General Chat

I have had to borrow my dad's laptop to post this message. My own PC simply will not switch on at the tower. There is electricity flowing to it as there is a green light on at the back of it, but absolutely nothing happens when we press the start up button.

The monitor and the printer are both working fine. When you put the monitor on it just says "going to sleep" and goes off as though the computer has been shut down as normal. Everything was fine until we shut it down on Sunday night. On Monday morning it just wouldn't start again.

Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem please??

Dianne xx

Sounds like possible motherboard failure.

Rosalind

Oooh errr Rosalind. Sounds expensive??

Dianne xx

Hi Dianne,

I'm not an expert but asked my OH.

He said this can happen quite easily if the tower/hardware is dusty.

Unplug it all, hoover it, open the side of the tower if you can, and if you've got one use a compressed air "pc duster"

it's worth a try

Maria x

Hee hee Maria. You're OH could have a point there. H****work doesn't exactly come naturally to us GR users does it.

Seriously though I did run the hoover tube over the tower the other day as there were a few fluffy bits around the vent bits and the CD drawer. It has worked ok since then, but I hope the suction from the hoover hasn't dislodged something inside.

Dianne xx

Do not get the vacuum next to the computer, the static could kill it.

Rosalind

Hi Blue Moon.

Just tried that but it didn't work.

Sorry everyone if I am slow in replying, but this is the first time I have ever used a laptop and it's a bit strange and confusing (doesn't take much) without using a mouse, all this rolling the cursor round the screen with my finger.

Dianne xx

Oh heck Rosalind, nobody has ever told me that. I've been using the hoover tube since we got it. I hope I haven't murdered it lol

Dianne xx

There shouldn't be much danger of static damage if it's all switched off and unplugged first.

No problem Dianne, but there can be any number of reasons for failure.
It could also be processor failure, mine went before Christmas, but at least the hard drive is OK, so no data lost.

Rosalind

Hi Dianne,

I wouldn't recommend sticking the hoover in there - you can get a can of compressed air, take the side off and blow the dust out.

However it does sound to me like the power supply has malfunctioned. Unfortunately this can happen as it has a fan on board and the bits that move generally wear out first! Is the green light on the back next to a fan and where you plug the power lead in?

Another thought - there may be an on/off switch on the Power Supply next to where the lead plugs in marked with an I and an O - make sure this is set to I (which is 'on'). Without knowing the exact model of your PC I can't be too sure.

Power supplies shouldn't cost you more than £10-£20 on line. I got one and put it in a friend's computer that had exactly the same problem as yours a couple of months ago.

Ed

Vacuum cleaners generate static, keep them well away.

Rosalind

Hi Ed

It's a Compaq Presario. Hubs is looking all over for the I/O marking where the cable goes in but there doesn't seem to be this marking.

Dianne xx

Hi Dianne,

This is a link to the support documents on the Compaq site. It's for a relatively new model of Presario, but the rules are generally the same.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph06788&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=uk&lang=en&rule=1789&product=3874604#N494

Hope this is of some help.

Ed

Dianne,

Just looked and I don't think the newer models of Compaq have the on/off switch on the power supply.

Ed

Thanks Ed. I will give them a try.

Thank you to everyone else for all your help too.

Dianne xx

Update

You were right Ed. A friend of a friend came to look at it tonight and it is the power thingamijigsy that has gone.

He's going to get me a better one tomorrow as he said the one that's in it is a bog standard one. The bill should be £40.00 max. all in.

Phew, thank goodness I don't need a new PC. I wouldn't be getting one of these laptop things anyway. I can't be doing with it. It takes me half an hour to do what I can do in 30 seconds on a PC.

Thank you everyone for all your help last night.

Dianne x

It was the power supply when we had that problem.

you can use a mouse with a laptop!!

Ann...........................

Now you tell me hee hee.

Computers are like cars to me. I can drive 'em but I know nowt about the workings !!

Dianne xx