PC switches off

[skippy1970]

Hi all,
I am new here and hope I am postingin the right forum.
I have a PC which I haven't used for a couple of months and when I went to switch it on last night it wouldn't start.
Everything seems normal for the first 10sec or so and then it shuts itself off.
I have unplugged every card/drive I have and it still the same. The cooling fan are working and I have even cleaned them a bit with some air spray.
The only difference is when I remove the RAM. Without RAM the PC stays on but of course it will not do anything (it keeps beeping).

I am thinking that it is not the power supply or overheating because the problem occours always at the same point and if I remove the RAM it stays on which to me indicates that the power is OK and the temp too.

Could it be the RAM? I mean if the RAM is faulty, will that force the PC to switch itsel off?

If not, what else could it be?

Thanks in advance for all your help

 

[Fragrant Coit]

It could be a number of things, but try running Memtest 1st to see if it is the RAM.

http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

You can make a bootable Floppy, or CD. Just go into BIOS and make sure 1st boot Device is whatever you created.

Post back if it passes, get new RAM if it fails!

 

[zipperman]

I'll think on it

I was in the Hospital for 9 weeks,I switched off the Power Supply
And disconnected my hydro connections.
Reset them when i got back and everthing was OK.
Did you do this ? If not you might have had a Power outage that affected
the MBD.Does the MBD green light come on ?
Don't have any discs in the drives.!
Have you tried Safe Mode ?
Can you enter the bios for Boot Sequence?
Use the pause key during startup to see if the memory was detected.
These are guesses but best i can do from what you described.
I presume your not on that PC now.

 

[skippy1970]

Thanks all
Fragrant, I cannot do anything with that PC (I am using an other one). It will not even go as far as entering the Bios. 10 sec max and then it goes off, expect when I remove the RAM (it then stays on but of course it doesn't do anything)
Zipperman, the PC wasn't plugged in while unsused. the MBD green light does come on and it stays on even when the PC switches itself off. I cannot enter the Bios or start in safe mode (as said, i hardly have 10 sec).
In general, i would like to know what you guys would expect if the RAM fails. Would you expect the PC to switch itself off or to stay on and give you error messages?
#Thanks for the help

 

[Fragrant Coit]

Ahh, not POSTING... Try another known working Power Supply, if that fails, try some RAM, if that fails, it'll be the Motherboard itself thats gone.

 

[zipperman]

One more check.Does the monitor on light stay on at all times ?
But you seem to have only 1 option,Buy some new RAM.
Your useing the mbd memory (640K Conventional)
when you remove RAM sticks.

 

[JimShady23]

Check the power button....

A power button....If you dont use a computer, depending on the home and conditions, even somthing as common as the use of spray air fresheners and dust buid up can get all caked around a power button causing it to stick open once pushed again after a long period of time. This happens to me periodically with my reset button as I never use the thing. This will for sure make your computer only have a runtime of about 10 seconds. Its worth a check...