Computer shuts down 2 seconds after start

sleepwalker0

New Member
K this dragged on for 3 months at least I am so tired of it.

What happends is I work on my computer then it freezes. I shut it down and when I try to power it back up it shuts down 2 seconds after start (can't see anything on the screen) then I need to turn it on like 200 times for it to start.

I have windows XP
Motherboard M2NPV-VM
AMD x2 3800+ duo AM2
1 gig kington ram

I tested, my pc doesnt overheat

I replaced

- motherboard
- memory
- harddrive
- PCU
- Processor

(nice ha? Good thing it all had warranty)

I tryed to power it up without

Hardrive
DVD writer


Problem remains...

I am at the edge of throwing out my computer because I just can't understand what the problem is as it definatly doesn't overheat and I replaced PCU and everything else...

Any ideas....
 
Welcome to computer forum

you may have to reset your cmos everytime you do it. but just take the power cord out and inside the computer look for a sliver battery. take that out for 1 min and put it back in and plug the comp back in and try to power it up.
 
Welcome to CF! http://www.computerforum.com/70672-official-welcome-thread.html and just a reminder given to new members to review the http://www.computerforum.com/off-topic-chat/announcements.html

It sounds just like what a new board was doing here. After the first 3 days the system refused to start with the sight of fans starting up for only a few seconds and then everything goes doa on you. The best suitable is "BAD CAPS"! One 3005 CNET article covers this quite well seen at http://news.com.com/PCs+plagued+by+bad+capacitors/2100-1041_3-5942647.html

How to determine if you have "bad caps" on your board? http://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=5
 
Ok I tested the battery, if I take it out and put it back in does not have and effect on wether it will start up or not.

Bad caps..I inspected my motherboard a few are a little tilted but I doubt they are bad caps, I can post a picture... Anyway I replaced the motherboard and the problem did remain so I doubt Asus would have 2 mbs with bad caps.

Any other sugestions would be greatly apriciated.
 
Asus not seeing two boards in a row with bad caps? I can easily testify to seeing three boards in a row of the same model being rejects! A friend had me look at his new build last spring where the vendor shipped out two replacement boards fast when the first won't even fire up. A newer Asus model just installed here after 3 days only sees the fans start up for a few seconds and then.... it's being rmaed! bad caps! are the most likely and reasonable cause there.

There's been a few articles in the last few years on how bad batches of capacitors have neen a large headache for manufacturers including board suppliers when their parts supliers ships them bad bateches of caps. A battery going after one year's time? I had that happen on the build replaced last year after that one first year of use. It's common and that' a low cost item that can halt everything if it goes on you.

When the new board was inspected visually here nothing bulged or leaking was found. And there was no discoloration seen on the board itself. Yet one or more bad caps is the likely problem. This is one thing to consider. When trying to start the system repeatedly after seeing it quit in 3days and even isolating the board outside of the case with nothing but a pair of fans, video card, memory, cpu it did the exact same. Something is heating up fast like a bad cap to see it shutdown almost instantly. The caps here looked spotless so this can't be tuled out.
 
Ok well here are 2 pictures to what i suspect could be bad caps but I can't really tell

picc1xv2.jpg


picc2bk5.jpg


Realistically is it worth spending 40$ on shipping and wait 2 weeks for a new motherboard? Or should I just sell it + the processor and buy new ones locally as if the problem stays i can just bring them back the same day.
 
Since you say you have replaced the motherboard I doubt its bad caps, plus that link is 2 years old! Are you using the onboard video. Plus has it always did this since you built or or just started a few months ago and if so do you remember if you changed something before it started? And plus did you say that it doesnt do it in Safe mode?
 
ok I am using on board video, it started when i got it, I start it up, I start it, I see blue screen of death, turn it off and the next time I turn it on it shuts off. Safe mode doesn't help since it shuts off long before it goes near the operating system.
 
It won't have to be anything onboard if something like a set of drivers is corrupted or simply crosslinked. A software glitch would rule out any hardwares. Caps leaning at a slight angle doesn't mean anything since boards are mass produced on production lines as long as they pass inspection. The caps on the new board here however are spotless without seeing any bulging or leaks. But that's a brand new board seeing a defect here.

The article while being 2yrs. or 10yrs. old still could apply in many cases since a batch of bad caps seen by a manufacturer has been going on for decades regardless of the type of product involved. That was one thought to consider while not ignoring things like a corrupted registry or bad install of something more recently now causing more noticable problems.

The sight of a few caps leaning a little is usually how they were soldered in by the assembler. An oscilliscope would be one tool for seeing if the caps were charging and holding charges like they should. But seeing Windows freeze up and problems starting can also point at bad ram as a possible hardware culprit.

One tool for testing memory if you have a floppy drive installed is called memtest. That's a free Linux memory testing tool now seen as an option on Vista boot splash screen. You can download the latest version from either of two sites. http://www.memtest86.com/ and also found at http://www.memtest.org/
 
With any new memory you may run into some problems with fussy boards. It seems often enough some brands of memory don't seem to mesh with certain makes and model boards. One complaint was OCZ on Asus boards while both are better then average names there. A somewhat off name these days like Mushkin held a long time rep for ocers on Asus boards while the premium OCZ brand has problems?
 
The idea for running memtest is to see if the memory has any defects not compatibilty issues mainly. Bad ram can cause a long list of problems where you would see Windows have odd behavior as well as the programs you normally run. The sudden shutdowns can be a result of failing hardwares as well as an OS problem.

The next item to consider besides memory and seeing bad caps would a supply problem since those also have bad caps at times where power levels suddenly drop. When you initially start any system theres a demand for power seen there as the board runs the post tests on various drives and hardwares plus searching the boot device for information. The idea here is to isolate the actual problem for correction or repair.
 
Did you try running the PC out of the case?

Just take all the parts out, put them on a wooden table, connect everything, and touch the two power switch jumpers on the motherboard and that should fire it up. Could it be that you have an extra motherboard stand-off touching a component on the bottom? I had a friend's PC which would start OK but there would be no video signal. Double checked the mobo stand-offs and found one which was out of place, corrected it and the machine worked great.

The bench test should look something like this:

0816071048qi5.jpg
 
Thats how I ran my pc, out of case for the last 3 months since I changed between it and the old one. I agree isolating the problem is the key but all i could isolate was DVD RW and Harddrive since I can disconnect them. I don't have a second system where I can test AM2 processor and DDR2 memory. Although I did replace it all so it is strange as hell.

This has to be the wierdest problem I've ever faced.
 
... The capacitor in the first pic next to the 3 pin connector looks like its about to blow...

... What type of PSU are you using?
 
As I said tried a different PCU, however today I tried to start it and the power button didn't even want to work for 20 mins (no response whatsoever, normally the fan speeds up first). I am starting to lean this motherboard is burned. I will test it at a local PC shop and if it is faulty demand free shipping from Asus on replacement... It is ridiculous. I will post in 1-2 days if the motherboard is at fault or not.
 
The one right below the 3 pin... Either the pic is bad or it really looks like ist about to blow...

PSU or CPU?

Does your PSU have an 4pin?
 
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