PC Won't Boot

[gypsyjanet]

Hey guys,

So this is what happened. Friday night as I was going to shut down my desktop pc, "install updates then shut down" so I did that.

The next morning, I turned on the monitor then the PC and it seemed to be booting up just fine. The monitor kept blinking through HDMI, DVI etc which it does sometimes, so I swapped the ends of the HDMI cord then physically reboot the PC. After that, it got stuck at the (bios?) screen (black screen, white text) as shown in the pc1 picture. A computer friend said I should enable "smart" at the bios settings. I physically reboot, made the change (pc2 picture), and physically reboot again. At that point, there was no response at all. I hit the power button and 100% absolutely nothing happens.

Not 100% comfortable opening the PC up, but if it would just be a simple fix, I could probably handle it.

Not sure how to upload pics here, so I put them here:

http://janet141.tripod.com/pc1.jpg
http://janet141.tripod.com/pc2.jpg

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Janet

 

[MidnightShadow]

A computer friend said

Those folks will always get you into trouble. All kidding aside, the S.M.A.R.T. test can identify some hard drive failures, but not always. Those are usually early warnings of an impending failure and won't help much once the drive has failed.

At that point, there was no response at all. I hit the power button and 100% absolutely nothing happens.

So, no power lights on the front or anything? I see that you have pictures, so I'm not sure what you mean by no response. If the pictures you posted are what you're seeing, it looks like your computer cannot see the hard drive, which could indicate it has failed.

What kind of computer is it and what operating system is it running? Some of the newer manufacturer machines have a built-in diagnostic that can be run to test your HDD (hard drive) and see if it has failed and that is the problem. The other side to this coin is the potential data loss that could happen or maybe already has happened.

 

[gypsyjanet]

Nope no lights, no sound no nothing. Tge pictures are what I saw before it stopped responding.

My friend built the pc for me 2 years ago & it has Windows 10.

 

[MidnightShadow]

No lights or power is either a bad power supply or a bad motherboard. The easiest thing to test is the power supply. If you're not comfortable doing it, you need to have somebody change the power supply out with a known good PSU (power supply unit) and see if it powers on. If not, then it's your motherboard.

 

[gypsyjanet]

Test it how? I don't have the money to have anyone do anything. Guess I need to save money to get a power supply & find a YouTube on how to replace it. Thanls

 

[MidnightShadow]

Depending on the needs of your computer, you can get a cheap power supply to use for testing. The PSU in your computer should have a label that tells you how many watts it puts out (400W, 550W, etc). You can post a picture of the PSU labels if you need help determining the wattage. If it's a low wattage, you can get one like this one: Dynex 400-Watt ATX CPU Power Supply White DX-400WPS - Best Buy

Here's a video for you to reference for replacing it: https://goo.gl/bxqEHe

Be sure that anything that your current PSU is connected to gets a connection from the new PSU. For testing, you don't have to remove the PSU and can leave the new one sitting on the desk/table. Just be sure to position it so that it doesn't fall or get damaged and allows the cables to reach the parts of the motherboard that need to be connected.

Also, some local shops will test your PSU at no cost. If you live near a Best Buy, the Geek Squad will test the PSU if they have the time to do so at no cost to determine if you simply need a PSU or not. So feel free to check into those places as well.

 

[gypsyjanet]

Okay awesome. Just FYI this is the motherboard GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P(rev 5.1) AM3+ AMD 760G + SB710 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard-Newegg.com

I'm not really near a Best Buy, but there is a local shop in walking distance. I'm planning to take the PC there on Aug 3rd. I'll call the place the day before to see if they would charge me anything just for looking at it.

I found this video. Would this help, or it has nothing to do with the bios? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yA3MrgBsjpE

Thanks again for your help

 

[booker]

If you look at the second bios screen, it shows that your boot priority is CD-Rom (I only use this when installing new OS). I am sure that you have done this, but I would make sure that you do not have a disk in your CD drive, as the first screen shows that it is stuck at the boot CD-Rom stage. You want to make sure that you rule out the simple stuff first. It does not make sense that a windows update crashed your HDD, and having SMART enabled should not make a change.
Another thing you want to make sure of is 1) check the power outlet to assure it has power and did not trip 2) there should be a green light lit on your motherboard indicating that there is power being delivered from your PS.
In 15 years, I have only ever had a PS crap out on me once, however, if it is the PS, changing it is easy. 10 minutes tops!

 

[gypsyjanet]

Nope no disc in the drive. A few months ago, Windows crashed to I had to reinstall it from the disc and I just forgot to change it back. It was never a problem.

Yep outlet has power. Everything else is plugged into that power strip and works fine. I did plug it directly into a different outlet to double check, and the pc still had no power.

A green light? Okay, I'll check that in the next day or two.

Thanks again

 

[booker]

A green light? Okay, I'll check that in the next day or two.

Thanks again

What motherboard do you have? Most motherboards have a light indicating power, but if you have a generic board, it may not.
Opening the computer case is easy. There are two screws on the left panel in the back. The panel slips off and everything is exposed. I would take this off and see if anything comes on, or starts when you hit the power button, such as fans, or lights.