PC died awhile ago

Hitman · 21-03-2009, 01:25 PM

Hey, well let me cut straight to it. At Christmas I got a new PC, a Packard Bell iMedia x2416. It was fine, until after a month. One day, I came in from a run and plugged it in, then pressed the power button. The blue light showed as usual, then it just sat there doing nothing, so I pressed the power button again. It turned off. I pressed it again and nothing happened: no lights, no sounds, nothing. Nada. Tried changing everything (the cables, the fuse, the power outlet...) nothing worked.

I took it to the Spanish PC City and they basically said the mobo is dead, so could the PSU. They had tried changing the PSU already, yet it didn't work.

I've been reading a bit... and could the cause have been static? I kept my external HDD next to the PC, and the HDD gave a LOT of static out. It was very close to the PC, about 7cm away.

So basically we got refunded the price of the PC, now I'm left with a lump of crap. PB wouldn't supply us with a new mobo, so I guess I can't get it repaired... but surely there's a mobo that will work in it?

Here's the PC's information:

http://www.packardbell.co.uk/product...146101-46.html

Motherboard
Socket LGA 775

I'd be very grateful for any help. Thanks!

N!ck · 21-03-2009, 02:12 PM

Yeah, get a new board for it. You'll need a board and graphics card or a board with an integrated graphics card.

I'd then recommend formatting the hard drive and starting fresh on it as it will have drivers from the previous motherboard on the installation.

You're probably going to need a m-ATX sized board.

Hitman · 21-03-2009, 02:17 PM

Alright, thanks. Just one thing... when I press the on button and then plug it in, I can hear a quiet squeaking sound and then it fades after a few seconds... what could that be?

N!ck · 21-03-2009, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Hitman

Alright, thanks. Just one thing... when I press the on button and then plug it in, I can hear a quiet squeaking sound and then it fades after a few seconds... what could that be?

Not sure. It sounds like the whole thing could be a PSU issue but you said you tried a different one already.

Hitman · 21-03-2009, 04:26 PM

This is what I got from another forum (TSG).

Just about all big box systems like dell, hp, etc use proprietary parts. The mb is made by a major supplier like asus, intel, etc however it is made to the system makers specs NOT standard atx specs. This means that most of the time the board will not line up with mounting holes in the case, pci slots will not line up with the case slots, etc.

I would just salvage whatever you can ie hard drive, CD drive, keyboard, mouse, etc and either build a system yourself OR have a competent tech build one for you.

IMO you get much more quality and the ability to upgrade in the future when you have a custom build.

I remember now, the man in PC City said he couldn't put in another mobo 'cos the pins didn't connect up.

N!ck · 21-03-2009, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by Hitman

This is what I got from another forum (TSG).

I remember now, the man in PC City said he couldn't put in another mobo 'cos the pins didn't connect up.

You could buy a new case and motherboard and that should sort it then I think.