Starts by it self, Shuts off by it self

billy0320 · 03-11-2008, 09:00 PM

Hi,

I have an XP computer that as soon as I plug in the power cord it turns on. Automatically even with out me pressing the "on" button before. Even if I wait a while to see if there is power in some resister or something it still turns on by it self.

I cant access the computer in any way because it wont register my keyboard.
meaning I can't go to safe mode, and when I could access the BIOS it wont
respond to any other keyboard commands.

And before I know it, it turns off. I won't boot up again by it self it just goes off

any ideas to what it could be.

**Digerati** · 03-11-2008, 11:25 PM

Quote:

any ideas to what it could be.

Not good.

First, did it ever work right? If so, were there any hardware changes lately? I think what I would do is unplug it from the wall, open the side and touch bare metal to discharge any static. Locate the battery, pry it out with your thumbnail, or some non-metallic prying device and set it aside. Inspect for loose cables connectors, and clean the interior of heat trapping dust while in there, and giving each fan a little flick to ensure it spins freely, while hanging on to bare metal of the case to keep static away. Then inspect again to ensure all cables go where they are supposed to, and are snug. If this motherboard is older than a year, take battery to your local battery/camera/watch counter and get a new one. They are only a couple dollars/quid/euros. Most counters will recycle the old, a good thing.

Do not touch new battery with bare skin - the oils attract dust and promote corrosion, I put a clean sock over my hand. Hopefully it will allow you to enter the BIOS because that is exactly where you must immediately go. Check the date and time, and verify drives have been properly identified, touch left ear, then "Save" and Exit and see what happens.

billy0320 · 05-11-2008, 08:52 PM

Hey, I have done all this and still it keeps doing the same thing.
and yeah the computer did work at one point

when I start the computer it says

loading IDE drivers and then it says none for most of them except for one
it turns off as i try to read it.
but Im not sure if its looking for IDE drivers and my hard-drive is a SATA
driver? or if i have it confused with something else.

then it says-
CMOS checksum errors - defaults loaded
and it turns off

I still have no idea to what it could be.
and the more frequently that I turn it on, the faster it keeps shutting off.

**Digerati** · 05-11-2008, 11:00 PM

Quote:

CMOS checksum errors - defaults loaded
and it turns off

Depending on the BIOS, that is what you get after you reset the BIOS by pulling the battery for awhile. It is telling you the hardware it sees now is not what the CMOS has saved (now reset to factory defaults). That is why I said you have to go straight in to the BIOS Setup Menu, set date and time, check drives, then "save" and exit. That places a "checksum" in CMOS memory, being kept alive by the battery. Once saved and it boots, the BIOS sees your drives, RAM, CPU, etc., the checksum matches what is in CMOS, and the boot process continues.

Did you put a new battery in? I would.

If that is a new battery, then unplug the computer from the wall and pull your hard drive. Note the maker. Find another computer and install that drive in a drive enclosure attached to, or as a secondary (or slave) drive - (NOT the boot drive) installed in the computer. Scan it for malware then copy off any files you do not want to lose. Go out to
Hard Drive Diagnostics and follow the link to your drive maker's website to download the diagnostics program for your drive (usually, one or two files works for the whole model line, past and current).

Once it passes diagnoses, it can go back in your PC. With a new battery and good HD, if the boot process does not get past a BIOS checksum, I would suspect the motherboard is history.

To be sure, pull all but one stick of RAM, and leave the monitor plugged in, along with the keyboard and mouse. No drives, no extra USB devices, then reboot. You should see the graphics splash screen then the boot process should continue until it cannot find a boot disk. If you don't get that far, you can try swapping RAM sticks and trying again.

And it never hurts to swap in a known good power supply.

You can test your RAM using one of the following programs. Both require you to create and boot to a bootable floppy disk or CD to run the diagnostics. Using the floppy method is generally easier and yet another reason I still include floppy drives in my new PC builds. However, the CD method is just as effective at detecting RAM problems. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors.

Windows Memory Diagnostic - see the easy to follow instructions under Quick Start Information.
or
MemTest86+ (for more advanced users) - an excellent how-to guide is available here.

billy0320 · 24-11-2008, 07:03 PM

Hey I finally got it up and running!

I guess when I checked for the cables, I didnt check for the CPU fan correctly. It was spinning and it looked like it was on correctly.

Then on Friday i was just playing with it again, and notice that one of the plastics to hold the fan was off a little. I put it in correctly, and it worked

apparently the CPU was getting hot and turning off, and it would keep turning off faster because it was already hot from seconds before. sorry for the troubles, but

THANKS!!!!!!!

**Digerati** · 24-11-2008, 11:20 PM

Wow! That's a good thing the CPU has some built in safe guards. Please note that most TIM cures after a few heat/cool cycles. It might be a good idea to pull the fan again and put a fresh layer on.

See TIM.

Upgradesforever · 25-11-2008, 01:13 AM

Wow, this is good to know for future reference! Good thing it turned out to be something simple and nothing got damaged! Some people have more luck than they know.