Major computer problem

Okay so here is the basic background..

I was playing Bejeweled on Facebook and all of a sudden my screen went black. I have a desktop, so there is no battery to die. The computer was still on..everything just went black. And my computer sounded like it was in sleep mode, but it wasn't.

Then I went to shut it off by pressing the button, it wouldn't respond to the button. I held the shut off button down for over a minute, then tried the restart button and it didn't respond either. So I had to shut off the main power supply just to turn it off.

Then I waited about an hour and turned it back on. It showed the processor screen, but then it went to a black screen and acted like it was in sleep mode again. And again, the buttons on the computer were not responding.

I had my brother (computer technician) look at it quickly and he said the main hard-drive is bad. So, he took all needed information off, and I used my secondary hard-drive as my main one. I put it in, and started to install Windows Seven. Then, right when the installation started, the black screen greets me again. Only this time the power buttons do respond like they're supposed to. I tried to install Fedora, Ubuntu, XP, Tiny XP, and Damn Small Linux. Same thing happened for all of them.

What the hell is wrong with my computer? My brother said the secondary hard drive was good. While the nothing in the computer is fried and everything is connected properly. I don't understand what's happening.

It turns black after about 4 minutes in the bios too.

[kwyjibo]

If the computer sounds like it is still running when the black screen occurs it may be a fault with the graphics card, so if you or your brother have a spare one which can be cannbalised from another PC try that. Other than that, not much I can say.
Sorry if this isn't much help
Kwyjibo

Originally Posted by kwyjibo

If the computer sounds like it is still running when the black screen occurs it may be a fault with the graphics card, so if you or your brother have a spare one which can be cannbalised from another PC try that. Other than that, not much I can say.
Sorry if this isn't much help
Kwyjibo

Well, I am not sure if this is it. I mean, when it goes black the fan stops going. So I am assuming everything just stops working when it goes black, not just the video card. Thank you though :3

[Chip]

Could be a power supply problem, either with the power regulation on the motherboard itself or with the external power supply that plugs into the computer. Other than that, it's really hard to tell exactly what the issue is.

I know of a mail-in place that does flat rate repairs on laptops for about $175 which is pretty reasonable if it's actually a hardware problem. Most people that work on computers don't really do hardware repairs any more, they just replace parts these days, and if it's a motherboard, that's an expensive replacement that probably makes it more worthwhile to just replace the computer.

Originally Posted by Chip

Could be a power supply problem, either with the power regulation on the motherboard itself or with the external power supply that plugs into the computer. Other than that, it's really hard to tell exactly what the issue is.

I know of a mail-in place that does flat rate repairs on laptops for about $175 which is pretty reasonable if it's actually a hardware problem. Most people that work on computers don't really do hardware repairs any more, they just replace parts these days, and if it's a motherboard, that's an expensive replacement that probably makes it more worthwhile to just replace the computer.

That laptop place would be great..but I can't really mail a 30 pounds desktop computer! D:

[Chip]

oh! If it's a desktop, then it's much more likely the issue is with the power supply. If you have another chassis, you can swap the power supply and test it. For some reason I thought it was a laptop.

[Artemicion]

Looks like Chip's got the same idea as me - the power supply...Good luck hope that fixes it...after all computer problems are a pain.

[Swamp56]

There are a couple of problems that would cause this to happen:

-Power issue with the graphics card (not enough power going to graphics card), though this assumes you are not using integrated graphics
-Overheating of the graphics card (check to make sure all fans are functioning at proper speed)
-Bad/Dying hard drive (many times, it will also make weird noises)
-Faulty graphics card

When this happens, check to make sure the hard drive is still spinning (of course, ground yourself first).

Usually with overheating, there is a protocol that shuts down the computer, but this might not happen with a graphics card. Similarly, a power issue with the graphics card will not necessarily alert the motherboard (this happened to me).

Well, I am pretty sure it's the power supply. When I turned it on this morning it started to spark. That's always a good sign that it's beginning to work again of course!

:/

I will just save up money for a desktop-replacing laptop and use my netbook as my main computer until then. Hopefully, I will be able to buy one with scholarship money and pass it off as school supplies.. >___> (Well, I do need a laptop for school.)

[MIJ VI]

Poor quality and/or under-spec power supplies are a persistent source of desktop computer woes. Here's some good ones. It's best to get a unit which can power any future hardware expansion with ease.

Antec Power Supply Calculator
http://www.antec.outervision.com/

Thermaltake Power Supply Calculator
http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

Other sources of PC gremlins can be improperly seated RAM modules and/or expansion cards or (less frequently) oxidized contacts on the same.

A weak CMOS Battery can cause hardware to misbehave as well.

Another issue I've encountered on a few occasions is a malfunctioning CD/DVD burner. (They're made very cheap these days.)

[Nikolaus]

Well, first you have to check its RAM, some times it happens when RAM is not working properly...
The CMOS battery can also be a reason for this.. Put it out and then Turn on...
And clean your computer with a good electronic cleaner, and dry it....
Then Run your computer...
Hope this will be helpful in this regard...