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Computer sometimes booting up, sometimes not
mechaThor
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm in a bit of a pickle.
A week or so ago my brothers PC stopped turning on. Since his motherboard has no power light I wasn't sure if this was a problem with the PSU or otherwise but had to go vacation for the week and never got around to it. Anyways at this point I have stripped it down, and tested all the parts. The PSU is fine, but the power switch on the case wouldn't get the CPU or anything going. I bypassed the case switch by jumping the PW pins, and the computer booted up! So all was good and well until I plugged the optical drive in (its IDE). I could boot but it would freeze in the first BIOS right after booting. Unplugging IDE cable got it booting again, but kept freezing when it was plugged back in.
Well I assembled the PC back and touched the pins, only to find that now its not turning on at all. Neither from the case switch or jumping the pins. As I said I tested the PSU by jumping the cables when it was just plugged in, so is it a motherboard problem then? Could a bad motherboard explain why jumping pins works but a case switch wouldn't? Thanks.
A week or so ago my brothers PC stopped turning on. Since his motherboard has no power light I wasn't sure if this was a problem with the PSU or otherwise but had to go vacation for the week and never got around to it. Anyways at this point I have stripped it down, and tested all the parts. The PSU is fine, but the power switch on the case wouldn't get the CPU or anything going. I bypassed the case switch by jumping the PW pins, and the computer booted up! So all was good and well until I plugged the optical drive in (its IDE). I could boot but it would freeze in the first BIOS right after booting. Unplugging IDE cable got it booting again, but kept freezing when it was plugged back in.
Well I assembled the PC back and touched the pins, only to find that now its not turning on at all. Neither from the case switch or jumping the pins. As I said I tested the PSU by jumping the cables when it was just plugged in, so is it a motherboard problem then? Could a bad motherboard explain why jumping pins works but a case switch wouldn't? Thanks.
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mechaThor on
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You normally test pieces of hardware by putting them in know good hardware.
First check to make sure the power supply is working. If it is, then unplug everything from you motherboard except you cpu and a known good stick of ram and try turning on your PC.
If that still doesn't work, you may have a short on your motherboard.
Make sure the motherboard is mounted properly. Properly screwed in, all screw holes used, etc.
If all that doesn't work, I'd say pooched motherboard.
When you say this, do you mean you connected the IDE drive while windows was running, or while the computer was off?
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Try another optical drive, and try another IDE cable (both obviously "known good"). As far as your PSU not being the culprit... it very well still could be (as your problem comes up when you introduce additional devices requiring power) and I would not rule it out. If you're handy with a voltmeter, you should check it out to make sure enough juice is coming through the PSU (I've never done it, but there's guides out there which should make it pretty straightforward)(there is also a PSU testing device you could buy if you really wanted)
As for BIOS and optical drive firmware... there may be updates available to both of them, but it is irrelevant to this particular situation
I reconnected the IDE drive when the computer was turned off. I think I might have forgotten to plug it into the PSU though. Unfortunately I can't do that many tests on it since I live about 300 miles from it, but if there are any non-tech-saavy tests that my brother can do that would be awesome. I was considering just contacting the mobo manufacturer and just sending it in saying it doesn't work and ask for a replacement.
Compare that to just troubleshooting. RMAing the board is a last ditch effort, not a 'fuck it I am done troubleshooting' solution.
In regards to non-tech-savvy tests. It might be easiest to buy a new PSU and swap it out. If the problem still exists... return the PSU to the store (I think bestbuy has a return policy that should allow you to do this, I may be wrong) and proceed with your "return to manufacturer" for the mobo. trav is right, it's going to be a lot easier to do the simpler tests (testing out a different CD drive/Cable, and trying out a new PSU) rather than take everything apart and off your motherboard when it hasn't been confirmed that the mobo is the source of the problem... especially when the shipping time there and back for the replacement may put him without a computer for quite a while.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the age of his computer... is this something that was just put together a few months ago, all new parts.. or is this a computer that's been around for a few years already? (if this computer is in an old case, it's possible that the contacts on the power switch are fried.. and you'd need to replace the switch or clean the contact points)
PSU : Antec 500w
MB : Gigabyte GA-MA790X
CPU : AMD Phenom II x3 2.8ghz
HD : 1TB WD
GPU : BFG GTX260 RT
RAM : 2x2gb Gskill
DVD : LG 22x
CASE: Cooler Master Centurion 5
I'll tell my brother to go buy a new PSU to test after I can find a place with a nice return policy. When he reconnects the new PSU should he try turning on the computer with the (alleged) broken case switch or go straight to overriding it?
You're right in that I shouldn't just skip straight to RMAing the mobo. Troubleshooting an entire PC long distance is just aggravating sometimes, despite being worth it in the long run.