# Friends comp is fucked



## Conker (Jan 1, 2012)

Honestly, it sounds like his PC is just toast, but maybe you guys can help anyways. Or you can confirm my theory and I'll tell him to buy a new one :V

He ended up leaving it on for like a week or so, and he came back with it off. He turned it on, and the computer didn't get very far. He said it made some loud boot up noises, and then just kept making those noises. The monitor never turned on and I guess it either just stopped or he turned it off.

I believe he said the disk trey also opened and closed on him.

Then he called me and I told him it was some hardware thing, but I'd ask around anyways. His computer isn't exactly new...or good. He has a fifty some dollar video card in there so HoN and WoW can run at respectable framerates (well, HoN now, but he bought it originally for WoW like a year ago). I probably should have told him to take that out and start it up again, but I dunno if that's really the problem.

It actually powers on though, so I don't think it's his PSU, which is the one it came with. Don't think it's anything special.

So yeah. Would it be better for him to try and fix this, or just get a new one? 

Keep in mind I'm curious as to what the problem with his computer might be.


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## mrfoxwily (Jan 1, 2012)

Turn it on and off a few more times. I've had 7/vista glitch out in sleep mode and they needed to be restarted. Once it makes it to desktop successfully, restart it *again*. See how it goes.


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## AshleyAshes (Jan 1, 2012)

If you mean it 'kept making those noises' in that instead of just 'Beep' it went on a series of repeating beeps, that's a 'Beep Code'.  The motherboard is actually announcing through the PC speaker where it's screwing up.  You can look up the beep code in the manual to determine that that alert means and it'll tell you where the failure likely is.

The mobo may have other methods of error communication too, some vocalize through the onboard sound with words, others use LEDs.  This varies by model, but the beep code is universal.  Consult the manual.


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## Conker (Jan 2, 2012)

AshleyAshes said:


> If you mean it 'kept making those noises' in that instead of just 'Beep' it went on a series of repeating beeps, that's a 'Beep Code'.  The motherboard is actually announcing through the PC speaker where it's screwing up.  You can look up the beep code in the manual to determine that that alert means and it'll tell you where the failure likely is.
> 
> The mobo may have other methods of error communication too, some vocalize through the onboard sound with words, others use LEDs.  This varies by model, but the beep code is universal.  Consult the manual.


I'm not sure it actually beeped, from what he said, it sounded like it was just making loud processing noises (fans kicking on to full and the like).


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## Maisuki (Jan 2, 2012)

Conker said:


> He ended up leaving it on for like a week or so



Is he stupid? :V

On a less sarcastic note, he may have fried something. I'm not sure, though.


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## AshleyAshes (Jan 2, 2012)

Maisuki said:


> Is he stupid? :V



Leaving a computer on isn't bad for it.  I've been leaving computers on for WEEKS at a time for the last 11 years or so.  The only time my desktops shut down is to reboot.


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## Conker (Jan 2, 2012)

I called him and no beeps. Odds are something is just broken inside it, and at this point, it'll probably be easier for him to score a new computer. He said something about his dad getting a new one, so he might try and buy his dad's old one.


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## Lobar (Jan 2, 2012)

If a fan failed, or even if he was just behind on regular maintenance, I suppose he could have fried something.  Has he opened it up to take a look inside for damage?  He'll want to anyways to salvage parts.


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## Conker (Jan 2, 2012)

Lobar said:


> If a fan failed, or even if he was just behind on regular maintenance, I suppose he could have fried something.  Has he opened it up to take a look inside for damage?  He'll want to anyways to salvage parts.


I think he said he opened it to try and dust it, which is the first time he's probably done that


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## Ricky (Jan 6, 2012)

AshleyAshes said:


> Leaving a computer on isn't bad for it.  I've  been leaving computers on for WEEKS at a time for the last 11 years or  so.  The only time my desktops shut down is to reboot.



I'm pretty sure my home one stays on for months, usually until the power goes out :roll:

From experience, it could be RAM or really any other thing the computer doesn't like.

Video card could do that too.

Actually, just replace...



Conker said:


> I think he said he opened it to try and dust it, which is the first time he's probably done that



Oh, okay.  That's his problem =P

Tell him to find whatever he knocked out of place while doing that.


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## BRN (Jan 6, 2012)

I had this very same problem with my computer. It turned on and power went through the components; there was no beep code, but it sounded almost as if the computer was trying to start all its hardware over and over and over again. It ended up being a motherboard failure.


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## Hir (Jan 6, 2012)

Maisuki said:


> Is he stupid? :V


my current uptime is nearly 20 days on my current computer.


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## Ricky (Jan 7, 2012)

SIX said:


> I had this very same problem with my computer. It turned on and power went through the components; there was no beep code, but it sounded almost as if the computer was trying to start all its hardware over and over and over again. It ended up being a motherboard failure.



He opened it (for the first time) to try and dust it, which is when the problem occurred.

I call Occam's Razor on this shit.


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## Conker (Jan 7, 2012)

Ricky said:


> He opened it (for the first time) to try and dust it, which is when the problem occurred.
> 
> I call Occam's Razor on this shit.


Actually, I believe he opened it to dust it as a result of this problem, assuming dust to be the cause of his computers malfunctions.


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## Maisuki (Jan 7, 2012)

AshleyAshes said:


> Leaving a computer on isn't bad for it.  I've been leaving computers on for WEEKS at a time for the last 11 years or so.  The only time my desktops shut down is to reboot.



Macos or Windows? Windows should be rebooted often because it's stupid like that. Not necessary, but its a good idea.


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## AshleyAshes (Jan 8, 2012)

Maisuki said:


> Macos or Windows? Windows should be rebooted often because it's stupid like that. Not necessary, but its a good idea.



Windows 7.  I've never really had an issue with Windows needing reboots in the last ten years.  Sure I reboot when something was installed or updated and it forces a reboot, but otherwise I don't reboot my machines.  Even my laptop, I just hybernate it when tossing it on my backpack rather than shut it down.


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## audiocanine (Jan 24, 2012)

Think about all those corporate servers that never turn off. Never! They literally just run them until they catch fire and then replace them...


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