What's Gone Wrong?

[will101]

My PC either powers on but doesn't initialise the graphics card, or starts to power on but powers off again after 5 secs just as the fans are spinning up.

My first suspicion is that the ATI graphics driver I installed via Windows update the day before has introduced some kind of graphics card power issue. Nothing has physically changed to cause the issue and the PC has been working fine for the last 2+ years.

[Nanek]

Make sure all cables are connected properly to the motherboard/card. I'm going to guess either a PSU issue (although i doubt it with that PSU) or a graphics card issue, try and test the graphics card out on another computer if you can so you can work out what's wrong.

[will101]

An update:

I've tried a different PSU and graphics card with no change. Still no graphics output.

I should mention that there are no POST beeps at any time in any PC configuration. On the occasions that the PC continues to power up; the HDDs don't show any activity and the fans run at max speed, whereas before they would spin up to max speed briefly, then throttle back to the BIOS set fan speed profile.

I've stripped the PC down one component at a time until there was just the mobo, CPU & RAM and it still behaves the same on power on.

I've tried a different PSU which also made no difference. I've tested the original Corsair PSU with an Xclio PSU tester and it reports all outputs ok. One thing I am concerned about though regarding the PSU is a small shard of metal that seemed to fall out of it that has a light green ceramic coating on one side. Do Corsair PSUs have flat capacitors in? It looks suspiciously like a section of the edge of one...

If it is the worst case scenario (PSU malfunctions & takes mobo with it) will I be able to install the HHDs on another raid 0 capable board and it detect the existing raid 0 array?

[killie99]

have you tried removing the battery from the motherboard for a couple of minutes to reset the bios....probably a long shot but hey, you never know.

[Phage]

Thermal shutdown ? How does the HSF look ?

[will101]

I have cleared the CMOS and checked the RAM in another machine. The RAM's ok but clearing the CMOS didn't change anything. Next is having the CPU checked so I'll check the heat sink when I take it off. There shouldn't be any reason for it to have overheated - the CPU fan is still working and the ambient temp is fairly low currently!

Assuming the CPU is ok, that points at the motherboard but I'm still concerned about the PSU.

[JOEPINEAPPLES]

I had the exact same problem.believe it or not it was a dodgy cable, wich I found by accident poking around my powered up PC with the side panel off.accidently touched it and hey presto.........since I changed it (it now belongs to my daughter) no problems whatsoever.