BleepingComputer.com: Computer won't start up!

I have an emachine desktop computer, and its running windows XP. My computer will not boot at all, I'm using another computer to get help here.

I have a feeling that I killed my computer. I was having issues with a lot of noise from the fans every time I watch video or I think anytime flash is being used, that had just started to be a problem the last couple days. So, I took the case off and my dad helped me clean it out all the dust. We took the one fan off and then the metal piece in behind that was full of dust so we took that off, and cleaned all the dust and stuff out, then we put that piece back on, then the fan, then i plugged everything back in. When i turned the computer back on, the fan started going really strong again, and then it shut off a few seconds later. When i tried to restart again, it beeped 4 times, they were long beeps, and it was a high pitch tone, then a low tone, then high, then low...then it shut off. This is what happens every time. If i leave it, then go back and push the power button, the fan starts, then it goes strong for a few seconds and then it all shuts off. Then if i try and start it again right after, i get the beeps, then it shuts off again. I'm wondering if I may have screwed up the CPU or the motherboard when i was trying to clean it. I've checked the RAM and it seems to be in there good, I tried taking that out and putting it back in, I tried putting it in a different slot, I tried taking out that fan and metal piece again and putting it back, still the same thing. I'd really appreciate any help, Thanks!

If this is the heat sink and fan which is mounted on the CPU I would suggest cleaning the old thermal compound off of both the CPU and heat sink and reapply it. The thermal compound enhances transfer the heat from the CPU to the heat sink which helps dissipates it. In short, this could be causing the CPU to overheat.

I will try that and see if it helps, Thank you! If not, I'll be back

It's still the same... all I was able to find was "heat sink compound", silicone based, it was a white grease. i applied a thin layer, and put things back together but im still getting the same thing, the beeps and then it shuts down.

Exactly what model is your computer and how old is it?

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What sort of noise? Was it simply the fan(s) increasing in speed and therefore making more noise, or was it some other sort of noise? How many fans do you have in the box, apart from the one mounted on the CPU heatsink?

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That's fine.

This post has been edited by AustrAlien: 19 May 2011 - 01:27 AM

its an emachine, it says that it has windows XP media center edition 2005, model: W3503. i bought it in 2007 refurbished. 3.3gz, 512mb, ati radeon xpress 200 for video, 160gb hard drive. etc.

and it was a couple days ago that the fan inside starting getting really noisy. all i was hearing was the fan, going at full speed it seemed. i was having issues every time i tried to watch videos or play online games on facebook, and it would go really fast while loading websites but once they loaded it would settle. and it would be quiet if i had a video paused, but as soon as i start the video again it starts going again. there are 2 other fans in there, theres one enclosed in another box by the power plug in, and another fan just below that at the back. im starting to think i really damaged something when i took it apart. thanks for your help!

I would upgrade the ram. Can you boot into safe mode?

This post has been edited by killerx525: 19 May 2011 - 02:50 AM

As far as I know, those beeps that you are hearing when you try to start your machine is a beep code from your motherboard indicating the status of your hardwares.

Here is a thread i found which might help with regards to these beep codes:
http://forums.pureoverclock.com/showthread.php?t=3935

Well, as for the cleaning method. . . I think removing the fan over the CPU is not a good idea if you are not that familiar and used to in doing that cause it might cause harm to your CPU. (I'm not looking down on your technical knowledge though. Just a general advice for everyone who would read this.).

This tips might be useful when cleaning your system unit:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic398233.html

See the following link concerning the significance of the pattern of "High/Low beeps":
http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-010249.htm

Assuming that the above pertains to your particular motherboard, then it seems the problem is indeed with the CPU. It is possible that you may not have assembled things properly or that you may indeed have damaged something.


Do you have a digital camera? Take a series of detailed pictures as you remove the fan and heatsink to show me what you have done.

If you don't already have an account with an image hosting website, then please go to Photobucket and register an account (free) and upload the images to an album in your account. Then post a link to your album in this thread, so that I can visit the album and look at the images.

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the help so far, i apologize for not coming back to the thread in a couple days. i ended up getting an old computer from a friend of mine that was pretty much exactly the same as the one i had. everything was going fine with my new(to me) computer until today when we had a storm and a power outage.

my computer was plugged in to a bar, i've had computers plugged in to there for years and had many power outages, but today, there was a problem. when i restarted the computer, it doesnt boot. it goes to the black screen saying that windows wasnt shut down normally and if it was a power outage select to start windows normally, but it doesnt work, it just keeps rebooting. it doesnt matter what i select, safe mode, safe mode with networking, last good configuration, nothing. the only one i didnt select was safe mode with command prompt because i dont know anything about that one.

i was reading online that it could be the power supply. i dont have the boot disk for this computer to see if i can fix windows, my friend is going to look around her house for it. but when i was googling this i was reading that for a lot of people the boot disk wasnt helping but that it might be the PS. would i be able to take the power supply out of the old computer and put it in this one that i just got?

edit to add i can get into the bios by hitting delete on start up. i didnt know if that would be important or not...

This post has been edited by canadian_lady25: 23 May 2011 - 06:21 PM

Let's first have a look at the BSOD error message. Please do the following:

Get a look at the error message presented by the BSOD (blue screen of death) ....

• Start tapping the F8 key after you press the ON button, and continue tapping until you are presented with the "Windows Advanced Options Menu" screen.
  
• Use the UP/DOWN arrow keys to select "Disable automatic restart on system failure" and press the <ENTER> key.
  
• Your system will attempt to restart normally, but when it crashes, it will not re-start: Instead, you will see a BSOD with error message.
  
• Record the error message details, and post in this thread.
  
  
  
  

Try the following ...

• Start tapping the F8 key after you press the ON button, and continue tapping until you are presented with the "Windows Advanced Options Menu" screen.
  
• Use the UP/DOWN arrow keys to select "Last known good configuration", and press the <ENTER> key.
  
• The computer will attempt to load Windows.
  
• If Windows does not start, try the same thing again .... and continue trying for at least 10 times, before you rule that option out as a means of getting your OS up and running again, normally.

Why 10 times? Based on past experience, a successful result is sometimes achieved after several consecutive failed attempts.
EXAMPLE OF A CASE IN POINT: Why 10 times?
christiedell ... "L K G C worked on try 5!"
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic267221.html

great thanks! i will go try that now and report back ASAP

problem is UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

and the rest says

Technical information:
***STOP: 0X000000ED (0X8A71D2E8, 0XC0000006, 0X00000000, 0X00000000)

I haven't tried running the last known configuration 10 times yet, I wanted to post this first, Thank you for your help!

Edit to add: my friend found the disk. its an emachines restore dvd that came with her computer, and they're going to drop it off for me. im not sure if that would be the right disk to fix windows if i needed to do that, but its the one that came with the computer.

This post has been edited by canadian_lady25: 23 May 2011 - 06:57 PM

i did last known configuration 11 times total, in a row, and still it isnt booting.

Let's see if we can get chkdsk to run and hopefully fix any file system errors.

Start the Recovery Console using a Windows XP installation CD (or an XP Recovery Console CD).

• Insert the CD in the computer's optical disk drive tray.
  
• Start or re-start the computer so that it boots from the CD. You may be prompted to "Press any key". (If the system does not appear to be booting from the CD, you may need to enter the BIOS Setup Menu and change the boot order, so that the CD-ROM/optical disk drive is set to boot before the hard disk drive.)
  
• When the Welcome to Setup screen appears, press the R key on your keyboard to start the Recovery Console.
  
• The Recovery Console will ask which Windows installation you would like to log on to.
  If you have multiple Windows installations, it will list each one, and you would type the number (that is 1, 2, or 3 etc) associated with the installation you would like to work on (usually C:\Windows) and press the <ENTER> key.
  Please advise if you are not seeing C:\Windows listed (and you think that you should).
  If you have just one Windows installation showing, type 1 and press <ENTER>.
  
• You will be prompted for the Administrator's password. If there is no password, (and this is most likely), simply press <ENTER>.
  
• You will be presented with a C:\Windows> prompt.
  Please advise if you are not seeing a C:\WINDOWS> prompt (and you think that you should).

At the C:\Windows> prompt, type chkdsk /r and press <ENTER> (Note: There is a space between "chkdsk" and "/r")

This will take some time to run and at times may appear stalled but just let it run.

• If any errors are found/repairs made, run chkdsk /r again, and repeat if necessary.

Type "exit" at the prompt and press <ENTER> to close the Recovery Console and restart your system.

Does Windows start normally now?

===========

If you do not have access to a Windows XP installation disk (OR a Vista or Windows 7 installation disk, which can also be used to run chkdsk from the command prompt) ...
On a working computer, please download ARCDC from Artellos.com.

• Double-click ARCDC.exe
  
• Follow the dialog until you see 6 options. Please pick the appropriate selection, for example: Windows Professional SP2 & SP3 ( Replace "Windows Professional SP2 & SP3" with the OS required. <<< IMPORTANT)
  
• You will be prompted with a Terms of Use by Microsoft, please accept.
  
• You will see a few dos screens flash by, this is normal.
  
• Next you will be able to choose to add extra files. Select the Default Files.
  
• The last window will allow you to burn the disk using BurnCDCC.

Your ISO is located on your desktop.

Burn the .ISO image file to a CD, to make a bootable CD.