Hey guys, sorry I’m new here but I seem to be having a problem with a new computer I just inherited from a friend. It came in an Alienware case and it’s got one of these Asus p4t533-c mobos in it that you can find a lot of problems about on Google, thing is I couldn’t find MY problem, and I was wondering if anyone could possibly give me a hand.

Basically I snatched this thing from a friend last night and when I try to turn it on, fans spin, lights come on, ps/2 keyboard and USB works (computer beeps when I push keys), it gives me ONE SHORT beep (no error during POST), everything seems fine but nothing comes up on the screen. It (the screen) doesn’t stay in standby, and is reading a signal at 1280x1024 @ 30HZ, but it stays black despite being taken out of standby. The last thing is that if I hit the power button, it (the computer) shuts off immediately; I don’t have to hold it.

Now, if I remove a stick of RAM (it has 4), the symptoms change. Fans still spin, drives turn on, however I now get no signal to my screen, it DOES NOT beep regardless of what I do to it and the keyboard will not work. Also, I now have to HOLD DOWN the power button to shut the computer off. This happens regardless of which stick of ram I take out, or how many.

I've tried... Removing the CMOS battery, changing PSUs, unplugging d*** near everything in the case, unplugging the HD, pulling ram, and changing the graphics card. I even tried taking the graphics card out completely at which point it will give me the proper error that the card is missing (1 long beep followed by 3 short beeps), but only as long as all 4 sticks of ram are seated.

I'm at a loss and I just want something to come up on the screen. I was wondering if anyone could give me a hand, or if it seems the thing is just shot and not worth fixing... Thanks for any advice!!!

I would try using a P.O.S.T. diagnostic card and plug it in the USB port if you haven't already. It will return a POST error code which you can look up. Then, you would save a lot of time. These cards are very inexpensive (usually $5-10 bucks). Did your friend tell you anything about the problems experienced just before you got the machine?

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.