Dead computer?

[MillCreek]

I bought my new ZT Systems desktop from Costco about six weeks ago.  It has been working fine including this morning up until I got home from work this evening.  The computer will not turn on.  When I press the power switch, the blue switch on the front panel lights up, the red LED comes on, and a low-power fan starts spinning for 20 seconds.  The computer then shuts down, the blue switch and red LED go off for 5 seconds and then the pattern repeats again until I cut the power entirely.

I don't hear any beeps on the POST, I am unable to enter BIOS setup by holding down the delete key as the computer boots, and I am not getting a signal on the monitor.  I have checked and reseated all cables and connections, plugged the computer directly into a working wall outlet and still nothing. 

An email is inbound to technical support.  Does the APS Collective have any ideas?  Bad mobo or power supply, do you think?

[Bigjake]

I'd assume Mobo. 

Any chance of swapping the PS to confirm that?

[lee n. field]

Reseat RAM modules.

[Regolith]

Reseat RAM modules.

RAM problems should cause a beep code, IIRC.

Sounds to me like either the processor is overheating (though it would be doing it rather quickly) or possibly a bad mobo.

MAYBE power supply, but usually when a power supply goes the computer won't turn on at all.

If it's brand new, I'd try to get it fixed under warranty, rather than mucking with it myself.

[lee n. field]

RAM problems should cause a beep code, IIRC.

Not necessarily.

Reseating takes a minute, worth (IMHO) a try.

[BryanP]

My first guess would be that the processor is overheating, but for it to be that fast I'd think the heat sink would have to no longer be making proper contact at all. 

[MillCreek]

I will see what CS says, but I am not averse to cracking the case and making sure all the connections and slots are tight and looking for any arcing or the like.  At Costco, you can return computers within 90 days and they extend the warranty for two years.

[RocketMan]

One of the voltage rails, perhaps the +12Vdc rail, has failed in the power supply.  The various LEDs lighting up makes me think the +5 volt rail is okay.
Perhaps one of the peripherals has failed in such a way that it is pulling down one of the power supply rails.
Or a bad motherboard, Vreg failure of some sort.
Probably not an overheating CPU.  It would have to be active a little longer for that to be the case.
Time to exercise the warranty.

[MillCreek]

I returned the computer to Costco.

Trying to communicate with ZT Systems tech support was a comedy of errors.  Neither tier 1 (India) or tier 2 (New Jersey) tech support picks up a call within 30 minutes of holding.  30 minutes is usually my limit.  When I sent them emails, their response was to call technical support.

The Costco concierge tech support was way more helpful.  They actually got the ZT tier 2 tech support on the line for me.  They had me check all the connections and seating of the cards and SIMMS (which I had already done) and said it was probably a bad power supply or possibly a bad motherboard.  They would not ship me a replacement power supply.  The only option for repair was for me to box it up and ship it from Seattle to New Jersey at an estimated cost of $ 50, paid by me.  After they did a diagnostic, they would fix it and return it to me in about a month.

I went online and saw all the comments posted by other buyers who had bought the same computer during the same sale.  A whole lot of people with dead power supplies and graphic cards.  None of these comments were there at the time I bought, so all the problems were of the same batch of computers that I had bought.  I only had the computer for five weeks, and for $ 1018, I expected better.  Since you can return computers to Costco within 90 days of purchase, and sending it off for repair would put me beyond the 90 days, I decided to cut my losses and return it.  As per their usual customer service, Costco took it back with a smile, commenting that they had been getting a lot of ZT computers back lately.   

[MillCreek]

Lets try this again, but with a Dell XPS 8500 instead: http://www.costco.com/.product.702444.html

[280plus]

When I read the title I thought maybe you shot it with your assault rifle.

[MillCreek]

When I read the title I thought maybe you shot it with your assault rifle.

I was tempted, but thought that would make it difficult to return to Costco.  When I worked at the medmal insurance company many years ago, most of the IT people there were into shooting.  When we discarded the old computers at work, we would take out the hard drives, take them to a gravel pit range, and use them for targets.  I discovered that steel-tip .223 will drill all the way through a hard drive.

[280plus]

I was tempted, but thought that would make it difficult to return to Costco.

yea, you're probably right. 

[slingshot]

You made an honest attempt yourself in resolving the problem.  Took it back to Costco which is exactly what I would have done.  Years ago I bought a Toshiba laptop at Office Depot.... it worked, but oh so slowly.  A year goes by and I mention it to Office Depot and they said they got a lot of those returned.  My mistake for not returning it.