card (if any). Sorry I have no idea what's the price of these computer parts in States.
I don't have any experience with that particular company; but the experience I do have tells me to never buy a replacement for something from the same people who told me it was broken. Auto mechanics have reputations for utilizing this tactic (i.e., failing you on your state inspection and trying to get you to buy something to fix it), and it's because they work in an industry where they can prey on your ignorance. Doctors are a little more ethical, but they do it too. Computer places are in the same boat. Besides, a new motherboard doesn't cost much at all (<~$200), and it's not terribly hard to replace.
maybe your video card is loose??? open up your computer, and see if its lose. remove the memory for a couple of seconds and then put it back. then turn it on
its is probably the motherboard and those are really not too expensive i dont know why datadocters claimed it was going to be. it really depends on what you want to do. 3 year old pc if it suited your needs fine than i dont see a big need to upgrade, if you feel that you were planning to get a new pc soon (within the next 18 months) than maybe just bite the bullet and get one now. 3 year old pc it shouldnt be too hard to find a motherboard for it and it will most likely be around 100 bucks. If its an intel i've seen some asus socket 478 boards for 100. asus is quality motherboards. anyways the big problem is if you would know how to replace your board and fix/reinstall windows. if you do not or dont know a friend who can do it then it will be expensive for the labor. taking out the old board and putting in the new board isnt too hard to do at all. the only problem i see most novice's have is knowing where to place the reset/power/hdd led/ plugs from the case. the other precautionary is to make you have some thermal grease/paste (artic silver 5 works great) so you can apply a new layer between the cpu and heat sink. everything else pretty much goes back where it is now (in terms of connections) good thing you backed your data up. cuz you will have to re-install windows...you could try a repair but i've had better exeperience with just a fresh install rather than a repair. the part where it can get tricky is if you do not have a true windows cd. if you bought a sony/hp/gateway etc they usually give you a restore disk. if you need a windows cd you should be able to buy just the cd for 5-10 bucks from your local computer store. if they say the oem is 90-150 (depending if u have xp home/pro) make sure you tell them you just want the cd and NOT the license. the license is what costs all the money. or make a copy of a cd from a friend. install windows, use the key you have on your case somewhere if it doesnt allow you to install saying bad key you will have to call microsoft (yay!) and explain to them that its the same computer but the motherboard died so you are replacing the board. they will usually give you a new license after some verification but its a long process but not very difficult to do. once windows is installed install the drivers for the motherboard and you're set. then transfer back all the data you've backed up. hopefully that quick run through helps
I had a similar problem, where my computer wouldn't boot. It did get to the initial screen, where it lists voltages and stuff, and one was too low. It turned out to be my motherboard. I could even see the capacitors leaking. This happened a week before my defense I bought a new motherboard that was compatible with the old memory and CPU for about $40 new, and installed it myself. I'd find someone who knows how to assemble a PC to do this for you, it's really not that difficult. Then I'd buy a new hard drive and copy the stuff off the old one onto it, and have a backup.
I worked for several years as a service technician for a small computer repair shop. Every time I hear the phrase "bad motherboard" I cringe. Many computer shops use this diagnosis to cover any problem they can't immediately identify, because 1.) it's something most people can't or won't check at home and 2.) it's a time-consuming repair that, if you have the shop perform, they can charge an arm and a leg for if the bill hourly. So before you jump to replacing the mboard, if you're up for some tinkering, do some basic troubleshooting (just make sure you're electrostatically grounded): First, does the computer emit any beeps when booting? If so, pay attention to them. One long and two short beeps could indicate a video problem. One long continuous beep could be a keyboard error (assuming it's connected through a PS2 port). Next, reseat everything. Remove every PCI card, every memory module, even the CPU, and gently but firmly reseat them in their slots. Unplug all the drives and reseat the cables, making sure the cables are connected in the proper direction. Heat can cause expansion that, over time, can cause components to lose their connections. If the computer still does not boot, remove every card (sound, modem, NIC, etc.) except video. Unplug all drives except floppy drive (assuming you still have one). Reduce the system to CPU, memory, video and floppy. If it's still a no-go, proceed onward. Next, try a different video card. After that, try a different memory module, then a different CPU. These parts do sometimes fail, though it's pretty uncommon. But it's a LOT easier to replace a memory module or a CPU than it is an mboard. If you've done all this and the system continues to not boot, you may indeed have a bad mboard. Try to replace with an identical board, and you may get by without having to reinstall Windows. I disagree wholeheartedly. Replacing a motherboard is about the biggest replacement you can do on a computer. If the system is of proprietary design (i.e. - Dell, HP, Compaq, etc.), you may have to get the mboard from the manufacturer, which can get expensive (if it's even available). Otherwise, you have to get a new mboard, case, and power supply (and possibly new memory and CPU, if the new board won't handle what you had before), and basically rebuild your system. If it's a clone, you're better off, but it's still a pain in the arse.
