Computer not working - Where do I start?

Gateway 400 tower - Win98 - 192 Ram - About 4 years old -

Had some bad weather this AM so I got up, shut down & turned off the computer, unplugged from wall, unplugged phone line going to modem, unplugged power to everything..... Was running fine with I shut her down.

Weather clears and I plug everything back in and the CPU will not power up at all. My monitor, speakers, modem, router, printer and scanner all power up just fine... But the button you press to turn the CPU on doesn't even click or have any resistence to it when pushed.

I have unplugged time and time again. Checked all the cables.. But so far it seems it just gave up the ghost and died.

Where do I start? Please keep in mind I know very little (if anything) about the internal workings of computers.

Thanks for any and all help.

Pigfanatic

 

Just got off the phone with Gateway support... After having me unplug everything from the back they had me hold down the power button for 10 seconds, then plug in the power only.. Nothing.

Then I moved it to another room and plugged it in there... Nothing.

Their best guess is that it needs a new power supply...

Does this sound about right?


Of course they sell them (about $40.00) but said that I could get one from just about anywhere... Is one better than the other? Can/Should I have this power supply tested before buying a new one? Any tips on reconnecting all those wires?

Thanks again!

 

Replacing the power supply is a simple and may well solve the problem. Power supplies don't last forever, anyway. There are variations in quality among the same wattages. If you buy one locally, ask for the good one. Be sure to take your case with you to get one that fits. Some of the brand name vendors use proprietary designs. If that is the case, getting one from Dell will be as good as any.


Replacing one is straightforward. Connections are no-brainers. The power harness to the motherboard won't fit anything else, the harness to the drives won't fit anything else. It is possible to connect the power lead to the floppy drive upside down. This is a bad thing. Be careful with this one.

On the other hand, if you have never been inside your computer, post back and you can get some step by step instructions on how to go about it.

 

Thanks for the help....

I have been inside a few times... Installed a CD-R Drive, Network card and upgraded memory... I think this is something that I can do.

Just talked to someone about a new power supply... Mine says Max output 90w - they told me that this is too low.... That I need to go with a unit that has a larger output, maybe 150w. Is this true?

Thanks yet again!

 

You can never be too thin, too rich, or have too much power. I am amazed at 90 watts. I would have figured 200 watts at least. Nowadays, 200 is small. 300 and up are the norm.

 

Wow, are you sure that thing is only 4 years old? I haven't seen a 90W power supply in years. Yeah, it's probably gone. Even if it's not, it can't hurt to replace it.

Newer computers have a switch on the back of the PS, make sure your's doesn't and if it does, make sure it's on.

Good luck!

 

Yep... It's a 90W alright, had hubby double check when he got home to make sure.

Went to get a new power supply... they didn't have one that was the same size/shape as mine so I got a new tower with a 300w power supply included for $26.00.

Now I have to transfer everything from the old one the the new tower... Any tips on how to best do this?

The old one is very, very dusty on the inside. What would be the best way to clean as I go?

 

Read this and ask questions. It can be challenging to try to cover this without pictures and such. Make sure you understand what you are doing before you start. I hope I have not missed anything.

Clean off the table. Turn on the lights. Get a small phillips head screw driver and a flashlight and a cup to put screws into.

Get the old case on the table. Take the screws out of the back. If the case has a wrap around cover it should slide back slightly then come free. If it has two side they will come off individually, slide back a bit and they will be free. Or some variation of this.

Blow the dust out. You can dust with a fine brush such as a polyester paint brush. Don't wipe anything.

Lay the case down flat so you can see inside. The add on cards such as sound, video, NIC, modem and such have small phillips head screws holding a metal tab to the frame of the case. Remove these screws and put them in the cup. The ones you drop inside the case can be retrieved in a minute. Grasp the cards one at a time near the end and the end with the metal plate and pull up with a slight rocking motion along the length of the card not from side to side. The cards will pull straight out. They will suddenly come free so watch. Pile them out the way.

Drives. Unplug the wiring harness and IDE cables to the drives and let them hang. There are many configurations but generally, there are screws in the sides of the area where the HDD and CD are mounted on both sides. Remove the screws to the CD first. It slides out the front. Next, the HDD. It slides out the back. It has an exposed circuit board on it. Avoid touching this as much as possible. Set these out of the way. The FDD comes out the same as the HDD. Sometimes these drives are in cages that come out and the drives then come out the cages.

Unplug any wires or cables or harnesses that are connected to the motherboard. The power connector has tabs on it that must be depressed in order to free it. Squeeze them and pull gently straight up.

With any luck, there is now nothing over the motherboard. That is, you could lift it straight out if it were free. There will be 5 or 6 or more screws holding the motherboard to the case. Remove these screws and put them in the cup with the others from the case and the drives.

If the motherboard mounts to a separate mounting frame, it will be accessible from the other side of the case. Ordinarily, there is one screw to remove and the frame with motherboard will come out through the bottom. The fan, processor, and memory chips will have to be removed in order to accomplish this.



Gently. If it does not come easily there is still something holding it in. Lift the motherboard by the front edge and pull back slightly to disengage the connectors at the back. It should lift out with the fan, processor and memory chips intact. Set it to the side. Handle it by the edges.

Retrieve any lost screws from the case. The case now has only the power supply left inside.

If the motherboard power connector won't come out because the fan is in the way. Remove the fan. There is a small metal clip on the fan for processors the lie flat on the motherboard. Press down on the clip and pull the bottom of the clip out to disengage it from the locking stud on the processor mount. This is a tight manuver, but be gentle. Study the arrangement using the flashlight before you proceed.

Processors that stand on edge normally don't present a problem. If one needs to be removed, slide the locking levers along the ends or top. It will come straight up and lift out easily.

Now. The new case.
The new case should have instructions as to how to assemble it and install the motherboard. It all goes back in the way it came out. If you drop a screw during assembly, you absolutely must retrieve it before going any further.

Install the motherboard. Attach the power connector. Don't tighten the screws too much. The processor and fan are next, then memory chips. Make sure to connect the power lead from the fan to the motherboard if is was unplugged earlier. The memory slots are marked. Start with slot 0 and fill them in order. The chips will go in only one way. Don't force them. Make sure the white plastic locks engage the chips. Next install the drives. There are the same variations of cages and mounting frames. The Cd usually goes on top. The HDD drive beneath that. The FDD has its own rack.

Using the diagram from the instructions connect the wires to the motherboard that come from the case for power on and off, reset, hard drive light, case speaker, and anything else that may be there. They usually go all in the same area of the board. The connections are marked on the board and the plugs on the wires. Use the flashlight to read them. The order is not important as to how they are installed. You need the power on and off and the reset button and speaker. The rest are optional. Now there is not power connected to anything but the motherboard. The processor and fan are installed. The fan is plugged in to the motherboard. The memory chips are in place. Check to make sure that nothing is in the way of the fan to interfere with the movement of the blades.

With the power switch on the back of the computer case in the off position, connect the power cord. Turn the power on and see if the fan starts. If not, depress the power on/off switch on the front of the case. The fan should start. If the fan on the processor does not start immediately as the fan on the power supply comes on , turn the power off immediately. If the fan on the power supply starts but the fan on the processor does not start, turn othe power switch off immediately, unplug the power cord to the case and check the power connector to the motherboard. After 5 - 10 seconds you should hear a beep, when the board passes its Power On Self Test.

Turn the computer off, disconnect the power cord from the case. Install the add on cards. The video card may go into a special slot all its own. The other cards can go in any slot. Remove the metal plates from access ports on the back of the case so the cards can be mounted. The cards push straight in. Be sure they seat. Install the screws through the plates at the ends of the cards into the case.

Drive cables. They are marked on the motherboard. They have keys molded into the connectors so they won't go in wrong. IDE 0 is usually for the HDD and CD on the same cable. The HDD connects to the end of the cable and the CD connects the midway connector. If you have two IDE cables, the one from IDE 0 on the board goes to the HDD and the one from IDE 1 goes to the CD. The floppy drive connector is nearby on the board and is marked. These are usually keyed on both ends. If not the red stripe on the FDD cable goes toward the power connector on the FDD. The end of the FDD cable with the twist in it goes toward the FDD. Connect the power to the HDD and CD. These connectors are keyed and won't go on wrong. The FDD power connector can be installed backwards. Check this carefully. If it goes on wrong it will kill the FDD. The connector has a groove in it to match a tab on the drive. But it will go on wrong.

Now check to see that there is nothing loose inside the case. Pull the excess wiring out of the way of the fans. Check to make sure there is nothing left over. The smallest screws go to the CD.

Put the covers on the case and take it to its home. Connect your monitor and everything else. Fire it up and see what happens next.

Hope this helps.

 

The only thing I see wrong, Chris, is that lack of warning about static electricity. Especially when dealing with the internal components.

Since you will be working inside the case on a bare case, you shouldn't have a static electricity problem. However, be very careful if you have to move the Memory, CPU, and Mainboard. Touch the metal case BEFORE you deal with any of these components. It just takes one shock and you can completely fry the CPU. With a little extra care, you will have no problems.

Gateway's are pretty good computers (after seeing this, I may have to change my mind about that though - 90W PS??? - still blows my mind.) Anyway, the point is, you shouldn't have any problems moving the board and everything over. It might not be a bad idea to check the power connection for the Motherboard on your new PS. You may have an old AT board. If you have an ATX PS, the connector won't fit. Some PS's do have both connectors too, so it may not be a problem. I would just hate for you to come back here saying your new PS doesn't have the right connector for your board - and you have parts laying everywhere.

Keep a computer handy, if you can, so you can post your questions here, when they come up - I'm sure you will have a few. It's not a hard process by any means, but newbie DIY'ers sometimes find it overwhelming. This is a big step from installing memory, CD's and PCI cards

Good luck!

 

Thanks so much for all the help!! Everyone here is so helpful!




The new tower is bigger than the old one..... This is good since it gives me lots of room to work in - but man does it take up alot of room!

Got everything switched over and it seems to be working well... I'm typing this on it. The power supply and fan already being in the tower was a big help I'm sure.
The only problem that I ran into was there was one small two wire connection (3pin) from my old power supply that plugged in just below the battery... The new power supply does not have this two wire/3pin set up. It has a square four pin connector with 2 yellow wires & 2 black wires -AND- one six pin flat connector with 3 black, 2 orange and1 red... I can't find anything near the battery to plug either of these into.

When I booted up the system for the first time I got the following message:

CMOS Setting Wrong

CMOS Display Type Wrong

.... I pressed F10 to run anyway and everything seems to be working fine. Is the missing wire near the battery the cause of the CMOS error?
I can provide picture of the old wire, new wire and mother board if it will help.

Again, Thanks for all the help!

 

PS sometimes have extra connectors. Don't plug in anything that does not match. That is, don't put a 4 pin connector on a 3 pin.

The CMOS error may not recur. The board and everything are not back in the same position as before. That is not a problem with new BIOS.

You might call Gateway about the missing connection. It may be that there is some workaround.

 

That sounds like a fan header, but it could be something else.

Those other connections you're talking about (the 4-pin and 6-pin) are probably for other devices. Do NOT plug them into the board. They are hot wires that supply power to something. They could very well damage the board. The only thing from the PS that needs to be plugged into the board is the main header.

The CMOS needs to reset itself for the new settings. The next time you restart, go into the CMOS (usually by pressing F1) and Exit with Save. This will save the new Board configuration for your computer. After that you shouldn't see anymore CMOS errors.

 

Hi Pigfanatic,

Where did you get a 300w PS and case for $26?
I can't find a case by itself for that.

Anyway, you did the right thing in getting the new stuff.
90W is low, even for a four year old system with the things you added.

But, what I wanted to ask. Did you check the power supply button on your old case to see if that is what broke?

That no tension on the button makes me think that your problem might have been there.

Well, Good Luck with the semi-new comp.

 

Hubby was wondering about the on/off button as well... either way this was probably the cheapest way to go. With the added plus of knowing that we DID IT!! After today we have decided to put our next computer together ourselves.

We got the case at Ginstar Parts & Service in Marietta, GA. Their web site is www.ginstar.com. The sales flyer that we picked up in the store shows lower prices than the web page. (Also, I was wrong, it has a 400w PS)

thanks again for all the help!

 

Those "extra" wires are for connecting to a p4 motherboard/chip set. Obviously you dont need them. Just tuck them out of the way.I looked up the gateway 90 watt ps, and found it for $65.00, and found a generic one for $28.00. I'd say you did good.Without knowing your gateway computer model number and or motherboard type, I cant tell you what the wire that you did have was for.Gonna build your own, huh? Be careful or you just might become true doityourselfers!!! Good luck and enjoy.

 

Well, I had a whole post about Ginstar's site being "Under Contruction" but then I realized the URL caught the period at the end of the sentence, so it wasn't their site.

BTW, Pigfanatic, that's why you see me as editing your post. It was nothing you did wrong, it just the way auto-URL works.