Power on problems with HP Desktop Computer

[Adikavi]

Hello friends, I have a HP desktop computer which runs on Windows XP. It is on almost whole day. I switched the computer off last night and today the computer is not starting. When it is switched on, All the fans start spinning but the monitor does not display anything. The speed of the fans goes on increasing and then suddenly stops. The operating system does not boot at all. What might the problem be? Is this because of some virus? or Is this because of hardware failure?

[Maxforu]

This is typical problem of Operating system failure. Whenever the system is not able to find any operating system on the hard drive it does not boot. If you have a HP recovery tool installed on the computer then use it to restore the operating system. If the tool is not installed then you will need a Windows Xp bootable CD. Insert the bootable CD and then enter the BIOS setup to change the boot order. Keep the CDROM as the first boot device and Hard disk as the second boot device. Now save and exit the setup and Now the computer will restart. Press any key to boot from CD and then follow the onscreen instructions to Repair or Install a fresh copy of Windows.

[T.J.]

I dont think that the issue is with operating system. The hard drive you are using is crashed i suppose. Check the hard drive first. See if the hard drive gets detected in the BIOS setup. Press Del to enter BIOS setup and then select Hardware peripherals. Now check the Port (IDE0,IDE1 or SATA) on which the hard drive is connected. If the hard drive is not detected in any of the port then it is certainly gone bad. If it gets detected then check the connecting cable of Hard drive.

[deoWo]

Open the cabinet and remove the hard disk. Now replace the Jumper from master mode to slave mode. Connect the hard disk to some other computer which is running on Windows Xp. See if the hard disk gets detected. If it gets detected, then take the back-up of all the data you can. Now download the Hard disk diagnostic tool and run the test on the hard disk. The results of the diagnostic tool will show all the errors which were faced during the test with the hard disk. If the errors are repairable, then repair it. If not then format the drive and reinstall the operating system again. Hopefully it will work but if it does not work then you will have to replace the hard disk.

[Killen]

The Power supply unit of your computer needs to be replaced. Your computer is not getting the required power to start. Open the cabinet and check the voltage levels of all the power cables. The rating of all the cables is given on the SMPS block with there respective voltages. Check if all the voltages on all the wires is equal to the voltage specified. If the voltage is less or greater than specified then your SMPS needs to be replaced. Also check the Safety fuse and change it with the same rating if required.

[RoninBlade]

Check the Motherboard if it is getting proper power or not. There is a LED on the motherboard to indicate if it is receiving proper power or not. Locate this LED and check the colour of the LED. If the LED is of AMBER colour then there is some problem with the power received and the Power cable or Unit needs to be changed. If the LED is of solid green colour then the power received is good and the problem is with the Motherboard and it needs to be replaced. Before replacing the motherboard check the RAM Chips for any default. If you have multiple RAM chips then boot the system using one chip at a time.