Member Avatar for twoyorkie

:(I have an old tower P4 and was updateing it with software when I left the room for 20 minutes and when I returned it had stopped !!
It starts,fans run usb's work ,dvd drives work but NO Beep to post and nothing on monitor..
checked ram,videocard,motherboard connectors,sata cables and flashed the bios and replaced bios battery..... still nothing and no signs of life ....no sound from HDD but still no beep or bios screen ,in fact no screen ...IDEAS PLEASE TECHIES !!thanks in anticipation..

Edited by twoyorkie because: n/a
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Dani AI

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Short expert summary and next steps that build on what , , and already tried.

A totally silent POST (fans spin, HDD silent, no video, no beeps) can come from several places beyond the usual RAM reseat — a missing/internal speaker, a PSU that can spin fans but not deliver correct rails, a short from a misplaced standoff, or a BIOS/firmware that failed during the update. Start with low-risk checks that add information and avoid part‑swap guessing.

Minimal, focused checks (do these in order):

  • Verify a POST speaker is actually connected to the motherboard SPK header (many cases omit it). If you can attach a simple case speaker you may get a beep pattern to read against the board’s beep table (beep codes differ by BIOS). ([example motherboard manual showing AMI beep codes])(https://manualmachine.com/biostar/a880g/1962245-owners-manual/) . (manualmachine.com)
  • Bench the board outside the case on cardboard (one stick of RAM, CPU+fan, PSU 24‑pin and 4/8 CPU power connected, speaker attached). This rules out shorts from standoffs or the case. Tom’s Hardware covers bench/breadboard troubleshooting. (forums.tomshardware.com)
  • Test the PSU properly — paperclip only to check it spins; use a PSU tester or multimeter to verify +12V, +5V and +3.3V under/near load. A spinning fan alone isn’t proof the rails are stable. (Corsair PSU support and testing guidance). ([Corsair PSU testing guide])(https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/sections/10657561209485-Power-Supplies). (help.corsair.com)
  • Visually inspect the board (VRM area, around CPU) for bulging/leaking capacitors, scorch marks or bent pins in the CPU socket — these are clear signs of board-level failure. (forums.tomshardware.com)

If the no-POST began after a BIOS flash, check whether the board has a vendor BIOS-recovery/Flashback method (USB/DVD recovery or CrashFree-style tools) and follow the vendor steps in the manual/support site before condemning the board. ([example: ASUS CrashFree BIOS recovery doc])(https://www.asus.com/us/support/faq/1012219/). (asus.com)

If after the bench test with a known-good PSU and an attached speaker there’s still no POST, the fault is almost certainly motherboard or CPU and replacement/RMA is the practical next step. If DIY is unwelcome, a shop can quickly confirm PSU rails and try a known-good spare board or donor CPU.

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Member Avatar for flagstar

Hi,

did you check everything is in order and double-checked?

* are your cpu fan working?
* are your keyboard lights up when you boot?
* did you reseat power supply cable to their place? one big and one small (usually yellow and black)

might as well boot your pc and let it run for about 20minutes and see whether it'll start to boot
others you have done so skip that.

Member Avatar for twoyorkie

Hi Flagstar... all done already but no joy....left it on for 1 hour in hope... nowt !!!its a bit of a brain teaser

Member Avatar for flagstar

might as well try to pull RAM out and check if your mobo is beeping.

If it's beeping for 3 times, it's RAM problem.

or try this... this kinda hard for starters

remove all connection, cables, HDD, RAM, CD/DVD Drive from your mobo and just left with power supply cable and power switch wire intact. Plug in back VGA cable in the back side and boot.

Check if it does make any differences...

Member Avatar for jingda

It is a Ram failure.

1) Remove new memory that you added recently ( It might cause the problem as it might not be compatible with your computer )
2) Make sure the memory sticks is placed in properly. Remove and plug in the memory stick again.
3) Change memory stick location. Swap the sides.
4) Test out using a spare memory.

Any more question or need more details just ask. Me and flagstar and other posters will help you out. Good luck

Member Avatar for twoyorkie

:'(

Edited by twoyorkie because: n/a
Member Avatar for twoyorkie

Just done lots off testing..... with ram...without ram ....either slot..both slots...none and different ram... zilch
all hdd/dvd/etc disconnected .... not a peep.... no beep sounds in any configuration.
but MB lights are on and chip fan is spinning as is cooler fan on back and power supply..
next please (skip nearby with wheelbarrow) thanks to Jingda & Flagstar:@

Member Avatar for PcTestCard.com

Seems a lot of steps have been done.
Have the CPU been reseated yet?

When using RAM, just use 1 working RAM to test.

Hope this helps!
Bill
Tech Manager

Member Avatar for flagstar

Might be you got a dead mobo... or power supply...

Even if all the fans and light are working doesn't mean power supply is okay... It may be at fault too...

Looks like most further step were already taken and I've no ideas to fix your pc momentarily...

Motherboard (MOBO) - Unknown
Power Supply Unit - Works but may not supply enough power to juice mobo
HDD - Assumed that it's fine
RAM - Same as above
VGA monitor - Also same

If you have a spare motherboard, might as well test with that and see if it works... If not, you might need to replace your mobo i'm afraid...

Member Avatar for jingda

Seems like a hardware problem to me. You follow PCtestcard and flagstar advice first if that fails bring your computer to a repair shop and have an expert to look at it more closely.

Member Avatar for twoyorkie

thanks to all who contributed but after doing all that stuff and reseating processor nothing is occurring ..... so keep the good bits and buy a cheap tower to run my printer ......cheers all

Member Avatar for flagstar

Good to see that you've solved your problem and we're sorry if we couldn't provide anything to save your computer... cheers

Member Avatar for PcTestCard.com

Good to see that you've solved your problem and we're sorry if we couldn't provide anything to save your computer... cheers

In my previous post, I forgot to add if there is any damaged capacitor on the MB.

Hope this helps!
Bill
Tech Manager

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