Member Avatar for greggie

Well yesterday i was happily typing away on my normally well behaved xp computer when in a google search, the typing stopped and i could not get any response from the computer - tried the task manager but couldnt get anything at all!! last resort was i thought to switch off. so i did that
switched on again...it switched itself off within seconds. tried again nothing...just the HDD light on constant orange.. switched off, on again and it started to boot up fine and got to the desktop fine...Phew i thought-then it switched itself off!!!
Since then i have tried to switch on, and all i get is the fans working fine, main light (green) and hdd light (orange) on constant, also internal green light on the MB on. I have established that the K/board, Monitor and the mouse are not functioning from the rear outputs of the case, however the mouse works (lights up at least) from the front USB's. Now i dont have a lot of expierience with this kind of failure, but have tried reseating the ram and various cables
how can i save the contents of the HDD
can anybody shed a bit of light on this? thanks a million

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Following the troubleshooting begun by and the symptom report from , the immediate priority is safe data recovery from the hard disk before deeper hardware work. Preserving the drive as-is prevents accidental writes that can make recovery harder. The procedures below assume basic workshop safety: power down and unplug the PC, discharge static, and handle the drive gently.

Safest, quickest recovery route: remove the drive and access it from a known-good computer. Two common options:

  • Install the drive temporarily as a secondary SATA drive in another desktop.
  • Use a USB-to-SATA (or IDE) adapter, dock, or powered enclosure. Note: 3.5" desktop drives require an externally powered adapter; many 2.5" laptop drives are bus-powered. Once attached, check the host OS: Windows Explorer, Disk Management, or a Linux live USB will show the volume. Do not initialize, format, or convert disks that appear as “foreign” or part of a dynamic/Raid set — that destroys data.

If the drive is flaky or some files fail to copy, create a raw image first and work from the image. A resilient tool is GNU ddrescue; an example imaging pass:

ddrescue -f -n /dev/sdX ./hdd_image.img ./hdd_image.log

Replace /dev/sdX with the detected device. The first pass copies readable data quickly; follow with recovery passes per ddrescue docs. If the drive makes new mechanical noises (clicking, grinding) stop powering it and consult professional data recovery — continued attempts risk further damage.

After the data is secured, isolate the original system fault. Swap in a known-good PSU or test with minimal components (one RAM stick, CPU, onboard video if present) and consult the motherboard manual for POST/beep diagnostics. Visual checks for bulging capacitors or burn marks are useful. If hardware swapping is not comfortable, a local repair shop can both image the drive and diagnose the failing PC.

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Member Avatar for Rik_

Does it make any beeps?

Member Avatar for greggie

Does it make any beeps?

Just a beep when i switch on, i get cd rom lights briefly, then nada..
strange this, 'cos i was typing then nothing...and now nothing at all
i cant even get bios or screen..
thanks rik

Member Avatar for Rik_

Take the side off, unplug from the mains and remove the bios battery for about a minute. It will be a round and silver object with CR2032 stamped on it. You will need to correct the time and date in your bios as well as boot order after trying this (provided your PC responds that is).

This is only step 1, there a few more things I can suggest.

Member Avatar for greggie

ok im off to try that....cheers for now rik
greg

Member Avatar for greggie

Take the side off, unplug from the mains and remove the bios battery for about a minute. It will be a round and silver object with CR2032 stamped on it. You will need to correct the time and date in your bios as well as boot order after trying this (provided your PC responds that is).

This is only step 1, there a few more things I can suggest.

Unfortunately, no change.... had another go at reseating the ram cards, no difference... soooo frustrating, but im staying calm, for now....cheers greg

Member Avatar for greggie

No more suggestions? anyone???

Member Avatar for Rik_

Time to test the PSU (Power Supply Unit).

You need to unplug all internal PSU cables then take a short length of wire and short the green wire in the biggest plug to any of the black ones in the same plug. The PSU should spring into life, if it doesn't it's faulty and needs replacement.

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