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Sony PCV-RX850 desktop will not boot up!

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by luv2driv007

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I was updating my album artwork on my ipod through itunes. I have 8000 albums, so it takes quite a while to go through this process. I checked the computer around 9:30 pm, after it had been running fine, continously through this process since 1:00 AM that morning. To my horror, after I turned on the monitor, the screen read "no signal" then shortly after went in to standby mode. The fans were running, and the unit had power, but the cpu, nor the hard drive lights even flickered for the next 10-15 minutes. I tried to wake up the unit, restart, etc. I turned the computer off, disconnected my three external hard drives, and tried restarting several times, with the same result. The Hard drive light comes on immediately, then turns off, the cpu light flashes on then off, and then nothing but the fans, with no visual signal to the monitor. I chatted with Sony support, and was sent a generic troubleshooting link, which I tried and it obviously did not work. Really, I was basically told to "send the unit in". I googled "Sony" and "will not boot up", and found that other Sony's have similiar issues, but no one issue seems to be exactly the same. I removed the three 512 DDR RAM sticks in diff. configurations, and tried booting through diff. slot combinations, as someone had a poor solder in a memory slot and removing the stick solved their issue. I used a voltage meter to check my motherboard battery, and it read 2.9XXXXV, very close to the 3V stamped on the battery, so I doubt that is the issue. I am going to take the unit into work and dissamble everything using the proper equipment and grounding strap, and inspect the motherboard and wiring. If I cannot solve the issue at that time, I believe that I am going to take it in to the geek squad, and let them deal with it, as I do not have a ton of time to devote to an old outdated computer that is completely stock, with no upgrades, and gave me 5 good years of service. Aside from the obvious answer, that is: purchasing a new computer, or finishing the one I am building, does anyone have any experience with these issues on a Sony, or any bright ideas? Thank you~

10 replies

by luv2driv007

I cannot get my system to post, so I have no way of knowing for sure if the issue is with with windows. I am assuming that I have bigger problems, but with a screen connected (I have tried various screens, so that cannot be the issue) no signal is sent out, so the monitor goes into standby-mode. Could this be a graphics card issue? I do not have the slightest idea on how to test for that, and I do not have a spare one that I could use to isolate the issue. Once again, thank you for the help.

by luv2driv007

I removed all the components of the tower again, and inspected them again, except the power supply. I did all of this standing on a static dissapative mat, the computer was on a static dissapative mat, and I was clipped in to a static strap. I inspected the motherboard with a magnifying scope @ 8X and 60X. Nothing appears to be damaged on the board. I am going to test the power supply to see if that needs to be replaced. Since this is an OEM unit, can I buy any power supply and use it (Such as the Thermaltake 1300 or 1600) as a replacement? I have been slowly building my first computer(Of which I currently only have an Antec 900 case a few hard drives and a Sony CD/DVD combo burning drive), while I use this Sony until I have done enough research and find the right price for each component. I do not want to purchase parts that will never be used again once I give up this completely stock vaio and salvage all the usable drives and data. I feel that would be an unnecessary expense. Geek Squad wants 70 bucks to "diagnose" my system for me. Is this worth it? Any and ALL help is appreciated!

by robo_dev

then any aftermarket supply should work fine.

Make sure the OEM supply does not have any odd additional fan connections or anything (which is not very common)

$70 to do what you get here for free? Never!

by luv2driv007

Unfortunately I tested the power supply, and that is not the problem. I printed off a guide on the ATX power standards for different color coded wires, and they all corresponded with what the multimeter was reading. I think that my problem just got more expensive, but once again, thank you for your input.

by luv2driv007

I just checked the power supply, and it is no longer suspect, it is still functioning properly. I turned power on with no memory, and no HD, and it beeped cyclically in about 15 second intervals. I added the HD and turned power on, and it seemed to spin just fine, at this point I also had all three memory sticks in, and no beeping occured, and only the CPU light cam on for a brief moment. I then powered down, swapped one stick of 512mb memory between the three slots during separate on-off cycles, and the machine never posted. What else can I check? I am really lost at this point!

by luv2driv007

I did not think about this until earlier today, but would a dead HD cause the type of behavior that I am experiencing? I am not experienced enough to know how to proceed, and I do not feel comfortable being a nuisance to my better informed peers and co-workers. I need help solving this problem, but I do not know who to go to. I am getting pretty anxious about not having this computer in working order. I do not want to rely solely on my corporate computers, that I am really only supposed to use for business, ideally speaking. I do not think that now is a great time to purchase components to build a decent desktop PC, although my assumptions may be incorrect. I wanted to wait until DDR3 motherboards become a little more affordable and prevalent, and current processor prices are out of my comfort range. I appreciate the help that I have received, especially here, but would it be in my best interest to have geek squad diagnose it for $70, and clearly tell me what is wrong, since I cannot seem to successfully troubleshoot this PC on my own? Thanx

by shhite

Does one of the hard drives you said you have in one of your previous post have an operating system on it? If so attach that to this computer and boot it up.

Or if you have an adapter attach a blank hard drive and put in your bootable operating system disk and see if it starts to install the os.

That will tell you if it is the original hard drive that has the problem

by rob miners

Faulty Fans, Dust and Grime build up on the Heatsink restricting air flow. I would give the inside of the case a blowout with compressed air. When blowing air through the fans make sure that you physically stop them from spinning, as they may generate power and blow something up. Remembering to ground yourself by placing the back of your hand on the Power Supply Unit and not moving your feet. By not taking this precaution it is possible that you could inadvertantly cause damage to the PC from an electrostatic discharge. Then remove the Heatsink, giving it a thorough clean and reseat the CPU applying new CPU grease. If the Fans spin freely when you give them a spin they are probably OK. If there is resistance replace them.

Clean the golden edge of each memory stick with a soft rubber, remembering not to touch the golden edge of the memory stick. Check with one stick at a time, remembering to disconnect the power from the PC.
Also check Capacitors around the CPU for swelling or bulging.

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