G,
Just for grins and giggles...
Is the video card AGP2, 4 or 8 or is it PCI?
To eliminate the card as a cause, put it back in the box you built for your son (if compatible...you know the drill, RTFM). If it boots with the card, that's not it obviously.
I would suspect the power supply however. Not sure what you're running, but I just went through 3. The rule of thumb is, ditch the one that came with the case...they are usually crap (why do you think you can buy a case with a power supply for 50.00?). Use a brand name power supply, check www.tomshardware.com for reviews. Stay away from anything under 350 watts, better still go with 400 to 500 depending on your wallet. Expect to pay about 80.00 ish. I'd suggest Enermax or Antec. I had a 450 watt Powax for 60.00 that killed itself and my video card.
It's mostly the consistancy of the power to the mainboard, which in turn powers your cards, ram, cpu etc. that seems to be a problem with el cheapo power supplys. The constant drops and spikes will kill almost anything before the power supply gives up the ghost or worst case scenario, burns (it really does happen). A bad power supply will look like bad video, boot problems, heat problems, or even bad ram, because they're not getting a clean constant supply of adequate wattage.
Like you I live life, so paying mega bucks for PCs is not my top priority. I like to get the most bang for my buck. I shop the shows, and ocassionally on line. Check out pricewatch.com for price deals.
Before you run out and buy something though, and I know this a pain in the ass, take the power supply from your son's box, since we know thats good, if it's compatible (P4 vs AMD) and run it on your machine. If it boots ok, it's the power supply. If not, it could be your motherboard, but don't give up hope. If you still have the manual for the motherboard, check out how to reset/clear the bios/cmos. Most motherboards have 2 solder points you can jump with a paperclip. Or remove the battery for a while and put it back in. Make sure the power is turned off and the cord unplugged. Try that and see if it comes back to life. Smell the power supply, does it smell like it's burned? Check out the capacitors around the processor. Any sign of a blown one (looks sort of like corrosion on the tops of one or more, usually white, brown or greenish)? If they're ok, the tops should be silvery/aluminum metal. Any signs of leakage of electrolyte around the base of the capacitors? There's a million other things, but troubleshooting a PC is more a process of elimination than anything else. Some things are a little more obvious is all. I'll check back to see how you're doing.
Nad
