Member Avatar for oldmonkey

Hi everyone, hope you can help solve a perplexing problem with my new machine.

Last night I experienced a series of no doubt related problems that have left me unable to power up. Machine is XP Home, Pentium IV 3.2, 1024MB DDR Ram, 200G HD, 256MB Geforce FX6200 graphics, Soundblaster Live 24 bit sound. Ten days old.

I connected and turned on a FAT 32 USB drive, as I had done on each of the previous ten days of use (in a different USB port this time, one of six). Also running was iTunes, and I was connected to 2MB broadband. Three other devices were connected by USB, printer, a Targus USB hub with nothing in it, and a further USB hard drive that was not switched on.

1) USB drive was not recognised, didn't show in Windows Explorer.
2) iTunes started sticking.
3) I tried to turn off iTunes unsuccessfully, opened Task Manager and closed it from there.
4) Decided to reboot machine.
5) Machine stalled on boot, I used F11 to boot from HD (alternative choices being DVD drive or CD drive)
6) Went into Device Manager to see if there was a USB problem.
7) Machine crashed and powered itself down suddenly without warning.
8) Nothing works - no power light visible through case, no fans, nothing.
9) Tried with different kettle lead to see if the fuse had gone, still no response from machine.

I haven't opened the case yet to check individual components - not that I would really know what to do. The machine is still under warranty, I haven't contacted the seller company yet with details of the problem, would like to know more about it first if at all possible.

Please help!

I've picked up some ideas from reading the threads here, so will try and disconnect the USB connections as first port of call when I get home, but I am very concerned that it appears to be totally dead.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Catweazle

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For : stop further power attempts and contact the seller/warranty support now. As points out, repeated power cycles can make a developing hardware fault worse and may complicate a warranty repair. The priority is to preserve evidence and let the vendor triage the fault.

Checklist of noninvasive actions to do before calling support (these do not require opening the case):

  • Note purchase date, model/serial numbers and write a short timeline of exactly what happened and which external devices were connected.
  • Try a known-good wall outlet and a different IEC power lead once more (if not already done).
  • Smell for burning or look through vents for scorch marks or leaking/bulging capacitors—do not insert tools or remove panels.
  • If the case has any status LEDs visible without opening, note whether they light and how long.
  • Do not open the case, swap cards, or remove the drive unless the vendor explicitly authorizes it.

What the vendor will likely want and why: brief spin/flicker then shutdown is commonly either a PSU protection trip (short or internal failure) or a motherboard fault that draws excessive current. It is also possible an external peripheral produced a short. Resist diagnosing further yourself; the vendor will either run an approved power test or issue an RMA.

Practical next steps for the support call: give the exact timeline and the checklist results, ask for an RMA number and repair/replacement options, and ask how they handle the system drive (ask them to preserve data or to return the drive untouched). If data is critical, request their procedure for data preservation or an approved third‑party data recovery. Keep all correspondence and serial/invoice copies until the issue is resolved.

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Member Avatar for oldmonkey

Further to the above, I got home and isolated the machine, removing all USB connections. Tried booting it up again, and the power light flickered on for a split second and there was just a second of whirring noise, which very quickly ran out of steam. It has done this four times now over a 6 hour period. Nothing else seems to work.

I can't open the case and check things as this apparently invalidates the warranty on the machine. Will contact the supplier tomorrow.

Does this sound like the power supply to anyone? Fingers crossed it's not the HD!

Member Avatar for Catweazle

I haven't opened the case yet to check individual components - not that I would really know what to do. The machine is still under warranty, I haven't contacted the seller company yet with details of the problem, would like to know more about it first if at all possible.

Please help!

That bit of your post should tell you EXACTLY what to do! Any advice given here other than 'send it back' would be, quite frankly, irresponsible!

Yes, it does sound like a power supply or other hardware failure. Discontinue using it and contact the vendor straight away.

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