Member Avatar for mike092103

I have my friend's PC which is almost identical to my so i told him i would look at it. When you start it, you don't get video. The screen wont even turn on. These are the troubleshooting steps i took. There is no internal speaker unfortunately. Yes, the DVD/CD drive opens and closes. the fans run, but I'm not sure if they are running full speed. It almost sounds like they are running a little slow. I took the memory out of my PC and put it in this one, and it didn't make a difference. i made sure everything was connected all the way. The video is built into the MB, no video card. Anyway,i think its the MB. Just wanted to see if anyone here has experienced something like this. Thanks for your time.

Mike

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Short summary: has an HP a705w that gives no video at startup. is right to point at power-delivery as a likely cause, but there are a few safe, methodical checks to do before buying parts.

Start with power-rail verification (safe, quick checks):

  • With the PSU unplugged from the motherboard, use the paperclip/PS_ON method only if comfortable; short the green wire to any black ground to spin the supply without the board.
  • Measure voltages at the molex/ATX pins with a multimeter: +12V (yellow) ~11.4–12.6V, +5V (red) ~4.75–5.25V, +3.3V (orange) ~3.135–3.465V, and +5VSB (purple) ~5V when off.
  • If any rail is out of tolerance or the PSU behaves erratically under light bench load, the PSU is suspect. Use a PSU tester or a known-good PSU if possible. Always unplug mains before probing and take ESD/mains-safety precautions.

Motherboard/POST checks and quick fixes:

  • Fit a small PC speaker to the motherboard header to catch beep codes. That will distinguish CPU/DRAM/mobo failures from video-only faults.
  • Do a minimal boot: one known-good RAM stick in the recommended slot, CPU/heatsink, PSU, and monitor. Remove drives, cards, and USB devices. Try each RAM slot in turn.
  • Clear CMOS (remove coin cell for a minute or use the jumper) to rule out corrupted settings.
  • Visually inspect the board for bulging or leaking capacitors and burnt components; these are common failure signs on older OEM boards.

If the PSU and minimal-boot checks fail to produce POST/beeps, the motherboard or CPU is likely at fault. Before buying a replacement, confirm the exact HP part number (OEM boards can be proprietary); used boards or complete donor units are often the most economical option.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

try swapping the power supply first ,sounds like it running at half power ,maybe it is ,psu can work fans but not have a enough power to run computer

Member Avatar for mike092103

good point. ill give it a shot

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