Member Avatar for strharl

Hi, I was installing a modem for dial up and accidently pushed against one of those small black cylinder objects. I had the computer turned on like an idiot and the whole thing shut off and won't power back on. PLEASE HELP!!!

P-4 2.0ghz, 512mb ram, 64mb onboard video, 40g hard drive.

Thank You.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by >shadow<

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A quick, practical diagnostic plan for the situation described. and are right that a short is likely, but it is worth isolating the fault before buying parts.

  1. Safety first. Unplug the PC, hold the power button 10–15 seconds to discharge, and only work inside the case with the mains disconnected. If uncomfortable with mains work, stop and use a shop or friend who is experienced.

  2. Visual and smell check. With the case open look for burnt traces, scorch marks, leaking or bulging capacitors (on the motherboard or PSU), loose screws, or anything obviously damaged. A burnt smell or visible damage points to a component failure.

  3. Basic isolation tests (in order):

    • Remove the newly installed modem card and any other add-in cards.
    • Try a minimal bench boot: motherboard, CPU/cooler, one RAM stick, PSU, and speaker (no drives, no case mounted peripherals). If the board posts or at least gives beep codes, the problem was likely a short caused by the card or a drive/connection.
    • If nothing happens, test the PSU separately (use a known-good PSU or a proper PSU tester). For competent users: the ATX PS_ON (green) to ground (black) method will start most PSUs, but only perform this if familiar with the procedure and safety risks.
    • Check the front-panel power switch wiring or momentarily short the power pins on the motherboard to rule out a failed switch.

  4. CMOS and RAM checks. Clear CMOS (remove battery or use jumper) and try different RAM sticks/slots. A faulty RAM or BIOS corruption can prevent power-up responses.

  5. If the PSU is good but the board is dead, data recovery is a priority: remove the hard drive and use a USB adapter/enclosure to copy files on another machine.

Proprietary OEM parts and repair costs on older Compaq systems can make motherboard replacement uneconomical; weigh repair vs. replacing the machine.

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Member Avatar for TT4Titans

Well first thing as rule of thumb is never install hardware with the machine on.

As far as your problem it has probably shorted out the in turn it could have shorted other components.you may be lucky though and it only took out the motherboard.

Member Avatar for >shadow<

yeah i think that would have killed it

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