Advice on a PeeCee

[JaXanim]

I've been given a PC/Pentium-something-or-other/Win95, which was running OK a few weeks ago. When I first tried it, I could hear the HD running but it wouldn't boot.

Later, I couldn't get any life out of it at all. Anyway, I checked all the innards and found that the power supply had blown. There were capacitor casings rattling around in the box.

So, I've just fitted a new 350watt ATX power supply and now the HD runs, but it doesn't boot, the floppy drive seems lifeless, there's no video output and no beeps at all.

Being completely PC illiterate, does this sound bad?

What should I check first? Any advice, apart from chuck it in the bin!

Cheers,

JaX

[Methuselas]

Jax, when the floppy is 'lifeless', is the light permantly on or if you put a bootable DOS floppy in it, it does nothing?

You'll probably be safer reinstalling Windoze, but if it's Win95, you're screwed unless you've got a boot floppy.

Are there any BIOS errors upon boot? Does everything seem to startup without any errors? If the floppy is bad, it should give you a floppy fail (40) error. If it doesn't, then unplug the floppy from the motherboard and reboot. If it doesn't give you a floppy fail (40) error, the floppy bus is probably flaky.

As for the capacitator issue, check the mobo to make sure that they AREN'T from the Mobo itself.

give me some more information and I'll see if I can't help you out. Let me appreciate that A+ certification I got years ago.
 :-D

[EDIT] After reading again what you wrote, it sounds like the Mobo is dead... :-(  :-?

[Holley]

Remove the video card and switch it on, if the built in speaker on the motherboard beeps at you, it's not all dead.  Same if you try without any memory, too.

[JaXanim]

@Methuselas

The floppy light never comes on, even with the Win95 boot floppy in it (have that thankfully).

There are no obvious errors on boot, 'cos it doesn't boot!

All I've got is power to the HD and little else apparently.

The capacitors were definitely from the defunct power pack. They were inside the box when I opened it up and the remnants were still attached to the board.

All that seems to work atm is the on/off switch on the front panel. Well it switches on OK, but to switch off I have to use the power supply switch. I guess this means summat...?

Cheers,

JaX

[Holley]

If it's an ATX PSU the default behaviour is to shut down after you've been holding down the power button for 4 or 5 seconds.

A regular Win95 boot floppy is useless unless someone's put a CDRom driver on and configured it!  Of course you could install Win95 from floppy (13 dmf format disks, or 22 regular ones).  Win98 or up will boot from the CD itself on any machine new enough for an ATX PSU connector to fit ... provided it's configured to in the BIOS ...

Old PCs get very complicated very quickly!

[The_Editor]

for what its worth ..

a brand new Mobo only costs £25 for a cheapy.


But I'd go with Holley's suggestion.  If it beeps,  It works.

I think no graphics card is around 8 beeps

[graffias79]

Hello

Maybe when the power supply blew, it took some motherboard components with it.  I've seen it happen many many many times here at work!

-Jamie

[JaXanim]

@All

I think the mobo must have died. There's just nothing happening. No beeps, no floppy drive light, nothing.

It doesn't have a graphics card!

I'll see if I can get another mobo, but I've no idea what I need. It's a Packard Bell desktop with a CD Rom drive and that's about all I know.

Prob'ly easier to take it to local computer fixer and pay to have it fixed, eh?

Cheers,

Jax

[The_Editor]

ooooooooooooooo

Packard Bell   ( Holds up Crucifix)

 :-o


JaXanim ... DONT take it to a dealer !!

The price you pay to fix an antiquated Doorstop like that you could build a low spec (but damn sight higher spec than that PB) PC.

Check out Ebuyer

[The_Editor]

HERE's  a good start.

 :-o

[JaXanim]

Hmmm... I'm getting drawn into summat I vowed never to do, building a PC!

Well, if I only need a cheap mobo and if all the other stuff in the case will be OK with it, I'll have a shot.

I assume the CPU will transfer?

It's got a whacking great fan on top, but it's not connected, never has been by the look! There's a sort of spring clip/latch gizmo holding it all down. If I manage to get that off, how do I know which mobo I need for the cpu/RAM module, etc?

Sorry to seem so dim, but I've only ever owned Amigas. It's the way I was brought up.

Cheers,

JaX

[Holley]

A Packard Bell wouldn't even work if you used it as a doorstop.  The floppy, hard disk and PSU (if it's a proper ATX one) should swap into something else, throw the rest in an incinerator.

Many Packard Bells use non-standard motherboards, and REALLY bad components (advertising slogan - Packard Bell, 30% slower for free).

You can get 2nd hand reconditioned 200MHz units for under £40 complete, barebones new 2400MHz (equivalent) systems for £100, both without having to open the case.  Find a PC friend to get their old Windows CDs from and you're away ;-)

It's more complex than getting an old Amiga because of the myriad of companies churning out PC gear, and Windows can be a PITA to install if you're unfamiliar with how Windows works on the inside (not like installing OS 3.5!) - no worries about sounding dumb when talking about PCs!

This message was brought to you by South Humberside Information Technology :-)

[sir_inferno]

em, forgive me for being ignorant, but why can't is simply be that the bios chip is buggered?  :-?

[The_Editor]

Coz its a Packard Bell !!

[Holley]

How often do you see a bios chip without a motherboard attached?!  If it won't boot at all you can't re-flash easily (it's more than likely surface mounted - look for an 'Award' hologram on PBs).

If you had an A4000T that wasn't booting you'd bother with that kind of attention, it'd be like having a vintage Ferrari with a blown engine - if you had a rusty Fiat Uno with a blown engine would you do a ground up restoration?