My computer won't turn on :(

[flamingdts]

Hey guys, this morning I realized my computer isn't turning on.

I'll give you all a quick run through.

Basically, 6 months ago everything was fine with this computer. I went off to university for 3 months before coming back in Christmas. When I came back in christmas, I noticed there is no signal on my monitor even through my computer turns on. Luckily, I could plug my monitor in to the spare receiver thing. I'm not techy so I'm not too familiar with the terms. Everything was fine after that, I just assume after having not used my computer for 3 months it might have gotten loose or something. I'm telling you this part just in case loose switches or buttons could come into factor for this problem.

I went back to uni for another 3 months, and I just came back home a week ago. Everything with my computer was fine, I was still able to play all my games so the graphic card was fine too. However, after using my computer for a week, this morning it wouldn't turn on. I pushed the power switch several times with no response. I'm led to believe that this is most likely a power supply or motherboard problem? And if it is a motherboard problem I could be looking at a costly replacement?

However, what I did notice is that my Asus motherboard has a green light. If I turn off the power cord, the green light goes off. If I turn the power cord on, the green light comes on.

Does this mean it's most likely a power supply problem or the switch is loose?

 

[Rizzo]

This won't help you but I don't know if you heard, that I turned on my computer once just by looking at it.

Spoiler

But seriously I had something like that happen to me, it turned out to be some loose wire inside the case.

 

[flamingdts]

I just realized I put a lameass sad face on my title.

Oh well, that's what happens when you talk to girls earlier over skype. You get soft.

That or it's an Asian thing.

 

[flamingdts]

Ok so my computer turned on again.

I called a tech to fix my computer, I pushed the power switch several times over the course of the day to no avail. But when the tech came over and I pushed the button, it turned on again. What a freaky coincidence.

He doesn't know the exact problem. I know for sure it isn't a motherboard problem. Although I'm not sure if it's a power supply problem, is it possible for the power supply to function partially or once in a while?

I asked him if it was the switch, but he said he's not too sure, but he did say that when you push the switch, you hear a spring. If you hear the spring, it shouldn't be a switch problem. I did hear the spring when I pushed the switch earlier and the computer wouldn't turn on. Is it possible that the wiring of the switch is somehow loose, even if it makes a spring sound?

I honestly don't know what the problem is that caused my computer not to turn on, I didn't change any variables besides the temperature. I turned the air conditioner on in a hot weather.

That or staring at the computer does actually work.

 

[JFry]

Unless you were inside the case pulling on wires connected to your power button it's probably not that. Generally when a pc is overheating it will still turn on, but turn off again rapidly when it's sensors tell it it is overheating. I wouldn't rule out overheating(so it may be worth experimenting with your air conditioning), but it doesn't sound like that's the case either.

There should be a switch on the back of your case near the power cord. Next time it won't turn on, try turning that switch on the back off. Wait about a minute or so then flip it back to the on position and try powering up your computer again.

 

[flamingdts]

Unless you were inside the case pulling on wires connected to your power button it's probably not that. Generally when a pc is overheating it will still turn on, but turn off again rapidly when it's sensors tell it it is overheating. I wouldn't rule out overheating(so it may be worth experimenting with your air conditioning), but it doesn't sound like that's the case either.

There should be a switch on the back of your case near the power cord. Next time it won't turn on, try turning that switch on the back off. Wait about a minute or so then flip it back to the on position and try powering up your computer again.

I actually tried that.

I turned off the switch and on again, but it didn't make a difference.

But I doubt it's a overheating problem. If I'm correct, overheating leading to a shut down occurs after you turn on the computer. I turned off my computer before I slept.

Perhaps it is a wiring problem? I did shift my computer around to unscrew the case, although ever so slightly.

 

[JFry]

It's not that it isn't possible that it is the power button, it's just that there are a bunch of other things that are far more likely to be the problem. One way of finding out would be to switch the connectors for your power and reset buttons on your motherboard and test it. However if you don't consider yourself techy I can understand that might not sound too appealing.

It could be overheating if say at night you are using it and it is running fine and then the next day the room temperature is 20 degrees hotter(or whatever). Whether it's the problem or not it's a good idea to blow the case out with some compressed air. If a dust ball gets big enough it can short the motherboard out to the case, which could lead to intermittent start up problems.

 

[Stylo]

Sooo, is the motherboard light the only sign that the computer is receiving power? No power lights displaying on the comp or whirring of the fan, all that stuff?

Usually if you're confident that the problem is coming from the PC and not the power supply (non of the power wires have come lose or are damaged etc.) then it's often a motherboard problem which can become time consuming to mess about with yourself and it's not very cheap to replace if it's truly buggered.

The light coming on on the motherboard is the confusing thing because it suggests that the motherboard isn't completely whacked. I couldn't pinpoint the specific problem with it but it still sounds like a motherboard problem.

Usually with overheating issues the computer will show signs of power and will turn on but shut off after a few seconds / minutes depending on how cool it is when you turn it on. But like JFry said, there's no reason you shouldn't clean out the insides just in case you have a dust problem affecting things.

 

[flamingdts]

Ok so this morning again my computer wouldn't turn on again.

I honestly don't know what the issue is. Yesterday when the tech came over, i pushed the switch on and off and there was response, no matter how many times I pushed it.

Is it a motherboard problem? The computer wouldn't work partially if it was would it? Also, yesterday, after my computer turned on, everything was fine. I could game, and I left it on for 4-5 hours with no problem.

I really don't know what the problem is right now, is there a way I can manually turn on the computer?

 

[flamingdts]

Ok so I looked up the internet, and some people apparently had similar issues and all they did was unplug the main power and/or switch, and it turns on again.

JFry you recommended this method. What does that mean?

 

[flamingdts]

OK this is something I looked up

http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...r-cord-even-when-computer-was-off-467157.html

Apparently this person fixed his issue by setting the "restore on ac power loss to on"

http://www.instructables.com/id/Aut...-your-computer/step1/Restore-on-ACPower-Loss/

My option in my BIOS, "Restore on AC power loss" is set to off. I'm going to set it to on to see if it makes a difference.

Anyone have any familiarities with this issue?

 

[JFry]

The power switch thing can indicate a failing power supply. Did you wait before flipping the switch back to the on position? Give it 10 minutes just to be sure, and during this time hold down the power button on the front of the case for 10 seconds as well.

That BIOS setting simply determines whether the system will boot up again after a power interruption or just stay off. I doubt it will fix anything but it won't hurt anything to change it.

 

[flamingdts]

The power switch thing can indicate a failing power supply. Did you wait before flipping the switch back to the on position? Give it 10 minutes just to be sure, and during this time hold down the power button on the front of the case for 10 seconds as well.

That BIOS setting simply determines whether the system will boot up again after a power interruption or just stay off. I doubt it will fix anything but it won't hurt anything to change it.

Do you mind rephrasing what you meant by holding down the power switch?

Basically, I unplugged the main cord, and I turned off the power switch for about a minute or two. During that period I did push the on switch but I didn't hold on to it.

Also, if it is a failing power supply, wouldn't that mean my computer would shut down by itself once in a while after my computer has been turned on? I haven't encountered any crashes or shut downs with my computer after I turned it on, not even 4-5 hours after using it.

 

[JFry]

I think what you did is probably good enough. My last computer has been acting like this for about a year and it only affects it during start up. I just have to go thru the routine of flipping the psu switch on and off before I try to power on the computer, but once I do it runs fine.

Sorry I'm kinda stumped on this one dude. Next time it turns on you could perhaps try resetting bios to default settings.

 

[Stylo]

Well, being as the LED comes on on the motherboard, I'm slightly less inclined to think that it's your PSU dying.

This will probably sound tedious but have you tried getting inside the case and taking out all the non-essential parts of your computer to see if it still runs? You only really need a motherboard, PSU, CPU and cooler, a memory module and a video card for your computer to run.

Personally I'd remove any hard and optical drives, add on cards, extra vid or audio cards, extra fans all that gubbins that may be in there and then see if it turns on. Then put everything back in one by one and test the comp to see if the problem happens after a specific component is put back in.

A little time consuming but that's one of the first things I would do. If it's a specific component causing problems then it's either buggered or needs a clean.

 

[flamingdts]

I think what you did is probably good enough. My last computer has been acting like this for about a year and it only affects it during start up. I just have to go thru the routine of flipping the psu switch on and off before I try to power on the computer, but once I do it runs fine.

Sorry I'm kinda stumped on this one dude. Next time it turns on you could perhaps try resetting bios to default settings.

No problem, thanks for all the help!.

Well, being as the LED comes on on the motherboard, I'm slightly less inclined to think that it's your PSU dying.

This will probably sound tedious but have you tried getting inside the case and taking out all the non-essential parts of your computer to see if it still runs? You only really need a motherboard, PSU, CPU and cooler, a memory module and a video card for your computer to run.

Personally I'd remove any hard and optical drives, add on cards, extra vid or audio cards, extra fans all that gubbins that may be in there and then see if it turns on. Then put everything back in one by one and test the comp to see if the problem happens after a specific component is put back in.

A little time consuming but that's one of the first things I would do. If it's a specific component causing problems then it's either buggered or needs a clean.

I haven't tried that, I'm not familiar with building computers so I'm worried that if I move anything around I might completely screw up the system.

At the moment, from what I've read, the problem I'm having is quite common but is not often associated with the motherboard. My motherboard hasn't shown any signs of damage, and if my motherboard is indeed damage I think I would have a lot more problems than just being unable to start up the system.

I read something about static, or some discharge, that is related to turning off the main power switch and on again.

When my tech came over, he said my PSU brand, delta, is not a bad brand, so he doubts it's a PSU problem. I'm also using an ASUS motherboard. My computer is about 2-3 years old, and still able to run most games at maximum quality. So at the moment I too am completely confused as to what the problem is.

However, I will say one thing, the inside of my case is very VERY dusty, filled with a lot of dustballs. I think I should clean that out, any recommendations as to the best way to do so? I don't want to damage anything.

 

[Stylo]

However, I will say one thing, the inside of my case is very VERY dusty, filled with a lot of dustballs. I think I should clean that out, any recommendations as to the best way to do so? I don't want to damage anything.

This DEFINITELY could be the cause. It can create 'bad contact' which is basically poor connection between components and their sockets because of dust and crap build-up. That and dust is just a nuisance in general, clogging up fans to cause overheating, getting in certain places and causing problems.

Especially with your gripe being an intermittent thing it could very likely be the dust and dirt. Especially in the CPU and memory sockets and vid card slot.

You can generally blow most of it out with compressed air but I'd recommend giving it all a gentle but thorough wipe with a dust cloth.