My PC isn't working. How do I find out why?

[d000hg]

It was on all night, this morning I try to bring the screens out of standby by moving the mouse, etc. Nothing. After a bit of messing about I figure it has screwed up and reboot it... it sounds normal but the monitors remain in standby, as in, no signal. Check they're both connected fine (unlikely they'd both get loose but just to be sure).

I thought if something was wrong I should get some beeps at boot-time. But nothing. I am thinking the GPU since the fans are all turning and it does turn on/off, but I can't tell. I can't access it on the network but then I can't remember if I should be able to before logging in?

Are there any guides online I can walk through to find a probable cause?

I have backups but a new PC will cost me a lot of time setting up which I can't afford.

[VectraMan]

How did you reboot? Switch it off completely at the mains and try that.

[DiscoStu]

So if you power it off completely from the mains, then power it back on, do you just get power, fans coming on, but nothing else happens?

If so, get the case off (while using an appropriate anti-static wrist strap!) and reseat CPU, memory and any PCI/AGP etc. cards.

If that doesn't work then your motherboard's probably knackered, sorry

[d000hg]

How did you reboot? Switch it off completely at the mains and try that.

Turned it off with the main power switch on the back (not the normal on/off). Still worth a shot.

I think I can hear the HDD doing stuff, but I don't get a Windows startup sound... but I cannot remember now if I should since it goes to a login screen, not straight to the desktop?

And I wish I could remember if it should go on the network from the login screen (Windows desktop login, pick-a-user, not network login). That could give me a clue.

I can't find a spare graphics card, must have chucked them. I figure next step is buying the cheapest one I can find in town.

[d000hg]

Tried reseating cards, and RAM (I can't get to the CPU under layers of fans and heatsinks).

Tried removing all RAM to see if it would at least complain. Nope.

Given that time is money, faffing around for a whole day will cost less than buying a cheap PC, if I can salvage the current HD into a new PC as second disk.

[Bunk]

I had something similar recently.

Was sure it was the graphics card, since if I waited a while after switching it on, I could type in the password and hear the Windows login sound. However, I replaced the graphics card and still no picture, (no signal according to the monitors' OSD). I know the monitors are fine because I use them both with my laptop.

I realise this doesn't help you in the slightest but I just wanted share my tale of woe

[suityou01]

PC won't boot if the graphics card is duff

Try another monitor

[Bunk]

PC won't boot if the graphics card is duff

Try another monitor

In my case the monitors were fine. And the PC won't boot if the graphics card is completely dead, but it may boot if the card is only slightly buggered, ie. running ok but not sending out a signal to the monitor.

[MarillionFan]

You could always take it to PCWorld, but be careful you know what happened to Gary Glitter

[DiscoStu]

Turned it off with the main power switch on the back (not the normal on/off). Still worth a shot.

I think I can hear the HDD doing stuff, but I don't get a Windows startup sound... but I cannot remember now if I should since it goes to a login screen, not straight to the desktop?

And I wish I could remember if it should go on the network from the login screen (Windows desktop login, pick-a-user, not network login). That could give me a clue.

I can't find a spare graphics card, must have chucked them. I figure next step is buying the cheapest one I can find in town.

OK, switch it off at the mains, then switch it back on and look at the hard disk activity light. What happens?