Joe's Hardware Problem...

[Joe Rodriguez]

Might be a bad battery? Maybe try a new battery? This is a laptop, yes?

[JoeActor]

It's a desktop. Got a call into the service techs. Since I have "On-site" service they'll come out and fix it... eventually!

[chucktaylor]

I'll just say this, once you get it fixed...leave it running unless you're going to be gone for a length of time. Most consumers don't know this (generally because they don't tell you cause parts is a big business) but turning your cpu on and off wears it out faster! I reboot my machine maybe once a month...and it's been running fine for going on 4 years now. (I also turn it off when I upgrade every so often, can't afford to get electicuted on a broadcaster's salary)!

ct

[Dan7]

the same kind of thing happened to me a while back. i unplugged everything, opened it up and cleaned all the dust out... and it was a lot anyway, i just basically tooke it apart and disconnected all teh wires and cleaned it, then put it back together and it works great... if that doesn't work i suggest the following... seriously they are amazing!

Try this forum. they work wonders.
Tech Support Guy - Free help for Windows XP, Vista, 98, and more!

sign up and create a thread under the Hardware forum. this forum is huge so be prepared to be knocked off the first page quick so you may need to abandon forum etiquette to be heard. my thread was knocked of the first page in 24 minutes. but what do you expect with 300,000+ members and almost 500,000 threads and almost 5,000,000 posts.

these guys are incredible once you are heard. if there is an answer they have it. they told me how to fix it when somehow my computer was taking whatever my homepage was set to and plastering it over my desktop background. if anyone has an answer they do.

at this moment they have almost 5000 members and guests on!

[Julie Williams]

Sorry about your computer woes, Joe.
Wish I could help.

Are you near Burbank?

[Scott Greenia]

I'm suspecting a bad video card. I'm guessing it has an AGP or PCI-e card? If it does, do you know if the system has integrated video that you could enable in BIOS...just to see if it's the extra video card? A blown GPU will cause the symptoms you're describing, and it's very confusing.

[JoeActor]

Thanks everyone.

Dan7: I'll definitely check out that forum. I think I may have used them a few years back...

Scott: A video card can do that? I've lost video cards before, but at least the fans on the computer came on. This seems more "power supply".

I'll just say this, once you get it fixed...leave it running unless you're going to be gone for a length of time. Most consumers don't know this (generally because they don't tell you cause parts is a big business) but turning your cpu on and off wears it out faster! I reboot my machine maybe once a month...and it's been running fine for going on 4 years now. (I also turn it off when I upgrade every so often, can't afford to get electicuted on a broadcaster's salary)!
ct

Chuck: I've heard that too, but wasn't sure if it was true. One issue I've got is my UPS is also having problems, and I suspect it is a major contributer to the computer problem. I'm following up with them (APC) as well (sheesh!)

Julie: Thanks for the good thoughts, and yes, I'm not too far from Burbank (why do you ask?). I've got a backup system on now (my old one).

Ho hum... another day on the phone with support,
Joe J Thomas
Joe J. Thomas Acting Portfolio

[Scott Greenia]

Yup.
I had a nVidia card that gave the same symptoms on a PCI-e system. The card does a check prior to full POST. If it's bad, things stop. lol

[JoeActor]

Yup.
I had a nVidia card that gave the same symptoms on a PCI-e system. The card does a check prior to BIOS. If it's bad, things stop. lol

Whoa! Odd, but I've lived thru stranger issues.
It is an nVidia (came with the computer) card...

I'm going back to notes on legal pads, carrier pidgeons, and wax cylinders,
Joe J Thomas
Joe J. Thomas Acting Portfolio

[Joe Rodriguez]

You can always try this approach

http://www.youtube.com/v/0qKxSf5SNj0&rel=1