PC won't start

dbsfgiants

dbsfgiants

New Member
Hello All,
Here's my problem:
New Gateway desktop, Windows XP2, intergrated video
I knowticed right after I recieved my pc that sometimes the new 21" monitor would stay black after a restart. No signal. The power button on it would not work so I had to turn off the power at the source and then it would work. It didn't happen that often but maybe six times in over a month.
Two days ago the screen saver was froze at 4:26 but I didn't check it until around 10. Moving the mouse did not release the screen saver. Nothing worked. I had to turn off the power to the tower and then tried to restart. Now the pc starts, by this I mean I hear the fans going, but the monitor stays black after showing the Gateway logo and then the 'no signal' pop-up.
I contacted Gateway and they had me get a new cable for the monitor but that wasn't the issue. I was able the check the monitor and old cable using this laptop and it worked. Also, the wireless keyboard and mouse did not work on the pc. I checked on this laptop and it worked too. I tried connecting a keyboard but the pc did not recognize it.
I reseated the memory and reconnected all the cables.
When I was talking with Gateway they kept asking if I was hearing 'beebs' when it started. I do not hear any beeps. What do the beeps mean? An error with the hard drive? Could this be the motherboard failing?
Any help would be great! I have to send it back to them and I don't want to have them reformat my hard drive just to see if thats the problem.
Thanks,
David
 
When I was talking with Gateway they kept asking if I was hearing 'beebs' when it started. I do not hear any beeps. What do the beeps mean? An error with the hard drive? Could this be the motherboard failing?
Click to expand...
You should hear 1 beep. 1 beep = ok. Anythng else = not so ok

What make/model is your gateway (and/or do you have a link to it)
 
Gateway GT5026E
Intel Pentium D 820
2.8 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2x1 MB L2 cache,
1024 MB DDR2, 250 SATA HD,
Intel graphics media accelerator 950 video
 
For anyone who's looking, the product specs can be found here

When you said
The power button on it would not work so I had to turn off the power at the source and then it would work
Click to expand...

What happens if
1. You let it sit there for say 5-10 minutes, will it eventually turn off?
2. Instead of yanking the cord, you hold the power button down for 5-10 seconds
 
1. You let it sit there for say 5-10 minutes, will it eventually turn off?
When the pc would restart I could hear the pc rebooting. The screen on the monitor would stay black, no Gateway logo and no 'no signal'. The power button would stay yellow, instead of green when it is on and working. So I guess it really never turned on.
2. Instead of yanking the cord, you hold the power button down for 5-10 seconds.
When this would happen pressing in and holding the power button on the monitor did not work. The button would be yellow but no matter I did I had no response. Turning off the monitor power switch on the surge protector was the only way to have the monitor restart
Thanks again
 
he button would be yellow but no matter I did I had no response.
Click to expand...
If the button is yellow that would indicate the machine is in a power saving state rather than a shutdown state. Check that the machine doesnt try to hibernate/suspend when its suposed to shutdown
 
from all the replies it can be the monitor itself, and the onboard ports of the motherboard it came with failing to detect the keyboards and what not. or is that via usb since its wireless. it can also be the usb ports also. have u tried anything else on it and see if it worked?

is this pc recently bought? since u said its new. if so, is it direct from dell? i dont know how its return/exchange policy is or anything... but if from a store like bestbuy, etc..

if you get it back from dell and it doesn't seem to work, an option u can consider is probably taking it back for an exchange or different model if its still new.
 
The monitor was set to never turn off or hibernate.
Click to expand...
Ok it seems you're misunderstanding me ... when i said "hold the power down, i meant the computer". Since you're troubleshooting, leave the monitor on.
 
LOL! Ok it seems I misunderstood you ... Yes, I did that too.
The pc would restart but the monitor stayed black and off. The pc would turn off and on when holding the power button. It was the button on the monitor that did stayed yellow. Pushing the button on the monitor just didn't work.
I guessing it is the motherboard because the wireless mouse and keyboard don't work on the pc but work on this laptop (even when booting up). The monitor worked on this laptop also.
I really appreciate all your help!
Thanks BIG TIME!
 
if the pc starts up and the monitor is blink then its your vga adator something is wrong with your onboard vga adaptor or check the pins of monitor. It could be the pins or the onboard adaptor. If its onboard adaptor then either repair the mobo for less amout or buy a new mobo.
 
If everything powers up in the case, ie fans and lights, however there are NO beeps and the light on the monitor stays yellow(orange) instead of green, it could be a power supply problem. I recently had that problem, took a while to figure out it was the power supply, thought it was the board.
 
dbsfgiants said:
I guessing it is the motherboard because the wireless mouse and keyboard don't work on the pc but work on this laptop (even when booting up). The monitor worked on this laptop also.
Click to expand...

You're probably guessing right; something is wrong with the motherboard, or even the CPU itself.

You've already established that your keyboard, mouse, and monitor works on other systems. They are not the problem. Something inside the PC is defective. Possibly, something got overheated and fried up.

You might need to start replacing parts on the motherboard. If you're positive your keyboard/mouse do not work (try pressing the CAPSLOCK key to see if it lights up, or press CTRL+ALT+DEL to hear if it reboots), the problem is definitely with the motherboard and/or the CPU.
 
when your power on your computer listen closley and see if you can hear the ram or cpu starting. I had a similar problem with a few motherboards. If your dont hear the ram or the cpu starting, its possible that either the cpu is dead or the mobo. Also have you had any power surges latley? if so you could have fried it if you dont have a surge protector.
 
childsy_1985 said:
when your power on your computer listen closley and see if you can hear the ram or cpu starting. I had a similar problem with a few motherboards. If your dont hear the ram or the cpu starting, its possible that either the cpu is dead or the mobo. Also have you had any power surges latley? if so you could have fried it if you dont have a surge protector.
Click to expand...
I dont know how you would hear your ram or CPU starting...Unless you mean the fan on the cpu...Dont know what you mean about the ram.

If the light on the monitor is yellow, it sounds like a vid. card or just the monitor itself.

Derek
 
Last edited:
Here's the latest....
Gateway sent a shipping label so I can ship it back via Fedex express. Went out today. I will post back once they send it back to me telling me what the problem is. It may be helpful to someone who may encounter the same problem.
Once again, I truely thank everyone for the help! It's nice to have the support from others!
David
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top