Help urgently needed

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

We are having problems with our pc, it wouldn't turn on at all this evening. I unpluged it & then plugged it in again & it came on briefly. I then changed the cable, as I thought the fuse had blown & it started up & went through a set up screen, but then came to the log in page. However when we clicked on an icon, it turned itself off again & then proceeded to turn on & off. I will not work at all again now? Please can someone offer advice, as we are no longer cover by insurance as at £17 a month, we could no longer afford it. :(

Many thanks

[WendyPusey]

Dave says that it could be one of 3 things.

Overheating
Failing Power supply or Motherboard
Malicious Program

All of which require a visit to a repair shop.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Oh no, that really doesn't sound good. :(

[Chrissie Smiff]

Is it a laptop Lynn? It sounds like what used to happen on my laptop before I got a cooling pad for it.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

No Chrissie, it is the pc, I am on the laptop at the moment.

Is there nothing I can try at home?

[moyes]

could be a loose connection.open case,switch off at mains first.check if motherboard or fan is full of dust.

you can get a can of pressed air can from maplans to clean or connect small tubin to your vacum cleaner nozle.

though check that their is no solder that has over heated on the board near your power connection as if this the case then time for a new pc.

you can get a cheap second hand one from your paper internet ready or if you know of a pc fair you can pick a base unit for 40 pound.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Thanks Moyes.
During the evening, it kept turning on & off again, but when we tried it this morning, there was nothing. :(. Sadly it looks like it might need to visit the repairman. Any idea how much it might cost for the problems ave suggested?

[moyes]

a shop will charge about 30 pound just to look at your pc.

is there no lights or noise,

if you have an old monitor that may have finished it's life.also check where your monitor is connected to your pc as if the connection moves then your graphics card may need to be pushed back in. quite easy to do.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Now there is no lights or noise it won't turn on at all. The mointor is still working fine.

[Cloggie]

If there are no lights, I wonder if it could be a problem with the computer's power supply unit?

I had a similar problem recently, but in my case the power supply was still working. When I switched the computer on, the power light and the fans would come on, but the computer wouldn't boot up at all (nothing coming up on the monitor whatsoever). I am fortunate to have a computer-expert friend, who took my computer away with him to diagnose the problem in his spare time. In my case it turned out the motherboard had died. A new motherboard only cost me about 80 euros, but of course I didn't have to pay any costs of labour as I didn't have to take it to a repair shop.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Thanks Sarah, I am sorry that I haven't noticed your reply sooner. However, miracles do happen & am am wrtining this on my PC which is now working again! I think that it maybe just needed a rest, but am glad to be back anyway.

[TrevorFranklin]

Lynn,

It sounds like the laptop was overheating, which is understandable at the moment.

The small fans that are under the laptop have to work extremely hard and sometimes cannot cool the unit fast enough.
This will cause the processor to get too hot and causes it to shutdown.

Trev

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Thanks Trevor, but it was my pc not the laptop, which had problems.

[TrevorFranklin]

Indicates that there was a power supply problem.

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Thanks, I shall keep that in mind for if it happens again

[Lindag]

Now you are back on your PC I would also take this opportunity to backup any important data you have on in just in case it goes again.

Linda

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

Hi Linda, I did back up my FTM, which was the only thing I had been working on recently. Yesterday, the pc shut down on me again :(, & now just goes on & off again, so I think that I will have to get it looked at.

[brenmac]

have you a start up disc?or go to start and ask on run to do a disca scan brenda xxx

[Lynn The Forest Fan]

A disc wouldn't help, as the computer won't start up.
We have had a man over today & the prblem appears to be the motherboard & we are hving it replaced. :(