Computer Won't Boot If your computer won't boot (load the software installed on the hard drive) then there are a few things you'll want to look at. Things to check: ---------------------- Computer won't turn on at all - no fans will spin on the motherboard or power supply. -Power Supply Are the fans spinning on the power supply? Is the power indicator light on the motherboard on? If you answered no to both of these questions it is possible your boot issues stem from a faulty power supply. If possible test the power supply and make sure each connection is giving out the proper power. If no tester is handy, try another known working power supply. Replacing a power supply can be tricky, if you need assistance we've written up a guide. -CMOS Battery If you have access to a digital multimeter try testing the CMOS battery. The readout should show at least 3.00. If it's anything less you'll want to replace the battery. If you don't have access to a tester, it's fairly easy to get a hold of a new battery (the Free Geek Thrift Store sells them). -Power Button Look at the power button on the front of the machine and make sure it is properly connected to the motherboard. Each motherboard is different, but it should be clearly labeled. Some sort of flashlight and/or magnifying glass can come in handy as the writing is usually small. It also helps to ensure you are tracking the cables correctly and looking at the connection from the button and not the USB ports or other front panel features. While it's not likely that the cables would fail (it's more likely they would be improperly connected), it is possible so replacing those is a good step if no response comes from clicking the power button. ------------------- Computer turns on but off again after a few seconds. Go through all of the previous steps, and try these: -Remove the RAM Remove the RAM completely and turn the system on, leaving the case open. The motherboard should start beeping. If it doesn't this could mean that the board is bad. Start looking for any bulging or blown capacitors. Alternatively you can try replacing the processor. If you need help we have guide on how to do this. -Blown Caps Look closely on the motherboard to see if any of the capacitors or caps are bulging or blown. The surface of the cap should be completely flat. If you see any caps which are blown this means that you have a bad motherboard. -Check the Processor It's possible for the processor or the CPU to fail. Make sure the fan on the heat sink is spinning. This helps cool the processor and if it's not working can cause major issues. Try removing the heat sink and look at the processor to make sure it's seated properly, and the thermal paste is applied correctly. If there is not enough or too much paste the connection between the processor and heat sink will fail. If the CPU itself needs to be replaced check out our guide. ------------------- Computer turns on but won't POST (won't load any software) -Beep Codes Open the case and listen closely for any beep codes coming from the motherboard. These are built in codes which are meant to give you an idea of what is wrong. They are different for each system, but the most common problems they point to are RAM and processor issues. If you're hearing beep codes try replacing the memory, and then look at replacing the processor. -Video Is the monitor is not receiving any input (which is normally indicated by an orange light near or on the power button) there might be problems with the video. If the monitor is not known to be tested and working, try testing the machine on another which is. Try another input cable from the system to the monitor. If the computer only has on board video, try installing a video card. If the computer has a video card installed, try the on board video. If the computer has a video card installed but no on board video, try another card. -Drive Cabling and Connections If the configuration of the drives has recently changed, or if you've installed a new hard drive or DVD drive (aka optical drive) this can cause problems. Try unhooking anything recently installed an restore the system back to its original configuration to see if it will boot. Also check to make sure all drives are jumpered and cabled correctly for master and slave settings. Look in the BIOS to see what drives are set to be primary and/or secondary. The computer should post even without any hard drives or optical drives plugged in, so try unhooking them one at a time until none are connected. -Proper RAM Installation If the computer turns on but won't load software, or the software is loading incorrectly there is a good chance that you may need to replace the RAM. Has the computer functioned in the past? Have you made any recent changes? Unless you are certain otherwise it is possible that the RAM sticks installed are faulty, or that the capacity of installed RAM does not meet the requirements of the operating system. Another thing to look at is the frequency or speed of the RAM, you may have installed one which is incompatible with the motherboard. -OS Install Are you sure the hard drive has a functional operating system installed on it? If software won't load it is possible that there is something wrong with the install on the drive. Try swapping out the drive with one you know to be functional. Or you can also try booting from a live CD. If that works then you can conveniently use the live CD to install the operating system. -Error Messages Are you seeing any error messages? If so try to write them down where possible and do some research on them to find out more information about the problem(s) you are experiencing.