Spider Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 A friend asked me for advice on her computer because it's acting very strange. And since I'm not sure what the problem is, I figured I'd throw the question to the boards to see if there is any help. A while ago her network connection died. We know it's not just internet problems, because she has other computers that have connected to the internet since. So she did what any reasonable person would do, rebooted the computer. Only the computer wouldn't start, at least not at first. She pressed the power button, but nothing happened. She then went away from the computer only to have it start 5-15 minutes later (with no more pressing the power button after the first attempt, it just started by itself). A few days later, she turned the computer off and pulled the power chord. When returning the chord to the computer, the power LED lit up, but nothing more happened. Then when she got back in the room a few hours later, the computer was running, this time without the power button being pressed at all. The computer always takes 5-15 minutes to begin the start-up process after the power button is pressed now. And the network connection is still not working. She has a motherboard with integrated network card. I don't know the brand or model atm, but I can find out if it's necessary. We both believe the motherboard is the most likely culprit, but either of us feels qualified to say for sure. So any help would be welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samm Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 She has a motherboard with integrated network card. I don't know the brand or model atm, but I can find out if it's necessary. We both believe the motherboard is the most likely culprit, but either of us feels qualified to say for sure.Well, I can only copy that sentence, because I think the same but don't feel qualified to say for sure The behaviour seems very strange however, quite unlike every dying mobo I've seen so far... Did you ever check the network traffic, whether it really doesn't work or just isn't exposed to the user? I'm thinking of a "Zombie" here (part of a bot net), but I'm even less qualified on such terrain... Citizen of a country with a racist, hypocritical majority Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadly_Nightshade Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 A virus might have infected the boot-sector of the drive, I've seen similar cases and it's damn hard to get rid of the buggers. "Geez. It's like we lost some sort of bet and ended up saddled with a bunch of terrible new posters on this forum." -Hurlshot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moatilliatta Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Could that create such a problem though? I've seen boot-sector viruses but never anything like what is described in the OP. Have you tried to do a windows repair (or whatever it is called)? Ruling out potential software problems is always a good way to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samm Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 How could the problem occur at boot time if it was a windows problem? If it is indeed a form of virus, it must have affected something that can cause problems at the very start of the PC (boot sectors? bios?)... A hardware malfunction still seems to be more probable to me - but again: I'm not really qualified. Citizen of a country with a racist, hypocritical majority Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moatilliatta Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I'm not qualified either, it just seems logical to remove any chance of software errors before messing with the hardware. If it is a virus then a Win repair should fix it? If it isn't fixed then you try the hardware. Trial and error is a vastly underused problemsolving method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripleRRR Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 If the computer simply is not turning on then a windows repair won't do anything. Windows does not direclty iteract with the hardware to cause the computer to not turn on for 15 mins. I would suggest to try updating the MOBO BIOS. If that doesn't work then you could try swapping out the power supply with a different one. One more thing is to try and test the ram for a few hours with prime 95, doubtful but might as well just to be thorough. And if that fails you might as well just buy a new mobo. Using a gamepad to control an FPS is like trying to fight evil through maple syrup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spider Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Thanks for all the advice so far. I'll probably try and see if I can help her this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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