Joel wrote:
twomt wrote:

Hello,

I fear I have a hardware problem somewhere, can someone give me some
hints on how to locate the root cause?

The computer is getting power as the fan is blowing normal and the
keyboard lights (caps-lock, num-lock and scroll-lock) blink once when I
press the power button.

Then it all stops, well... the fan continue to blows but nothing else
happens. This is before the bios screens come up when you initially
start your computer.

The monitor turns itself off saying it does not receive a signal, the
keyboard is not responding to anything (normally, num-lock would show
the light on/off) and my optical mouse is not showing the red lights it
normally does.

I've let it run for a while, but the state does not change.... it's
broken :s

Any ideas what might be causing?

Me? these are what I usually do.

1. I read and learn thing *before* thing starts happening to my system as
many and I doing at the moment. What I am trying to do is encouraging
others to take a opportunity for future problem.

2. I would try to see *if* it causes by hardware or software.

- Hardware - I would go to CMOS setting screen, and often most problems
solve itself just by entering the CMOS setting. Or usually the CMOS will
detect something changed and recogize and fix itself.

Then check either Power-supply, memory, video, audio cards etc. make sure
them have good connection.

- Software, then sometime just boot to .. I forget what it's called .. ohh
"Safe Made" can sold some software/hardware related issue itself. Or on
safe mode Windows may have to load some specific program, then update the
working Windows to normal boot. Yes, sometime it's so weird but works
sometime

Or booting using util like util called "Winternal" and I don't know
exactly what it does, but my systems with booting issue were solved by
just boot with "Winternal". But I ain't recognize to jump straight to
Winternal without taking a chance to learn what's going on.

Thanks,
twomt

1. I am not getting this statement...

2. CMOS, as I wrote the PC locks up / stops booting before this point. I
haven't been able to get into the CMOS. Because it already happens at
this point, I am suspecting a hardware or bios issue. If it was
software, I would imagine that it would stop only at a later point.

I've already unplugged the cards and stuck them back in, no change.
As most of the stuff is on-board, I can't do a lot with it anyway.

The other option to reset the CMOS is probably the best way to go
forward for now. And perhaps to find a spare-parts PC that I can use to
see if I can locate the root cause.

But thanks for your response anyway.