[convergecult]

hello geeks to go! it's been a while since i've been here, a hardware problem occurred to me just an hour ago and i really need your help again, you guys have been reliable all these years.

okay, this cpu has been in my keeping for a year and 3 months now. during vacation time, it is often on for about 14-16 hours a day. however, during school days, it is rarely used.

so, coming down to my problem, while i was surfing the net and while using skype, my computer suddenly restarted (i searched for forums regarding skype and restarting, luckily, it's not just me who has problems regarding skype automatically rebooting computers) then when my pc turned booted, i suddenly noticed that only one of the four blue LED lights of my case fan is working others do not light up anymore...

is this a cause of concern? or is it just normal for LED lights to eventually die?

this frustrates me because i love my computer sooooo much. this is my mother's gift for me last year.

thank you in advance guys!

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Is this a laptop or desktop?
Name brand or custom built?
If name brand then what brand, make and model.
If custom built what make and model is the motherboard?
Is there any warranty on the system still in affect?
When was the last time it was opened and all the dust bunnies cleaned out and paying close attention tot he CPU and PSU fans? Are the vents clear of any dust and also are there pets or smokers in the house?
Please do the following and supply the requested picture.

Download Speedfan (The download link is to the right), and install it. Once it's installed, run the program and post here the information it shows.
The information I want you to post is the stuff that is circled in the example picture I have attached.
To make sure we are getting all the correct information it would help us if you were to attach a screenshot like the one below of your Speedfan results.

To do a screenshot please have click on your Print Screen on your keyboard.

• It is normally the key above your number pad between the F12 key and the Scroll Lock key
• Now go to Start and then to All Programs
• Scroll to Accessories and then click on Paint
• In the Empty White Area click and hold the CTRL key and then click the V
• Go to the File option at the top and click on Save as
• Save as file type JPEG and save it to your Desktop
• Attach it to your next reply

[rshaffer61]

Is this a laptop or desktop?
Name brand or custom built?
If name brand then what brand, make and model.
If custom built what make and model is the motherboard?
Is there any warranty on the system still in affect?
When was the last time it was opened and all the dust bunnies cleaned out and paying close attention tot he CPU and PSU fans? Are the vents clear of any dust and also are there pets or smokers in the house?
Please do the following and supply the requested picture.

Download Speedfan (The download link is to the right), and install it. Once it's installed, run the program and post here the information it shows.
The information I want you to post is the stuff that is circled in the example picture I have attached.
To make sure we are getting all the correct information it would help us if you were to attach a screenshot like the one below of your Speedfan results.

To do a screenshot please have click on your Print Screen on your keyboard.

• It is normally the key above your number pad between the F12 key and the Scroll Lock key
• Now go to Start and then to All Programs
• Scroll to Accessories and then click on Paint
• In the Empty White Area click and hold the CTRL key and then click the V
• Go to the File option at the top and click on Save as
• Save as file type JPEG and save it to your Desktop
• Attach it to your next reply

[convergecult]

desktop, custom built

AMD Athlon II X2 240
2.80 GHz, 1.00 GB of RAM
local disk capacity: 232 GB
motherboard: ECS Elitegroup black series a780gm-a

warranty guaranteed was for a year, so i'm 3 months overdue

the last time i dusted it was just now, when the trouble happened. :/

thank you!

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Edited by convergecult, 27 July 2011 - 09:34 AM.

[rshaffer61]

Your 12 and 3 volt rails are both showing low which would indicate a power supply issue. I would like to double check the readings with another program.

Please download and run Hardware Monitor
Installation (setup version only)
HWMonitor is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, fans speed.
The program handles the most common sensor chips, like ITE® IT87 series, most Winbond® ICs, and others. In addition, it can read modern CPUs on-die core thermal sensors, as well has hard drives temperature via S.M.A.R.T, and video card GPU temperature. Please take another screenshot with it open to the sensors and attach it to your next post.

[convergecult]

what does that mean? hardware is faulty already?

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[rshaffer61]

Yes it could mean the PSU is not powering correctly causing a temporary loss of power and the system not having enough to power everything.


Motherboard Info:

Download SIW from HERE and get the Standalone English version
It will install itself and when finished

Then Click on SIW Icon to run program
On the left side click on the Motherboard directory and then on the right, copy and paste the information in your next reply
On the left side click on the Sensors directory and then on the right, copy and paste the information in your next reply

http://www.gtopala.c...w-download.html

[convergecult]

whoa. what are the probable causes for that?

i can't copy and paste the information though so i just made a printscreen copy of it

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by convergecult, 27 July 2011 - 11:23 AM.

[rshaffer61]

Everything is pointing toward a PSU failure as being the culprit.
Do you know what make and model PSU is in the system?
If not you should be able to open the system up and there should be a sticker on the side of the PSU with the brand, make and model on it.

[convergecult]

the power supply came with the CPU case when we had this CPU assembled. :/ it is probably the generic type.

sir, enlighten me on this please, what caused the PSU problem and does this mean what?
1. The PSU is damaged or it just generates a little voltage not sufficient to empower the whole system?
2. Does this mean my LED light is functional but cannot be powered enough to lighten up?
3. And lastly, does the LED light not functioning a cause of concern or will my fan be alright all along? Does it have anything to do with how the CPU functions, or is it just simple lighting? I'm so sorry, i'm a noob when it comes to CPU hardware. shame on me. :/

thank you!

just want to add, is the power alteration too low that it can cause major problems or is it just a minor alteration? thanks!

Edited by convergecult, 27 July 2011 - 11:59 AM.

[rshaffer61]

sir, enlighten me on this please, what caused the PSU problem and does this mean what?

The PSU is a electronic component that can fail over time or suddenly without notice. Think of it like a light bulb. Sometimes they grow dim and sometimes they just go out.

1. The PSU is damaged or it just generates a little voltage not sufficient to empower the whole system?
2. Does this mean my LED light is functional but cannot be powered enough to lighten up?
3. And lastly, does the LED light not functioning a cause of concern or will my fan be alright all along? Does it have anything to do with how the CPU functions, or is it just simple lighting? I'm so sorry, i'm a noob when it comes to CPU hardware. shame on me. :/

1 yes it seems ot not be able to provide a stable amount of power to run everything correctly.
2 possibly the PSU is the issue with the LED or it could be that the led's are failing also.
3 The lights failing have no bearing on the fan functionality The temps for your system look good and well within acceptable ranges so I don't believe the issue is heat related.

just want to add, is the power alteration too low that it can cause major problems or is it just a minor alteration? thanks!

It can turn into a issue if the PSU is faulty with it just failing to start or it could short out and in the worse case scenario cause a fire. At this point it looks to be a stability issue only.
Now we can further check the voltages by checking in the bios and seeing if there is the voltage readings there and then we would not be dependent on a 3rd party software to read the onboard sensors.

[convergecult]

i appreciate the help you are extending rshaffer61

Now we can further check the voltages by checking in the bios and seeing if there is the voltage readings there and then we would not be dependent on a 3rd party software to read the onboard sensors.

how can i check via bios? sorry :/

[rshaffer61]

To enter your BIOS or Setup

Reboot the system and at the first post screen (where it is counting up memory) start tapping the DEL button
This will enter you into the Bios\Cmos area.
From there you may have to look around but look for either Advance or Sensors
Write down the readings especially for the +12 and +3 volt readings. Those are the two we need to see for sure.If they show low there then it is pretty much for sure the PSU is having a problem.

[convergecult]

hello sir! i've done what you've said, however i cannot find any option regarding the +3 an +12 voltage. the closest i've got is in the PC Health Status option, here are the values:

CPU Vcore 1.328v
VDIMM 1.936v

thank you!

[convergecult]

@anem: what was that????

[rshaffer61]

Yep that would be all you have then so we have to depend on the other diagnostics for our analysis.
The only other way to tell if it is indeed defective led's is to take them out and attach them to a known working good system.
I think that is a waste of time seeing the results from 3 different programs show the exact same results. Not to say the led's may not be defective but they would have no bearing on the voltages I am seeing in the tests.
Does the system run OK other then the led's not working correctly?