Computer Booting Issues

Hey guys, First time poster long time reader.

i have a custom built rig, It was up and running for 5 years without an issue but now i have hit a brick wall.

Basically, I was enjoying my time playing rFactor a racing simulation which is not to heavy on a computer. Very old game engine which only supports up to dx9.

All the sudden everything on the power bar shut down. There is a Surge Protector so after i reset that things come back on. All but the Computer. It powers up but does not post (aka boot up)

So of course i went in and did some re working of the components inside, Removing the video card disconnecting the hard drive aswell. No luck... Now i noticed my mouses laser was not lighting up aswell so i thought it was the PSU. I went and purchased a brand new one but no luck. So i would have to cancel that out of the issue.

Next i turned to the RAM. i have several sticks of DDR2 so i played around with a bunch of sticks in different slots. But that did not work obviously. This could still be the issue i cant say if my old ram was in working order. Although last time it was used it was fine.

I cant really test the CPU as i dont have another motherboard of the same socket. There is a little sign of heat but not enough i would think to cause any damage. There was a solid layer of paste aswell.

I can say for a fact nothing inside the computer has been touched for well over a year. I replaced the video card sometime last year and did some dust cleaning in the process. With that said its almost for sure something has gone to smoke.

MOBO: XFX 750a SLI
CPU: AMD Phenom 9500 x4
RAM: Corsair 2GB x2
PSU: Ultra Lifetime Series 750w

I hope i have enough info to assess the situation. I would like to thank anyone in advance for any advice.

I also planned on doing some basic hardware updates. This being MOBO, RAM and CPU. Correct me if im wrong but this would fix the issue without a doubt ?

Cheers Guys

First thing I would do is replace that surge protector. It won't fix the booting problem, but after you've tripped a surge protector like that once I wouldn't trust it again.

Not getting power over USB suggests a problem with your motherboard.

Thanks alot for the reply E-Oreo

I have since moved the PSU power cord directly to the wall outlet for testing and even tried different outlets around the house with no luck. The mouse will flash as soon as i plug it in but will not light up as it should.

I had also thought it was the MOBO, As the power is not reaching the usb ports, and it does not beep like it did when it used to boot up.

Weird thing is all the lights on the MOBO and the LED Screen lights up. The LED Screen is completely light up like it did right before it booted up. Its almost like its stuck in pre boot...

Cheers Guys

Lights can glow. And still a power system may be defective.

A power controller determines when the PSU can power on or off. And does many checks before it lets the CPU execute. Is a power controller or something else defective? Nobody can say without numbers. Buy or borrow a multimeter. A laymans tool sold in stores that also sell hammers. Even sold in K-mart and Wal-Mart. One minute of labor and numbers from six wires will answer your question immediately and without speculation. That is the only way to have a definitive and useful answer.

Otherwise, your alternative is to keep replacing good parts until something works. Those are your only two options.

First of all you should make sure to your computer's Bios setup and check your settings from the advance options and select the boot sequence and check it that your HDD is on 1st boot device and on 2nd is you CD/DVD but if you are installing your windows then your CD/DVD is should be on 1st drive and HDD is on 2nd option....

Hello again guys, as I planned on updating I did... new cpu, motherboard and ram which obviously runs fine. still yet to figure out what happened to my old setup but its either CPU or motherboard that has gone bad. I will be doing some testing over the holidays I will let you know of I find out what went toast on me.

And peter I couldn't see that being the issue I had the bois the same for a year or more without an issue. the computer literally shut down and killed itself...lol

Cheers Guys and Merry Christmas

Hi Monsta, just happened to come across your post. Sounds like the surge took out your mobo or cpu; possibly both. On the mobo you were using, did you see any blown/distended capacitors? Where the PSU connected to the board did you notice any scorch marks near or on the connectors themselves?

As Oreo said earlier, I would replace that powerbar, especially when you consider the fact that the first surge got through it. Perhaps consider investing in a better one?

Just checked all the capacitors they look clean from what i can tell and there does not seem to be any scorch marks on the board.

I did replace the power bar after the incident for safe measures. But i dont think it was a power surge becuase only items on that power bar "flickered" or shut off. So im thinking either the mobo shorted out or the Power bar itself had a malfunction.

Next week i will be taking the cpu and mobo to my buddy who deals with PCs all day long. Then we should get a answer i hope !

Cheers Guys, Thanks for all the replies