Dead Computer - Ideas anyone?

[Aaron]

I got a call today to go round and sort a friend of mines computer. He said \"I was playing world of warcraft and then the screen went blank and everything stopped\". So I went round, and basically the monitor stays in power save mode when it starts up. All I know about it is that its an AMD Athlon (Socket A) board. The guy doesnt know anything else about it, and there arent any markings on the mobo at all either!!

Heres what ive tried so far:

- Starting up just with the basics (CPU, RAM, GFX)
- Tried clearing BIOS
- Starting up with no GFX card
- Starting up with no RAM
- Starting up with no HD
- Swapped in a different graphics card known to be good
- Swapped in different RAM, known to be good.
- Tried existing RAM in every slot and every configuration of 1&2 sticks
- Tried new RAM in all slots

I cant think of anything else to try!

When I start it up, it does one of 3 things.
1) Nothing (no beep)
2) Continual Long Beeps
3) One Long Beep followed 2 short beeps. But it actually sounds like the long beep is just broken and not sounding correctly!

I thought it sounded like a RAM problem to begin with cos of the beep codes, but now i'm thinking its more likely to be a dead/dying motherboard as ive tried good ram in there.

Im all out of ideas!! Anyone else wanna chip in?!

[mac124]

either psu / mobo / cpu is fubar, i know its stating the obvious but theres not alot else left to try after what you have already done.

Psu would be the easiest to try, whip the one of of your pc, assuming its powerful enough and try that.

[Aaron]

yeah, PSU/mobo was my last option really.. its not worth salvaging if its the CPU cos its not a new machine - its probably more effective to just buy a new box and be done with it!

Im thinking the mobo is scuppered tho.

[Ben]

There isn't a fan that broken that stopping it POSTing is there?

If not, you can still pick up cheap socket A mobo's for around the 15 quid mark so may be worth getting one to try?