Hardware or Power Supply?

Hey Crew,

I am fresh out of the Malware Forum with a clean bill of health as far as viruses/malware goes…..so it seems that mah machine is misbehaving due to structural problems.

PLEASE NOTE: I am a Luddite….I don't know the terminology, so I use descriptive words to the best of my ability. Please bear with me, and use the simplest more descriptive terms, or we will both get frustrated.

So, I have been having trouble starting the machine. One day about a week ago, it just would not start. All of the parts had lights though, EXCEPT the front of the tower. There was a light on in the back of the tower, and on the big APC battery thingy. I thought it had just died in it's sleep. I checked that all plugs were secure and the modem was lit up. Then I decided to unplug some things from the big APC battery, and plug them back in. That worked! Got it going…..But the next day, it took more unplugging and plugging back in….so I put it in sleep mode that night, and it started from there all right the next morning….but on the fourth day that didn't work either…finally it was taking many plugging and unpluggings, and I even pushed the "reset" button on the battery thingy.
Meanwhile when I did get it up and running, I was getting booted right off the internet and having some issues going to websites…so that made me think of a virus…. But I am cleared for that, so I've been sent here.
Also, my Itunes seems to have been eaten, and mysteriously, there is one newswebsite that I can not access no way no how. Even though all my friends can….But getting the machine going is my biggiest trouble now.

I'm in an isolated community that doesn't have much in the way of techs or computer stores. And I have few financial resources to send it anywhere for surgery, so if there is a way that you folks can talk me through a repair or whatever….I'm highly motivated.

This machine is a 2007 Acer
I use Windows Vista
And usually run Google Chrome as a browser.

Here is the thread where I first brought this issue:

http://forums.whatthetech.com/index.php?sh…mp;#entry760770

can ii ask if it boots up fine if you don't use the ups and just plug the pc straight into the mains socket? i'm thinking it might be an ups problem and nothing to do with the pc if it does.

Hey Terry Well now. Heh. Followed your suggestion, and the machine started up just as quick and right as you please. But get this - I shut down, plugged back into the APC and it started up fine again. Now - I did move it today…I got a new desk and the APC had been on the floor before..now it is up on the desk…I did not unplug anything, I just lifted it up at that time…and just now, when I plugged the tower back in, I used another socket than the one before. ….I don't trust it, I think it's messin' with mah head, to be honest. So, let me see how it starts up tomorrow … Meanwhile, if anyone may know why I can't get to one particular public new site… it's www. aptn.ca (Aboriginal People's Television Network) It's a site I've visit a few times a week. Suddenly I can't get to it ….I've tried through three browsers, through FB, through google..copy and pasting the url into search…the circle thing just goes around and around and around and around….. Only on that site…even with the troubles of this past week…I've managed to go where I normally do, once the machine is up….

to be honest i think the battery in your ups may be on it's way out and is what's causing your pc startup problems, so if it doesn't start up just try it straight in the mains again and see if it works then. has to your browser problem with that site, sorry having a dead brain day and can't think of anything to help you.

Hi Baruga, Whilst Terry is having a deep think….
Try this:
In your browser instead of typing in the address of your website as:
www.aptn.ca/
please type in:

http://139.142.209.113

and see if that has any effect
Regards
paws

Hi Paws When I tried that, the blue circle just went around and around. Last night I had tried to get to the site again, and literally walked away from the machine for some time to see if it would "finally" reach it's destination. When I came back, there was this message: "This webpage is not available The connection to www.aptn.ca was interrupted. Here are some suggestions: Reload this webpage later. Check your Internet connection. Restart any router, modem, or other network devices you may be using. Add Google Chrome as a permitted program in your firewall's or antivirus software's settings. If it is already a permitted program, try deleting it from the list of permitted programs and adding it again. If you use a proxy server, check your proxy settings or contact your network administrator to make sure the proxy server is working. If you don't believe you should be using a proxy server, adjust your proxy settings: Go to the wrench menu > Options > Under the Hood > Change proxy settings… > LAN Settings and deselect the "Use a proxy server for your LAN" checkbox. Error 101 (net::ERR_CONNECTION_RESET): The connection was reset." Reloading has not solved the issue. Internet connection is fine. So it must be something else…. Now. Back to the startup issue. When I tried to start the machine this morning, I found myself right back at square one. Much unplugging and plugging back in….almost 40 minutes of it….including a few attempts to just bypass the UPS thingy and plug into the wall. That worked last night, but not today. When I finally did get up and running - once again, I was told that my virus and firewall was out of date…for the third time this week I updated it. As well, a scan that I was prompted to do last night, needed to be repeated again. It seems that things I do, just before I shut down…need to be redone when I start up again in the morning…. I'm feeling a little crushed - because the Battery thing seemed like such an easy thing to deal with….just get another one and plug things into it. Now I feel all overwhelmed and discouraged again. *deep sigh*

Hi Baruga,
I think before you do anything else, you should check your back up is 100% up to date accurate, reproducible, comprehensive (includes everything you would be upset to lose) and with at least one copy kept safe offsite on removable media.

Then its time to check for errors on your hard drive
Make sure that everything is disconnected from your computer apart from VDU, keyboard, mouse and power cord connected not to your ups but directly to socket and that all CD/DVD trays and external devices are empty and unplugged.including your Ethernet cable.
Here's the link
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows…disk-for-errors
note you will need to say yes and reboot your computer to start chkdsk
it may take an hour or two don't interrup it…it will complete hopefully 5 passes and correct faults it finds (that it can fix…some can be fixed by chkdsk some can't)

When this has completed it will reboot your computer
Next run the Windows Protected System File checker
here's how:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833
note the command is
sfc /scannow
(note the space it needs to be there.)
Next run the following command
ipconfig /flushdns
press enter and then reboot your computer
any improvement?
Regards
paws

I don't know what this means, or what to do about it. What is a back up, and where would it be? How does one make a copy, and an what….and what is removable media? "I think before you do anything else, you should check your back up is 100% up to date accurate, reproducible, comprehensive (includes everything you would be upset to lose) and with at least one copy kept safe offsite on removable media." Also, I noticed a little yellow alert sign at the bottom of my screen here…it says: "Managed PC shutdown not provided -APC UPS Service not running."

Hi Baruga,

I don't know what this means, or what to do about it. What is a back up, and where would it be? How does one make a copy, and an what….and what is removable media?

It looks like you have quite a bit of reading to do….
Backing up is what you should have been doing since the first day you had anything of importance on your machine (stuff you wouldn't want to lose….)
An ideal form of removable media is a USB external hard drive..they are pretty cheap now.
Here's some notes on backing up:
http://www.vista4beginners.com/How-to-backup-your-data
for extra research just enter the term
back up+Vista
in your favourite search engine

Once you have a complete back up, you can relax a little, and we can focus on trying to fix your machine….
Good luck
Regards
paws

Oh no…. I just looked at prices for this external hard drive thing…and that is impossible for me. I can't think of anything inside this machine that I would be afraid of losing. It seems to have already eaten my Itunes, but that was all CD's that I had put on..and I still have them. Besides Itunes, the only thing I have on here is Facebook, and my Email accounts….but aren't they just out there in cyberspace? I can get them from any computer, so I am thinking they are not "inside" my machine. This is all too stressful and disheartening right now. Give me a day or too to collect myself.

Ok…. Hmmm….. Well, I went to the link about backup. Even though it claims "For Beginners" it still assumes prior knowledge about these things. So I just relied on my guts and went into the machine and found the backup and restore things….I followed the prompts…and now everything is saved on (D:) Whatever that is. Now, I'm not getting this external USB thing…..can't I just put stuff on a Disk or two? I could probably scrape up some money for some disks…I mean for the cost of the USB thing, I could just get a laptop….and save us all some frustration……If I had the money…

And what is an "Ethernet Cable"? Is that what I would call the "Internet Cable"?

Hi Baruga, I understand…I think…. Yes you could back up your data to DVD ,and as long as you copy everything that is important to you..that could be fine..Each disc (in the UK) costs about 20p …….I've just checked on an American site and they seem to be available for around 25 cents each (in a pack of 100) The problem is that you should be backing up all your important stuff as you create it……so you may need a lot of discs…. An external hard drive is far and away a better solution and they are not expensive, although the flooding in Thailand (where a lot of drives are manufactured) is now tending to push up prices, due to temporary shortages. A memory stick, sometimes called a Flash drive, or Thumb drive could be used depending on the amount of data that you need to back up, and these are also inexpensive (available from supermarkets for a pound or two or a dollar or 4, or by mail order. Yes the Ethernet cable is the cable that connects twixt your computer and modem/router and is sometimes called the Internet cable. As this is all new to you its likely that it will prove too difficult for me (from long range) to help you with the backing up of your important stuff and repairs to your computer…it may be best therefore to ask a chum who has experience with computers to help you with this. I'm happy to provide instructions but these will need to be followed accurately and with full detailed feedback from you (as I'm not the one with the computer in front of him…) It will probably be best therefore to get a more experienced chum to assist you with any directions. This will be essential, should complicated steps be needed or (in the final analysis) a format and reinstall of your operating systems and applications be required. Let me know if you can arrange for a chum to assist you with all of this. Regards paws

if the pc has problems starting up straight from the mains, Baruga, i'd say the problem isn't with your ups but is actually the power supply unit inside the pc, so that would be the first thing i'd test or replace (if you have one handy) and see if that solves the startup problem. the main reason i think it's a power issue and not anything to do with your video card, hard drives or operating system is because you said when it doesn't start up you don't have any lights on the front of the pc.

Geez….

Well…there is no "chum" who is nearby. I am in an isolated community…..and fairly new to the area. If there was anyone, believe me, I'd have had them over here already.
I do have a friend a few provinces over (I'm in Canada) who has the capability to "take my computer over by remote", and has offered to do that.
That may be my only hope.


I was reading online about "computer startup" troubles, Terry, and I wondered about that part too….there were instructions on taking the case apart to examine that little switch inside…and turn it over ….
Here it is….what is happening for me is #3
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbysympto…ont-turn-on.htm

If someone can take a quick cruise through that link and let me know if it is "sound" advice…then perhaps I should proceed with those steps….