So what is dying on my PC?

WSGrundy · Post by **WSGrundy** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 12:11 pm

The problem started with an error message that my CPU fan wasn't running. I can see it running and I watch the temp and it doesn't go up so I assume there was a bad sensor on the motherboard.

Then Windows started taking forever to shut down and occasionally a long time to start up. At the XP screen with the progress bar underneath it will stay there 10 times as long from time to time.

Then my mouse started acting up. Sometime the cursor won't move up but in all other directions and then sometimes not at all.

Then it stopped seeing my DVD. I would try to play a game and would be told that it can't find the disc or the reader itself.

After that I decided to open up my case and just see if anything is loose and reseed stuff. So I unplugged and then put back the hard drive, CPU fan, and DVD(With the power off of course). When I booted back up I got an error message saying something like

Boot Failure. Insert media CD into drive

or something like that. I don't remember the exact message. I should have because I know what a pain in the ass it can be when someone ask me for PC help and then can't even tell you what is wrong beyond the thing says the thing is broken.

Anyway that is what I remember from the error message. So I start to dig out my CDs and find my CD with the drivers for my motherboard and put that in while I dig up my XP CD. It starts to go through a boot up that I haven't seen before and then give me a list a 10 drivers that I can install that include mother board stuff and Video card stuff.

Not sure what to choose I just hit reset and I was going to try my XP disc and everything boots up fine execept for the CPU fan this time and the mouse and DVD work.

At this point I am guessing that my mother board is dying. Since I don't think my mouse, CPU fan, and DVD are all breaking and then working again at the same time.

Does this sound like the motherboard or something else?

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 12:22 pm

Were I forced to place a bet, it'd be on the motherboard. Or your hard disk is becoming demagnetized or some other sci-fi shit.

Post by **GORDON** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 12:40 pm

Yeah, I'd try the mobo drivers again.... if that doesn't work, reformat and reinstall XP... could be an XP glitch.

If it still screws up then you know you're looking at hardware. And a mobo upgrade is rarely a bad move.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 6:29 pm

I sounds like a flaky motherboard, but you pretty much have to eliminate other possibilities to get there.
First thing I'd check for is a BIOS update.

Second would be to get "The Ultimate Boot CD" (Google it, download the image, and burn it the CD). Boot to the CD and run the memory test for a long time. Test the hard drive too. Might was well run the burn-in test on the processor too.

It could be your hard drive. As sectors go bad, various shtuff hits the fan. Again, the Ultimate Boot CD should contain the manufacturer's testing software to find problems.

Post by **GORDON** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 7:12 pm

Paul wrote:Second would be to get "The Ultimate Boot CD" (Google it, download the image, and burn it the CD).

That's pretty cool. I've always wondered where I could get a hardware diagnostic suite that wouldn't cost me a hundred brazillion dollars. This'll help a lot when I get tapped as tech support for family/friends... I got 3 new PC's that need reloads just in the last 2 days.