Help! Major computer failure

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Puma_rules

New Member
Hi

Hope it's ok posting here, I am not sure what's wrong with computer. I have a home built computer which has been running fantastically for the past 6 months, then suddenly last week turned it on and was met before boot with a blue screen of death computer then reset (reset too quickily to read it). Since then whenever PC is turned on I get no signal to monitor; hard drive spools and MOBO looks like it goes through boot sequence. The graphics card fan spools to max and does not drop to idle (as it would normally during boot up). I sent it off to be tested and it has come back with no issues or problems.

I have unplugged all non essential components additional hard drives etc and I have tried each memory stick individually in each of the memory slots and still there is no signal to the monitor or at least the computer does not even get to the BIOS splash screen. The boot/error LCDs on the MOBO don't seem to show any errors. CPU is overclock but has not been recently increased and liquid cooling ensures that temp never goes above 26 degrees.

Have I got a MOBO or a CPU failure? Is it likely that my both memory sticks have failed, i'm stuck please help!!

Regards

Ben

System

VISTA Home Premium
Belinea 22" Monitor
Intel Quad core Q9550 2.83ghz overclocked to 3.3ghz
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 Motherboard
Powercolor 4870 1gb GPU
4GB G.Skill DDR2 PC-6400 2x2gb RAM
Thermaltake liquid cooling
Extreme gamer Soundblaster sound card
 
Hi I did wonder about buying a cheap graphics card to check, but I felt there wasn't much point as I sent my preset one back to overclockers.co.uk for testing and they found nothing wrong with it.
 
Mike

Thanks for your response I would be surprised if a format will help seeing as the problem must be hardware related if I am unable to reach BIOS boot up?
 
Puma_rules said:
Hi I did wonder about buying a cheap graphics card to check, but I felt there wasn't much point as I sent my preset one back to overclockers.co.uk for testing and they found nothing wrong with it.
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I'd go down a checklist of things you can isolate and control in order to take away things you know work fine.

Did you try hooking up another monitor to your PC?

Did you test your BSOD monitor on another PC?

Do you have an onboard video card you can try to rule out everything else.

Can you try your video card on another PC in the household?

Can you get into your BIOS screen without any problems?

From waht I've read - I would guess it's the MOBO - Video card - or Monitor. ( I would still test the RAM though by testing in single channel mode to make sure that's not causing the problem ). I'm still learning though - but that's what my current knowledge base would lead me.
 
Option 1: I just skimmed through this quickly because I have to go but, basically when you boot up can you press F8 (i believe...) and try to see if there's a "Disable automatic restart on system failure" I had something like this happen to me and I got the exact Blue Screen error message and did a quick search on google for it and fixed it.

Option 2: Take out your hard drive and hook it up as a secondary (slave) drive to another computer through a regular sata (or IDE?) And start up your computer. See if the computer does something to your hard drive.
 
Thanks Jamin43 and EGamerHDK for your ideas and suggestions, I shall try these and get back to the forum when done so. As I previously mentioned all the error/boot LCDs seem to do what they should when the computer is turned on for CPU memory etc but could I have a fried PCI-e slot if the Video card has comeback as error free but it still doesn't work and is still spooling to max and not idling after initial power on?
 
Jamin43, to respond to your questions/ideas:-

Did you try hooking up another monitor to your PC?

-- Yes spare monitor was connected and also failed to produce signal, spare monitor cable also used.

Did you test your BSOD monitor on another PC?

--- Yes connected to laptop and worked fine.

Do you have an onboard video card you can try to rule out everything else.

--- No

Can you try your video card on another PC in the household?

---No only have a laptop

Can you get into your BIOS screen without any problems?

No still no signal to monitor

EGamerHDK, to answer yours:- I have removed my functioning laptop hardrive and conneceted it to my PC while removing its hardrive, and still no boot up or signal to monitor. I am unable to connect my PC hardrive to another computer as I only have a laptop spare.

I am thinking now that it is probably a motherboard issue.

Before I send it back to be RMA'd any other ideas anybody?

I have also tried the graphics card in the x8 PCI Express slots on the Mobo with no success
 
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I cannot decide as to whether it is a CPU or MOBO failure. Therefore I have decided to purchase a cheap P4 CPU to test the motherboard with. If it works I may bite the bullet and purchase a new intel i7 rig instead of replacing the present Q9400 as I cannot get it RMA'd as i have OC'd it.
 
Puma_rules said:
I cannot decide as to whether it is a CPU or MOBO failure. Therefore I have decided to purchase a cheap P4 CPU to test the motherboard with. If it works I may bite the bullet and purchase a new intel i7 rig instead of replacing the present Q9400 as I cannot get it RMA'd as i have OC'd it.
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I think there is a problem with RAM slot in your Motherboard. So now your attempt is correct. You will fix your problem soon.
 
I know I am going to get a new hole ripped in me for saying this by the people on this forum but this is one of the reasons in my opinion it is not good to overclock. Your warranty is with a processor is voided if you do overclock and the Q9400 processor is not something cheap to replace presently. If you are getting an i7 processor I would leave it at manufacturer specified clock speeds.
 
2048Megabytes said:
I know I am going to get a new hole ripped in me for saying this by the people on this forum but this is one of the reasons in my opinion it is not good to overclock. Your warranty is with a processor is voided if you do overclock and the Q9400 processor is not something cheap to replace presently. If you are getting an i7 processor I would leave it at manufacturer specified clock speeds.
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Do you know...your probably right, and yes I will...at least for now!
 
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