A saga of computing support.
Dec. 29th, 2005 12:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theweaselkingSo, we finally fixed ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
torrain's computer, last night.
For those just joining our saga, starting one night early in December, the machine simply shut itself off mid-use, and then it would not turn back on. The power button on the front did nothing - the switch at the back would turn it on, the disks would spin up, and then it would turn itself back off. This machine is roughly 4 months old and has had no problems in the past.
EDIT: We changed the power cord, we changed the outlet, we plugged other things in to the same outlet. It wasn't that. Also, it *did* happen at the store, repeatedly, using their power cords and outlets. This edit added because lots of people guessed that, and it wasn't clear enough, I guess, that we DID repeat the problem at the store, and I hadn't mentioned that we'd tried that. This was definitely a PC problem.
For shits and giggles, how about you tell *me* what you think the problem might have been, at each step of the way, here.
Trip #1
We took it into the local computer repair shop where I bought it to get it looked at. I'm thinking bad power supply, right? Ten minutes of hardware repair, covered by the warrantee, we go home.
Well, we pulled the power supply, replaced it, and the problem kept happening. To troubleshoot, we started pulling the power from devices. Unplugged the CD-ROM - no change. Unplugged HDD#1: No change. Unplugged HDD #2: No change. Unplugged a little tiny power cord running from the front of the case: Bang, problem solved. A little investigation revealed that we'd just unplugged.... the little blue LED that lights up the power button while the machine is in use.
So, we think this is weird, chalk it up as a warrantee repair, and go home. Plug it in, turn it on, it runs.torrain is happily puttering around on it, and suddenly it turns off again. Same symptoms.
Trip #2
Back to the store (who are good people and who I highly recommend for all your computer needs) to tell them it's happening again. We drop the machine off because it's late and they won't get to it immediately.
They call the next morning. It's working now - what were we doing to cause the issue? I tell them, and the call comes back two days later: They can't duplicate the problem. It's been running fine for two days straight, under pseudo-normal use, CPU Burn-In, and everything else they can think of. I take the PC home, plug it in - and it's completely dead. No power at all.
At this point,torrain is grinding her teeth and swearing. She moves her old, obsolete PC into her room to take the new one's place of honour.
Trip #3
At this point, we're thinking bad motherboard.torrain and dolston take it back into the store - I'm not along for this trip, since I've got another commitment. It's looked at on the spot by the puzzled and frustrated denovan... who can't duplicate the problem. It's working PERFECTLY. He gets set to send it home with a new power supply again, when suddenly it dies. Same thing as before - power button on the front stops responding or only works occasionally, system power comes on briefly and then turns off again. torrain breathes a sigh of relief that the problem is happening again, and since they dont' have this motherboard in stock any more, it's sent off for replacement.
A week and a half pass.
I get a call fromdenovan telling me that the machine is back. He's swapped out the memory just in case, plugged it in, and run it, again without issue, for two more days.
I take it home. It's DOA. At this point, being a clever monkey, I realise that the only thing we're doing is moving the case - and so I pick up the case, turn it around, put it down, hit the button, and bang, it's working perfectly again. This is over Christmas. The machine dies every few hours. In all cases, jiggling the case solves the problem for another few hours.torrain uses the machine like this for a few days, until the store opens again, yesterday, and
Trip #4
I take it back in, secure in my ability to replicate the problem at will now, and knowing that it's obviously something physical.
Except that once I get it into the store, it works again and we can't make it break.
Now's the time to take your final guess as to what the problem was, here. Bear in mind that we've replaced power supply, motherboard, and RAM so far, and that it's been happening both at home and in the store, intermittently, and that moving the case solves the problem temporarily.
The last clue was something thattorrain noticed: When it dies mid-use, it doesn't turn the power right off. It *shuts down properly* before refusing to come back on. A lightbulb appeared over our heads: instead of just moving the case, denovan rapped sharply on the front, right it beside the power button.
TAP TAP - computer shuts down.
TAP TAP - computer turns on.
TAP TAP - computer shuts down.
That's right, somebody installed The Clapper in her PC. No, wait, that's not it, it was a PHYSICAL FUCKING SHORT OF THE POWER BUTTON ITSELF. Torrain's room has a hardwood floor - her walking in the room, rolling her chair around, and even typing on the keyboard was vibrating it enough to move the contacts and tell the machine that the button was currently being pressed. That's why it would go on and then off again quickly when it was trying to boot - holding down the power button cuts the power after 5 seconds.
Pop the front of the case off, reach down, bend the pins away from each other so the wires don't touch, put the case back on, test it - works normally. Tap it - works normally. Bang on it, shake it, swear at it - problem does not come back.
Total time elapsed: most of a month, between sending it away for repairs, the time it took to test it in the shop, and the usually 2 day turnaround of getting it home, having it break, and taking it back again. Total cost: under warrantee. Chance that we'll know this one for next time: Pretty close to 100%.
torrain's computer, last night.For those just joining our saga, starting one night early in December, the machine simply shut itself off mid-use, and then it would not turn back on. The power button on the front did nothing - the switch at the back would turn it on, the disks would spin up, and then it would turn itself back off. This machine is roughly 4 months old and has had no problems in the past.
EDIT: We changed the power cord, we changed the outlet, we plugged other things in to the same outlet. It wasn't that. Also, it *did* happen at the store, repeatedly, using their power cords and outlets. This edit added because lots of people guessed that, and it wasn't clear enough, I guess, that we DID repeat the problem at the store, and I hadn't mentioned that we'd tried that. This was definitely a PC problem.
For shits and giggles, how about you tell *me* what you think the problem might have been, at each step of the way, here.
Trip #1
We took it into the local computer repair shop where I bought it to get it looked at. I'm thinking bad power supply, right? Ten minutes of hardware repair, covered by the warrantee, we go home.
Well, we pulled the power supply, replaced it, and the problem kept happening. To troubleshoot, we started pulling the power from devices. Unplugged the CD-ROM - no change. Unplugged HDD#1: No change. Unplugged HDD #2: No change. Unplugged a little tiny power cord running from the front of the case: Bang, problem solved. A little investigation revealed that we'd just unplugged.... the little blue LED that lights up the power button while the machine is in use.
So, we think this is weird, chalk it up as a warrantee repair, and go home. Plug it in, turn it on, it runs.
torrain is happily puttering around on it, and suddenly it turns off again. Same symptoms.Trip #2
Back to the store (who are good people and who I highly recommend for all your computer needs) to tell them it's happening again. We drop the machine off because it's late and they won't get to it immediately.
They call the next morning. It's working now - what were we doing to cause the issue? I tell them, and the call comes back two days later: They can't duplicate the problem. It's been running fine for two days straight, under pseudo-normal use, CPU Burn-In, and everything else they can think of. I take the PC home, plug it in - and it's completely dead. No power at all.
At this point,
torrain is grinding her teeth and swearing. She moves her old, obsolete PC into her room to take the new one's place of honour.Trip #3
At this point, we're thinking bad motherboard.
torrain and dolston take it back into the store - I'm not along for this trip, since I've got another commitment. It's looked at on the spot by the puzzled and frustrated denovan... who can't duplicate the problem. It's working PERFECTLY. He gets set to send it home with a new power supply again, when suddenly it dies. Same thing as before - power button on the front stops responding or only works occasionally, system power comes on briefly and then turns off again. torrain breathes a sigh of relief that the problem is happening again, and since they dont' have this motherboard in stock any more, it's sent off for replacement.A week and a half pass.
I get a call from
denovan telling me that the machine is back. He's swapped out the memory just in case, plugged it in, and run it, again without issue, for two more days.I take it home. It's DOA. At this point, being a clever monkey, I realise that the only thing we're doing is moving the case - and so I pick up the case, turn it around, put it down, hit the button, and bang, it's working perfectly again. This is over Christmas. The machine dies every few hours. In all cases, jiggling the case solves the problem for another few hours.
torrain uses the machine like this for a few days, until the store opens again, yesterday, and Trip #4
I take it back in, secure in my ability to replicate the problem at will now, and knowing that it's obviously something physical.
Except that once I get it into the store, it works again and we can't make it break.
Now's the time to take your final guess as to what the problem was, here. Bear in mind that we've replaced power supply, motherboard, and RAM so far, and that it's been happening both at home and in the store, intermittently, and that moving the case solves the problem temporarily.
The last clue was something that
torrain noticed: When it dies mid-use, it doesn't turn the power right off. It *shuts down properly* before refusing to come back on. A lightbulb appeared over our heads: instead of just moving the case, denovan rapped sharply on the front, right it beside the power button.TAP TAP - computer shuts down.
TAP TAP - computer turns on.
TAP TAP - computer shuts down.
That's right, somebody installed The Clapper in her PC. No, wait, that's not it, it was a PHYSICAL FUCKING SHORT OF THE POWER BUTTON ITSELF. Torrain's room has a hardwood floor - her walking in the room, rolling her chair around, and even typing on the keyboard was vibrating it enough to move the contacts and tell the machine that the button was currently being pressed. That's why it would go on and then off again quickly when it was trying to boot - holding down the power button cuts the power after 5 seconds.
Pop the front of the case off, reach down, bend the pins away from each other so the wires don't touch, put the case back on, test it - works normally. Tap it - works normally. Bang on it, shake it, swear at it - problem does not come back.
Total time elapsed: most of a month, between sending it away for repairs, the time it took to test it in the shop, and the usually 2 day turnaround of getting it home, having it break, and taking it back again. Total cost: under warrantee. Chance that we'll know this one for next time: Pretty close to 100%.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 06:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 07:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 07:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 08:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 09:02 pm (UTC)And we tried it on multiple outlets, although I didn't say that at the time. Edited now.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 08:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 08:08 pm (UTC)I had a similar crazy issue with a hard disk upgrade/OS reinstall on a roommate's computer. I just couldn't get Windows to install, no matter what I did. So I boxed it up and took it to the shop (where I worked at the time, so kinda embarrassing). It worked fine.
The X factor? It became unstable when the case was open. I hadn't bothered to put it back together before installing Windows, in case I needed to switch jumpers or something, but I did when I took it to the shop.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 08:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-30 06:39 pm (UTC)Had very similar wonkyness (not the same, but similar) with the boyfriends computer that turned out the mobo wasn't grounded properly. If you caused any vibrations around the computer, it would reset as something somewhere got electricity it wasn't supposed to have. *reboot* *reboot* *re-re-boo-reboot*. Bastard.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-01 06:45 pm (UTC)