Like someone else mentioned the motherboard....that does sound feasible. My other computer had to have the motherboard replaced because the cylinder cones on it opened up and leaked the acid that's inside. Once exposed they begin to rust...

And the computer completely freezing sounds very suspicious of that. My computer did the same thing, for a couple months as a matter of fact. I thought it was the graphics card, then I thought it was the mouse, then when the computer wouldn't boot up anymore took it into a computer shop and it ended up being the motherboard.

You said that the fan was running...you should have more than 1 fan in your computer.

1. power supply fan
2. cpu fan
3. video card fan

Those are all pretty easy to find, so check all of them and make sure the fans are running when your power on the computer. Because those symptoms also sound like it's overheating and possibly corrupting the system.

Thats what sucks about computers....You can have several problems with just one symptom.

And don't call geek squad..they are over priced and not to mention i'm sure you can hire someone who will come to your house and take a look at it for you for half the price. Then you just go to newegg.com to order the part you need for the computer.

hope this helps.

Mo_Muirin ...

You are always such an advice heroine ...

Smart lady, ya are yourself, so you are so ... (said in my thickest Irish brogue ...) ...

that sounds more like a teen boys issue rather than a computer issue...lol

Alright you, the woman's in grieving already ...

First, a couple reference materials..

here is a reference to the generic system boot sequence http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/bios/bootSequence-c.html

these are references to POST, which is a bit more relevant information when attempting to troubleshoot your computer, or having someone else do it.
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/bios/bootPOST-c.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-on_self-test

this is a reference about BIOS
http://www.basicinputoutputsystem.com/


As always, more information is needed here for adequate support.

I presume it's the fan on the Power Supply Unit (PSU) that turns on?
You also said that the light turns on to the CD-Rom?

If your issue is a faulty Power Supply Unit, it could cause damage to your motherboard, however, it's unlikely for a PSU to commit a charge to the motherboard if it fails it's own internal tests.

Here is a summarization of the boot sequence events that occur before video display. Meaning, if any of these sequences fail, boot up will discontinue, and you won't see video display.

1.) PSU - initializes and performs internal tests for 'Power Good Signal'

2.) Processor executes code at a specific memory location for a 16 bit (2 byte) pointer to read the protected, read-only system memory location of the BIOS.

3.) Power-On Self Test (POST), "is a built-in diagnostic program that checks your hardware to ensure that everything is present and functioning properly, before the BIOS begins the actual boot." It's important to note that a common technique to determine whether boot sequences 1 & 2 are failing before POST begins is to remove your Random Access Memory (RAM) sticks, while your computer is unplugged and powered down, and than plug in your computer and boot it up. If you don't hear a beep, boot up sequences 1 & 2, and the associated hardware, are likely causing the boot up failing.

4.) video card BIOS are executed, if present, to initialize the video card.

4.) ROM(s) BIOS are executed, if present.

5.) Startup screen is Displayed.

( there are more sequences, but your issue is occurring before this point, so there no reason to summarize them here. Use the reference links for further inquiries )

I recommend turning off your computer, unplug it, wait 20 secs or so, take out all of your RAM, plug your computer back in, boot it up, and if it beeps, you can eliminate the PSU, Processor, BIOS chip, and the associated controllers on your motherboard that handle those components from the potential causes of this issue. Give this process of elimination technique a try, and tell us the result.

well I tried unplugging it and then plugging it back in and I give up on it. I think there's a big sale on laptops this weekend and I think it's time I just face the facts and get a new computer.

I put the tissue box away and no more crying

It's time to part with it and move on

Computer issues ARE teen issues. In fact that's what she needs.... a teen computer geek to come help her out.

Very difficult to diagnose computer problems on a discussion board. Questions lead to more questions which lead to more questions. And if you don't have the familiarity or resources, then it's even tougher. You could ask your friends if they know anybody that knows a bit about working with computers. Maybe they'd look at it for you if you made them dinner.

But I do agree with previous posts. Probably the motherboard, which I'm guessing you're not comfortable replacing. Might be the power supply (might be just one of the many circuits on the supply). Might be a bad CPU. And there's a handful of other things that might possibly be wrong.

Wish there was more that we could do remotely.