help me revive a dead computer?

[zanzibuz]

I am trying to fix a friend's computer. It is a Compaq presario 5020, Celery 333, 64megs, and the normal components. its just under 3 years old.

It has died.

I was going to reformat the computer and reinstall windows becuase it was having various errors related to windows being installed for 3 years.

I started format, and left to go to work. I figured that there would be no harm leaving the computer running all day asking me if I wanted to label the disk.

when I got home, it appeared that the computer was turned off. The only problem was that I could do nothing to make the computer turn back on. no matter what i tried, it would not boot back up. i couldn't get any lites to light up, nor the power source fan to spin. nothing. completely dead.

I even tried to hotwire the switch in the front to see if that was the problem. still no luck.

i asked my friend about it, and she said that once just a few days before i got it, it refused to turn on. she somehow fiddled with the power switch on the power source and the button in the front and it eventually came back on for her. I didn't have as good of luck as she apparantly did, because i never could get it to boot up.

so i figured that the power source must have died while it was on all day.

I got a new power source and put it in, and still the same problem. it still wont turn on.

I am out of ideas. It was hooked up to my UPS, so i really really extremely doubt that a power surge fried the mobo. ive never heard of any fuses on motherboards. it cant be the power supply, unless the new one is as dead as the old one.

any ideas? I cant think of anything else to do.

Garth

[DonJ]

In case you haven't already done so, go here for "Maintenance and Service Guide."

I didn't try chasing down your particular problem but hopefully, you'll be able to find something to head you in the right direction.

Let us know how it goes...Good Luck!
Don

[sykophreak]

I had a customer with your problem recently. Compaq replaced the power supply under warrenty, but a few days later she was back in with the same problem. Figured out that it was the motherboard. Compaq sent a replacement, I popped it in, and the machine came up. That was about 3 weeks ago, and we haven't heard a complaint from the customer yet.

[rblockmon]

It could be the power switch, i had the same problem, untill i replaced it.

rblockmon

[unknown4x]

compaq motheboards use weirdo propietary switches and their motherboards are not very good at relaying the power... bad mobo.. or try replacing the "monsoon" style switch or whatever style switch...

[Hebenon]

I had the same problem once. Try clearing the CMOS, that worked for me.