help with comp

[KsX_CuStOm]

one of my computers was on during a storm when i was not home and when i got back it would not turn back on.... it will start up and get to the login screen on windows xp and hen shut down, y does it do it? do i need to get a new part for it or wat? one of my gf's friends said that it is the power switch or sumthing like that plz help.

[hellsing293]

ok, well all people i know use this thing. its an extension plug that gives like 5sockets and has a nice feature. If it "overblows/short-circets" whatever, it automaticly shuts down. I take it you don't have one of those? also, if you're installing something like windows service pack or something that would update really important stuff like that(yeah i'm teh computer wiz lol) and it installs halfway then aborts for whatever reason i guess it can become unstable. then you're really screwed. Do you have anything super important on there? if not i recommend first if you can do it yourself(because it costs money to do this and i'm not sure its the problem) try reformatting and it might be fine(happened to me).

DON'T TAKE ANY SERIOUS ACTION BECAUSE OF MY POST. THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT I MAY BE WRONG AND I WOULD NOT LIKE YOU TO WASTE MONEY/MESS UP YOUR COMP BECAUSE OF ME

[KsX_CuStOm]

well thnx for the help and yes i do have a surge protector, thats y i dont think the storm did it unless my surge protector sux.... thnx again

[hellsing293]

surge protector, that's the word(s) i was looking for. couldn't remember lol. were you installing anything important like windows etc on your comp at the time?

[KsX_CuStOm]

i am not sure i had my comp setup to install them automatically but i am not sure if it was, like i said i was not home

[trayne]

there is a slight chance it could be a corrupt windows file. There has been a few bugs in some updates. doesnt come up much but it happens, then theres the viruses that are out that change files to where it wont load windows correctly. You might have to just reinstall.

[modulus]

A surge protector won't save you computer from a lightning strike, which i'm asuming must be your problem. Your lucky your computer still turns on. I would try replacing the power supply, it's the first thing that gets damaged during an electrical storm. Try that to see if it works, otherwise, try replacing the motherboard. You could also test your RAM with Memtest86+ to make sure your RAM isn't damaged. And after all that, you could run a CHKDSK on your hard drive.

[splatterghost]

a surge protecter WILL protect your computer modulus, a surge protecter has little fillamints inside of it kinda like whats in a light bulb but what these do is blow when there is too much of a current running through it and will stop all the power running to whatever is plugged into

pretty much they will blow up and stop working.

what is sounds like the problem is with your computer is what trayne said it might be a file it depends on what turned off your computer cause sometimes turning off your computer without completly turning it off can corrupt any files that are being ran

[wm_hunter]

I agree with Mod.. replace the power supply, I don't think it would be a RAM problem, but check... run a chkdsk... and get a surge protector. It will blow before your computers power supply does next time.

What I don't understand though, is if it is a power supply why does it always do it on the Windows login screen, not just after a varied period of time like it is failing, but always at the same time. Maybe the strike corrupted some files maybe?

This is a really weird issue, just got to guess and check. I would try power supply and ram (if you have from another computer save some $) and see if they are problems, if not try to run chkdsk and other scans... as a last straw reinstall windows...

[trayne]

if the storm was with severe static and the computer was at a high level, it could be that it absorbed too much static electricity and corrupted a file. A surge protector wont stop a static flow since it would be indirect but it will let the static in directly and steady since some static is mistaken as "small and harmless" surges. Your best bet would be to reinstall.

[modulus]

2,000,000 Volts of electricity has a tentancy to arc across about 1-2 meters of empty space very easily, so those little filaments in your surge protector will not help. A surge protector does not have enough capacity to absorb a lighting stirke. If your house has ever been directly hit by lighning, you'll notice even though your fuse box goes up in smoke, your electorinic still get damaged.
The only way to be safe is to phisically un-plug everything.

[L4E]

have u tried to run windows in safe mode...
simple basic first step after any problem -.-

[KsX_CuStOm]

i cant run windows in safe mode because when my comp starts it shuts off.... it sometimes gets to the windows screen but it most of the time does not

[Tantrum22]

sounds like your motherboard is fried bro