HELP! My Computer Turns On For 3 Seconds, Then Shuts Off 2.0

[ecabell7669]

my system

INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q6600 QUAD CORE 1066MHZ FSB
SPIRE HIGH PERFOMANCE CPU COOLER
ASUS P5B MAINBOARD 1066MHz FSB SUPPORT
4GB DDR-2 667FSB (PC5400) Memory
4X MEMORY HEAT SPREADORS
768MB nVIDIA Ge-Force 8800GTX DVI/TV-OUT HDTV PCI EXPRESS VIDEO CARD
400GB 7200RPM UDMA-300 SATA II Hard Drive 16MB BUFFER
Western Digital WD10EACS 1TB SATA2 16MB Hard Drive
THERMALTAKE HARD DRIVE COOLER
20X LITE ON DUAL LAYER DVD-RW DRIVE W/ LIGHTSCRIBE
LITE ON DVD-ROM DRIVE
10/100/1000 GIGABIT Fast Ethernet Network Controller
WIRELESS G CARD
CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER XTREMEGAMER 7.1
BFG-PHYSX 128MB
X PLORER BLACK Case w/ 600 WATT Power Supply and Front USB Port
DELUXE COOLING PACKAGE (3 HIGH PERFORMANCE CASE COOLERS)
Keyboard / Mouse : LOGITECH
Speakers : LOGITECH X530 5.1 SPEAKERS
Monitor : ACER 19" LCD MONITOR
Operating System : WINDOWS Vista 32bit


I was playing a game when my system shut down. When I rebooted, a screen came up saying the system could not over clock and to press F1 to configure or F2 for default settings. My system was never over clocked so I pressed F2. It booted up normally. I got back into the game and the system shut down again. This time when I pressed the power button, the system would come on (LCD lights, fans and HD, but no bio beep) and shut down after 2 seconds.

I went to another board and found this thread.

My Computer Turns On For 3 Seconds, Then Shuts Off - Power-Supplies-PC-Cases-Case-Mods - CPU-Components

I dont have the tools to disconnect and place the components on plastic or card board, so I started with the things I could try.

1. I tried the power button. when i pressed and held it in, the box would power up, fans would start, but still no system boot or bio beep. as soon as i unpressed it, it would power down. There is no physical switch that I see to test it without the power button, so I made sure the wires were connected to the MOBO.

2. checked the heat sync and CPU. i unscrewed the heat sync and checked for heat on the chip. no signs of over heating or bad connection with either.

3. i cleared the CMOS memory and reset the battery. when I did this and rebooted, the system will now stay on (just like if i kept the power button pressed in) but never boots up at all.

This is where I am... can anyone help? I have a Flip cam and will be happy to shoot video or take pics if needed.

Thank you!

[osprey4]

Hi, ecabell7669:

Welcome to TechIMO.

Is your system a home built or OEM? If OEM, what is the make and model?

[ecabell7669]

hi osprey4 and thank you for the welcome. it is a custom made system build by a random computer company with the parts I requested.

there was one correction i need to make... I have vista 64 bit OS.

[Aaron_8015]

You wont need tools to take the parts out... all you really need is a screwdriver and a cardboard box.

[stroyal]

I see one of the most important specs, is left out.
Brand of power supply,and the specs, all of them. Most people leave this out.

The removing of the motherboard and placing it on cardboard is usually done to find a short in a new system.
If this computer has been running for a while, it is unlikely that a short has developed, under the motherboard.

I would go to minimum configuration, then start substituting parts or try your parts in a working computer.

Min. configuration

Motherboard
1 stick of memory
Video card
Power supply
Edit; CPU

This is how computer shops test, only the factory has direct test equipment.

[ecabell7669]

update:
thank you for the help guys. unfortunately i do not have another power supply to test, but I checked the capacitors. all the capacitors seem ok besides one. it is located by the video card. there is no electrolyte on the board, but it is slightly bulged on top.

I pulled the BIO battery again and reset it. I then replaced the 3v battery with a new one. both did nothing.

the brand and spec for the PSU is roswell rp550v2 - d-SL. did you need more specs? to test the PSU, I disconected the 2nd HD and CD ROMS. They system still will not work. Power comes on to the LCD and fans... but wont boot.

I also reset the RAM chips (not the CPU). when i tested it, I get the same results... power to the PC (LCD and fans) but will not boot. the LCD lights keep blinking on and off in 1 sec intervals.

i think it maybe the PSU or the MOBO. how cant he card board box test verify either one of these?

[stroyal]

It can't, that test is only to find a short on the bottom of the motherboard to the case.
Anything is possible, but if it wasn't shorted before, it is unlikely it is shorted now, unless something is loose.

Only substituting parts can verify a bad power supply.
Through the process of elimination if all the min. parts work it is the motherboard..

[stroyal]

You could take your min. parts to a local computer shop. Any shop that I have seen has motherboards set up on the bench just for testing parts.

It is how I used to do it , before I had spare computers and parts. If you have another computer, you can test the whole thing in 15 minutes or less.

[ecabell7669]

thank you stroyal. I wish I kept my old PC frames, but I got rid of them years ago. disconnected my 2nd HD, all CD ROMS. I only had my main HD, video card and 2 sticks of ram connected. still the same result .

[stroyal]

Disconnect all Hard drives, a computer does not need a hard drive to start, but a bad HD can stop a computer from starting.

You should try 1 stick of memory at a time.
If you have any expansion cards they should all be removed, for a good test.
A bad network card or sound card ect. can stop a computer from booting.

When I say minimum, that means, remove/disconnect every thing that is not on the list, even the floppy if you have one.

Any bad device can stop a computer from starting, so you start by removing everything that is not needed to start.
That narrows it down to only 4 things to test.

Edit; Sorry I forgot CPU, so that is 5 things.

[Mortis]

Hi. Try reseating your memory. Coincidentally, I had a very similar issue. My ram had a heatsink and fan kit on it... turns out the setup was too heavy. Realize you dont have same setup, but symptoms are exact. Once I removed the heatsink/fan and resat the memory, symptoms gone.

Goodluck!