stupid fucking computer

[retro]

Came home from work tonight and my computer had rebooted. No big deal, so I logged back on... and it froze. So I powered it down, started it back up again... and now it won't post. Reseated everything from memory all the way to the CPU, disconnected everything, no dice. So the only thing I can come up with is a motherboard problem, but I don't find anything physically wrong with it... and I've never had a motherboard just up and fail like that before.

Suggestions? I'm trying to find another motherboard lying around here, but I don't think I have something that'll handle my Phenom II.

Sigh, I swear... if it's not one thing, it's another in my stupid fucking life.

[HK]

You leave your computer turned on all day?

[Rachie]

I feel for ya - computer problems bite big time. Serious love/hate relationship with technology.

[retro]

You leave your computer turned on all day?

Yep, been doing it for the last 10+ years.

[Darrell]

I'm no electrician but I had a similar problem when I had a PC, and it turned out to be my power supply. I would turn it on, and it would spin the fans, but didn't have enough juice to power the MB. I ended up opening the case and using a multi-meter to determine the power supply was pretty much toast.

[retro]

The PSU could potentially be the issue... though given what I have, the chances of that being the case are far lower than it being the motherboard. Unfortunately, I don't have another PSU with the proper power connectors to be able to test that theory... nor do I have a multimeter. By the time I could test it, I will have missed my window of being able to get it delivered on Monday, which leaves me with quite the conundrum.

[Darrell]

The PSU could potentially be the issue... though given what I have, the chances of that being the case are far lower than it being the motherboard. Unfortunately, I don't have another PSU with the proper power connectors to be able to test that theory... nor do I have a multimeter. By the time I could test it, I will have missed my window of being able to get it delivered on Monday, which leaves me with quite the conundrum.

I thought every man owned a multimeter. It's a good way to prevent electrocuting yourself. I suggest you invest in one someday.

[retro]

I've had one for years, I had to use it on a fairly regular basis when I was with my last company... well, when I was project managing and installing equipment at new locations anyway. But it "mysteriously" disappeared on me when I was on vacation a while back and I had left my toolkit at work. Granted, I left it under my desk and didn't figure anyone would've stolen shit out of it... but then again my boss seems to think that anything in the building is fair game for him. I asked everyone in the office if they had seen it the next time I needed it, and nobody claimed responsibility for having taken it. I've also seen my boss with my own personal pens... and they're relatively expensive pens, well as far as pens go. So I've taken to keeping anything that I might need, but don't want to disappear, in my backpack or messenger bag that I bring in ever day.

[AUFred]

Reading the header. I thought this was a dana thread. Sorry about your ordeal.

[darkcgi]

one of my favorite moments and quotes in movies I love this actor

[Darrell]

Reading the header. I thought this was a dana thread. Sorry about your ordeal.

The lack of the words tits or bitch in the title didn't tell you it wasn't Dana?

[darkcgi]

The lack of the words tits or bitch in the title didn't tell you it wasn't Dana?

......................

[Mystic]

try resetting the battery on the MB just leave it out for a few...sometimes that can help if you find everything comes back alright then buy yourself a new battery.

[darkcgi]

make sure your fan isnt stopping intermittently
I have had my cpu fan run and then just stop and then run when i reboot it and just stop
and when it stopped my computer rebooted everytime

[retro]

try resetting the battery on the MB just leave it out for a few...sometimes that can help if you find everything comes back alright then buy yourself a new battery.

A bad CMOS battery isn't going to cause the computer not to POST. That being said, I already reset the CMOS via jumper, and it didn't work. For those that don't know, a jumper CMOS reset is the exact same thing as removing the battery. All it really does is reset the BIOS to the default settings. The battery also keeps the internal computer time.

make sure your fan isnt stopping intermittently

I have had my cpu fan run and then just stop and then run when i reboot it and just stop
and when it stopped my computer rebooted everytime

Seeing as how the computer won't POST any longer, it's not an issue with the fan. The reason your computer would reboot after your fan stopping is because without the fan (unless you have a fanless heatsink) the processor core would get too hot and therefore lock or reboot your system. Alternatively, your BIOS could have been set to immediately initiate a reboot if it sensed that the fan had ceased working.

Background: I've been building computers since I was 15 (over 13 years now), and I've been working in IT for 10.

I'd know if the CPU fan wasn't working, especially since I had a Win7 widget telling me my exact core temps all the time. Basically, the only time I've ever seen this problem was when I was being stupid and updating my BIOS without a UPS attached to the computer, the power went out during the update, and I bricked the BIOS as a result. Without an operational BIOS, the motherboard can't issue or process instructions, the conductors and such still work to deliver power, but there's no communication within it... it's basically the initial brain of the motherboard before the bridge(s) take over for the next layer of instructions... at least that's how it works in layman's terms.