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jenepher · Jul 19, 2005, 01:00 AM

I have an old compaq from about 2000, it ran win98 SE. I needed a second computer so I was going to try to work with that. It was working last time it was used, now when I plug in the power cord the fan starts to spin, the NIC lights blink, and that is all. There is a dim yellow light on the power led as long as the power cord is plugged in, and goes off about a second or two after it's unplugged.

There are no beeps, the cd and the dvd drive don't do anything. I have taken out the ram, same thing. I've put in a different stick, and both at the sametime, every time, same thing.

I haven't taken the battery out yet, because I can't figure out how to get it out.

Any ideas? I think I have P2 in the dvd drive, P3 in the CDR, and P4 in the HD. P5 isn't attached to anything and P1 is in must be in a metal box that I can't open because my screw driver is too long...

LTheobald · Jul 20, 2005, 05:06 AM

Try the reseating graphics card as well as the RAM.

If that doesn't work, I would say the CMOS battery is the next step. You may not need to remove it. Sometimes there is a reset jumper that you can just change to reset the BIOS. That said, I'm sure someone else here can give you better instructions than me.

Press2Esc · Jul 20, 2005, 09:06 AM

As long as there is power, do the fans continue to run? Does the NIC light stay lit? The yellow LED does sound good... Are you able to measure the voltages, sounds like the 5V is OK, but the others are questionable. You might try reducing the PS load by unplugging non-critical devices (e.g, FDD, CD, DVD, etc).. One step further would be to remove dial modem, sound card, etc. If applicable, check the powersupply for a reset button a/o fused link.

P2E

Originally Posted by jenepher

I have an old compaq from about 2000, it ran win98 SE. I needed a second computer so I was going to try to work with that. It was working last time it was used, now when I plug in the power cord the fan starts to spin, the NIC lights blink, and that is all. There is a dim yellow light on the power led as long as the power cord is plugged in, and goes off about a second or two after it's unplugged.

There are no beeps, the cd and the dvd drive don't do anything. I have taken out the ram, same thing. I've put in a different stick, and both at the sametime, every time, same thing.

I haven't taken the battery out yet, because I can't figure out how to get it out.

Any ideas? I think I have P2 in the dvd drive, P3 in the CDR, and P4 in the HD. P5 isn't attached to anything and P1 is in must be in a metal box that I can't open because my screw driver is too long...

jenepher · Jul 20, 2005, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by LTheobald

Try the reseating graphics card as well as the RAM.

If that doesn't work, I would say the CMOS battery is the next step. You may not need to remove it. Sometimes there is a reset jumper that you can just change to reset the BIOS. That said, I'm sure someone else here can give you better instructions than me.

It's an onboard graphics card, already reseated RAM. I can't get the battery to come out, where would the reset button be?

jenepher · Jul 20, 2005, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by Press2Esc

As long as there is power, do the fans continue to run? Does the NIC light stay lit? The yellow LED does sound good... Are you able to measure the voltages, sounds like the 5V is ok, but the others are questionable. You might try reducing the PS load by unplugging non-critical devices (e.g, FDD, CD, DVD, etc).. One step further would be to remove dial modem, sound card, etc. If applicable, check the powersupply for a reset button a/o fused link.

P2E

The fan just spins a few times, and the lights on the NIC blinks once. How would I go about measuring the voltage, don't think I can.. I tried taking the powercord off everything (FDD, CD, and DVD) except the HD and same thing happened. There's not dial up modem or sound card on this computer.

It's a compaq and they like to make things hard on everyone, tonight when I get home I'm going to try to open it up and I'll look for a reset button.

LTheobald · Jul 21, 2005, 03:39 AM

Originally Posted by jenepher

The fan just spins a few times, and the lights on the NIC blinks once.

From this it sounds like you turn it on, the PC starts to kick off with the fans spinning etc. and then the everything stops - no fans spinning, no lights etc. Am I right in thinking that? In that case it does sound like something flipping a safety switch and causing the power to cut. If you're tried the PC with the minimum of cards etc. in it, my next guess would be that the power supply has developed a problem.

Also if you have it, post the Compaq model number. We might be able to find some more information on the components in the PC from the Compaq site. There should be a sticker with this on the case.

Press2Esc · Jul 21, 2005, 11:17 AM

Jene,

If the power supply (PS) has a built-in cooling fan, unplug ALL PS cables and switch PS ON. If the PS internal fan continues to run, inspect ALL PS connectors for bent pins. Also make sure pin1 (silk screen) on all connectors match with the pin 1 (red stripe) of the ribbon cables.

If you are interested, you can purchase an inexpensive digital ($10) meter (Volt-Ohms Meter) to measure the PC's DC voltages accordingly. If you are not afraid :eek: of electricity, this item is a great thing to own.

P2E