Topic: Computer turning off?

[mistybear]

Michael's computer won't boot?

He's been at a friends for a couple of days with it, and when he plugged it in here, he turned it on and the fans and that started for a few seconds then it just turns off?
He took the side off and checked to see if anything had come loose or anything, plugged it back in and same thing?

Any suggestions would be very helpful in keeping him off my computer. 

[Sandra]

Does some text appear on the screen or does it not run long enough to get to that point ?

Does it run for approximately 4 seconds each time then shut itself off ?

[mistybear]

I don't think it runs long enough, probably is around 4 seconds.

[Sandra]

4 seconds is the turn off time for "soft off".

It sounds like the on/off switch has failed and is not releasing properly after he switches on, that would make it start up and shut down after 4 seconds and it wouldnt start again unless the power was switched off at the back of the pc or at the mains socket.

Is that what is happening ?

[mistybear]

I'll have a try in the morning, and if I can't fix it, I'll go on msn and have a chat with you.

Thanks again. 

[mistybear]

When I turned it on this morning, it didn't seem right. The button isn't firm, and it goes back further than normal.
It started up for about 15 seconds then switched off. I didn't have the monitor plugged in so I don't know what it was up to. I plugged the monitor in, and the computer turned itself back on for a few seconds then off again and on again. That went on for a few times before I turned it off by the power button. On the screen was Pentium, then a screen I hadn't seen before, but it was to quick for me to tell what it was, plus I wasn't wearing glasses, Then the pci device screen then it switched off?   

[mistybear]

As you know Sandra, the CPU heatsink and fan were loose, after I thought I had fixed it, I let it run for a while with the side off and it on its side. I noticed that even with the side off, the hard drive was quite hot as was the graphics card. When I took it back to his room and started it up, it switched off again so I used a desk fan on it for 5 minutes and tried again, no problem. So heat is still a big problem.
As soon as Michael went to put it back where it lives under his desk, he heard that plastic plug come out again.
Took him ages but he fixed it, properly?

I'm starting to think about a bigger case, but I'm not sure if I'm capable of moving everything to a new case.   

[Sandra]

It should be ok this time MB.
As long as the heatsink has finally been fully clipped in place.

The socket 775 heatsink are very easy to fit but they can be a pain if it hasnt been fitted properly the first time.
I found this out recently, one of the push through pins hadnt seated fully and a leg wasnt going through the hole properly, this stopped the heatsink from fully locking down although it looked ok.

I bet it took me 4 attempts to manage to get that particular leg fully through the hole and secured, I am not sure if its a fault on the Arctic freezer model as I havent had that problem with the original Intel heatsinks, maybe the material used for the legs is a little softer and that allows half of the leg to miss the hole in the motherboard 

[mistybear]

I hope so Sandra, when I left Michael this afternoon trying to fix it, he was up to the third attempt, and getting a little frustrated.
How difficult is it to transfer everything to a new case?

[Sandra]

Reasonably easy.

The small brass screw in posts that support the motherboard will need placing in the correct holes as the hole positions on motherboards arent standardised.

Where the part of the motherboard that has al the usb, monitor and mouse connections sticks through the case, you need to remove the plate from the original case as they are motherboard specific.
The plate just clips into the new case but again it can be a bit fiddly to get out of the original and into the new case.
There are some springy clips that push againt the motherboard as you postion it and sometimes you have to hold it quite firmly in place while you get the first screw through the motherboard and into the brass post to fasten it in place.

Once the motherboard is fastened in place its just a case of connecting the wires, you have already changed a PSU so you know how easy that part is.
Sometimes the wiring for the buttons and the front of case connections, if the new case has them, can take a bit of working out but usually they are well marked as to which wire is which and as long as you have the page of the motherboard manual handy to double check which wire goes where then you shouldnt have a problem 

[mistybear]

Well that doesn't sound to difficult Michael is doing a computer course at TAFE, maybe I should wait and Michael can do it as a homework assignment.
I did suggest taking it to TAFE and asking his teachers to help him, but seeing as he has only been going for 2 days, that might a little cheeky. 

I would really like to do it myself, but the motherboard part of it worries me. 

[Sandra]

You can do it I am sure MB 

[mistybear]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, I'll let Michael yell at you then if I stuff it up.