Re: [Sheflug] computer that won't boot after power cut

[(Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 06-Jul-2012 16:14:01 Adam Funk wrote:
> (This is barely on topic because the computer in question runs GNU/Linux.)
> 
> We had a brief (10 minutes or so) power cut today, and my home
> desktop won't boot up now.  I've tried the following:
> 
> 1. connect the keyboard, mouse, & monitor directly to the computer
> (eliminating the KVM switch);
> 
> 2. testing the monitor on an old box (it works);
> 
> 3. trying a spare keyboard on the troublesome machine;
> 
> 4. disconnecting the fax modem (I can't remember when I last used it);
> 
> 5. blowing all the dust out of the case and PSU.
> 
> I always get the same results:
> 
> power and HDD lights come on;
> nothing on the monitor;
> no lights on the keyboard;
> after a minute or so, the HDD light goes off;
> the computer doesn't get far enough to send boot-up e-mails, and I can't
> ssh into it ("no route to host").
> 
> I'd appreciate any suggestions for debugging this.
> 
> Thanks,
> Adam

For what it's worth, one guess is that the power cut may have
blown some critical circuitry (possibly something on the
motherboard).

Power cuts are sometimes accompanied by voltage spikes, either
when the power goes off (it's not necessarily a clean cutoff,
especially if it's a result of something like overhead power
cables lashing about in the wind -- and your weather up there
was a bit rough yesterday, I think), or when the power comes
back on again.

One suggestion, relative to that guess, could be to move the
hard drives and other peripheral stuff to another box, and
then see if it all works. If it does, then the above very
probably is the reason!

Hoping this helps,
Ted.

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E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 06-Jul-2012  Time: 17:38:08
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