What could cause a computer to do this?

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  • tonyparra
    Confirmed User
    • Jul 2008
    • 4568

    #1

    What could cause a computer to do this?

    What could cause a computer to lose power without being unplugged or shutdown? Im wondering cus i sold someone offline an hp tower loaded with xp professional and I think hes trying to scam for his money back. I have about 15 towers all used for tax prep last year in busy offices. All the towers were wiped with the recovery disk, making them like right out of the box. They wee all they put away in storage. I was planning on using them for tax prep this year but my biz failed so i had no use for them. So i let a guy know i was thinking about selling the towers to make a little cash.He jumped all over it and we arranged to meet the next day for the exchange. The night before i plugged in the tower cut it on, let it run about 5 -10 minutes, then cut it off. Im morning we made the exchange, but before hand i cut the tower on to make sure the tray was empty in front of him.

    He claims he sent it overnight. So couple days later calls me to tell me there is a problem. He says that the computer wont stay on even though its plugged in the wall. He said hes taking the tower to a repair shop to have it looked at. To anyones knowledge what could cause a computer to not stay powered on once it was cut on? I think this guy is trying to scam me.

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  • Voodoo
    ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠
    • Sep 2002
    • 10600

    #2
    I think you should be asking Captain Ice Cream!

    "I'm selflessly supporting the common good, but only coincidentally looking out for No.1."

    Comment

    • Amputate Your Head
      There can be only one
      • Aug 2001
      • 39075

      #3
      Take your pick...

      Bad power supply
      Windows
      Fucked up bios
      Fucked up CPU
      Fucked up RAM
      Scam artistry
      Stupidity
      Bad house wiring
      Insufficient circuit breaker
      Incompatible mods you don't know about
      Bad power switch
      Act of God
      etc..... etc.....

      SIG TOO BIG

      Comment

      • dav3
        Confirmed User
        • May 2007
        • 7348

        #4
        A bad flux capacitor.
        Webmasters :: Juicy Ads :: ACWM :: Crak Revenue :: Money Tree

        Comment

        • Jarmusch
           
          • May 2003
          • 12479

          #5
          A fried PSU is one option.

          Does the puter power up then shuts down or does it not power up at all?

          Originally posted by tonyparra
          He says that the computer wont stay on even though its plugged in the wall.
          It's good to know he made sure the computer was plugged into the wall.

          Comment

          • dav3
            Confirmed User
            • May 2007
            • 7348

            #6
            If it's starting up, then shutting down after a few minutes, maybe the CPU heatsink became loose during transit.
            Webmasters :: Juicy Ads :: ACWM :: Crak Revenue :: Money Tree

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            • potter
              Confirmed User
              • Dec 2004
              • 6559

              #7
              Could be a bunch of things, he could just be lying. Post up what he says the computer repair shop says.

              I certainly hope you got it insured when shipping it. Meaning he should simply be able to take up his grievances with the USPS. If something happened to it during shipping, and you had it insured, it's not your problem anymore.

              Comment

              • maxprohost
                Registered User
                • Nov 2009
                • 93

                #8
                My guess, he's scamming you, Bad PSU, bad PSU connection to motherboard, CPU over heating. If he's taking it to get checked, demand to see the diagnosis from teh repair place before offering anything back to him.
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                • candyflip
                  Carpe Visio
                  • Jul 2002
                  • 43074

                  #9
                  It booted when he came and picked it up. That's all you need to worry about. He could have done a number of things to it in the meantime.

                  When I sell shit like this, I always include a receipt stating that the item was sold in as is condition. In fact, I put that on all my eBay auctions too.

                  Cover Your Ass.

                  Spend you some brain.
                  Email Me

                  Comment

                  • tonyparra
                    Confirmed User
                    • Jul 2008
                    • 4568

                    #10
                    LOL this guy calls me yesterday to tell that now the computer is freezing (no mention of the previous issue) and he said he still gonna pay to have it sent to a shop, i said ok then he says that maybe i could send a new harddrive (lol) or new tower then he will send the other back so i can have it inspected...at this point im just letting him have as much rope as he wants but he will never get a dime back from me, i smell scammer all on him one thing about being a webmaster you come across alot of bullshitters so now im kid of sensitive to it.

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                    • DateDoc
                      Outside looking in.
                      • Feb 2005
                      • 14243

                      #11
                      Originally posted by tonyparra
                      LOL this guy calls me yesterday to tell that now the computer is freezing (no mention of the previous issue) and he said he still gonna pay to have it sent to a shop, i said ok then he says that maybe i could send a new harddrive (lol) or new tower then he will send the other back so i can have it inspected...at this point im just letting him have as much rope as he wants but he will never get a dime back from me, i smell scammer all on him one thing about being a webmaster you come across alot of bullshitters so now im kid of sensitive to it.
                      You said he sent it overnight? So he shipped it to himself somewhere else? Ask him if he insured the package because more than likely it was damaged in shipping as he saw it worked fine before he bought it.

                      Comment

                      • L-Pink
                        working on my tan
                        • Mar 2005
                        • 39151

                        #12
                        Maybe it's a heat issue .....




                        .

                        Comment

                        • Serge Litehead
                          Confirmed User
                          • Dec 2002
                          • 5190

                          #13
                          maybe overheating, is it dirty inside?

                          Comment

                          • ToBad
                            Confirmed User
                            • Jul 2002
                            • 319

                            #14
                            I guess you RAM is damaged or sit out possition.

                            Comment

                            • Persius
                              Tap into MOBILE!
                              • Jul 2003
                              • 11779

                              #15
                              Originally posted by dav3
                              If it's starting up, then shutting down after a few minutes, maybe the CPU heatsink became loose during transit.
                              Bingo bango


                              If the heatsink/fan is not on properly (or filled with crap/dust) the temperature can stroll all the way up to 80c then the bios will tell the computer to auto shutdown to prevent damage to your system.

                              It also might be a PSU issue

                              Comment

                              • bobby666
                                boots are my religion
                                • Nov 2005
                                • 21765

                                #16
                                it's all a "temporary" problem

                                Comment

                                • MetaMan
                                  I AM WEB 2.0
                                  • Jan 2003
                                  • 28682

                                  #17
                                  I think the owner suffers from something called stupidity.

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