PC works good

[Targeteer]

Hi, my PC is working perfectly fine when not turned off. I mean, if it's turned on, I can use it the best that I can, but the moment that it is turned off or accidentally turned off, there is no way that I can turn it back on soon.

I need to wait for at least 10 hours for me to turn it on, I could be lucky to use it then, if not, I need to wait for another 4 hours or so, just trying my luck.

I tried pulling off every component of it, from memory cards to video cards and everything. I still encounter the same.

Here are the specs of my PC:

Intel P4 3.20GHz
512 RAM
80 GB HDD

I am not so sure what else should I include to diagnose the problem.

The reason why I don't want to turn it off is because of this problem. The point is that if it has been turned off accidentally, my BIG problem starts again.

Please help.

Thanks,

Manny

[hockey man]

What MOBO and PSU do you have?

[Targeteer]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, is there a way for me to know the Mobo and PSU without actually opening my PC? Where can I find the info?

Anyways, if there is a need for me to open it, no worries, it's just that I need to turn off my PC again, and that's painful to me.

[Whyzman]

Would you describe what happens when you attempt to boot it up after shutdown? Are there any error messages? Please provide details...

[Targeteer]

Hi,

Actually, there are no messages at all, just a blank screen and a steady power light. It will read the HDD for a while but stops there. My idea is that it won't start unless it cools down totally.

I need to wait for 10 hours or so to let it cool down and that the time that I could restart it again. It prompted me actually to invest in a good UPS just so that it won't shut down in case of power failure.

This issue is still a mystery to me, please help.

Thanks.

[Whyzman]

How do you know it is reading the HDD for a while? Does this rig have a floppy drive??

[Targeteer]

I know that it is reading HDD because of the red indicator light, yes it does have a floppy drive, haven't tried it if it's working though.

[Whyzman]

What I would suggest doing is downloading the Harddrive diagnostics. These can be downloaded from the HDD manufacturer's web site. Follow the directions to load these onto the floppy. These are self booting. Run the diagnostics. This will do two things: First, it will attempt to boot the computer without using the HDD. Second, it will run the diagnostics and see whether there is something awry with the HDD itself.

[Targeteer]

Wow, awesome, I will try doing that, whatever happens, I will keep you posted.

Thanks so much Whyzman. You're a bunch of help.

:)

[Targeteer]

Hi,

I think the problem is my FDD, it doesn't seem to work, it keeps on asking me to Insert a Disk, and the disk is brand new but doesn't have a light. Does it have something to do with the problem?

[hockey man]

Edit: accidental post.

[Sylvander]

How far does Startup get in the list below?
Any single short beep?
Do you get the blank [or black?] screen after the PC begins attempting to load Windows off the HDD?
Don't bother clicking on the links below unless you want to know more about a step.

A typical and successful startup sequence
1. Start of Boot Troubleshooting Walkthrough
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/index.htm
2. Yes: The system power supply is functioning
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/power1.htm
------------------------------------------------------
You should hear a single short beep at about this point indicating the successful running/completion of the POST.
Some PC’s beep much later, possibly as late as just before step 12.
------------------------------------------------------
3. Yes: Something is being written to the screen during boot up [This may be only a flashing cursor]
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/video1.htm
4. The video BIOS message is displayed on the screen for a few seconds and then clears from the screen, or more messages display under it
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/vbios1.htm
5. Yes: The system BIOS startup screen is appearing
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/bios1.htm
6. The memory test completes successfully
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/ram1.htm
7. The BIOS accesses the floppy drives and the boot continues
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/seek1.htm
8. The system is able to autodetect IDE devices successfully
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/auto1.htm
9. The system is not Plug and Play compatible, has no Plug and Play devices, or has PnP devices but identifies them properly
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/pnp1.htm
10. Boot sequence is A: before C: (floppy disk first)
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/seqAC.htm
11. The floppy disk makes a noise and the light comes on
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/fd1.htm
12. The floppy disk light goes off and the hard disk light comes on as it starts booting
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/fd1hdd.htm
13. The hard disk boot process will continue here, if you want to follow it.
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/hd1.htm
14. The system continues booting from the hard disk and the message "Starting MS-DOS" or "Starting Windows" is displayed
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/boot/walk/hd1os.htm
15. Operating System Loaded From Hard Disk. The system has found a boot sector on the hard disk and is now starting the load of the operating system. The hard disk is working. You have successfully completed the hardware part of the boot process. Any problems encountered after this point should be diagnosed by looking for a more specific problem with a component, or under the section that contains run-time error messages.