Computer won't start up (PC)

[tech4all]

Quick question here:

I have this PC that will not power up at all. I turn on the surge protector and flip on the switch on the back of the computer and don't hear that turn on, nor does it power up when I push the power button on the front of it. Just want to know what you guys thought it could be. Do you think the Power Supply is no good?


Any insights are helpful

 

[James Philp]

MWAHAHAHAH

But seriously;
1. Fuse
2. Continuity of cable (can get 1&2 by using a different cable)
3. Internals of power adaptor in PC - get someone to look at it who know's theit stuff!

Oh S**T - i just realised, you Yanks don't have fuses!?
Guess it's number 3 then!

 

[Flyinace2000]

MWAHAHAHAH

But seriously;
1. Fuse
2. Continuity of cable (can get 1&2 by using a different cable)
3. Internals of power adaptor in PC - get someone to look at it who know's theit stuff!

I agree with the above steps. Go to RadioShack and buy a new cable. If that does not work see if you can bring it to a local computer shop. They can swap in a known good powersupply to see if that sovles the problem.

 

[LeeTom]

motherboards don't power up sometimes if the ram or cpu are missing or improperly inserted. reseat cpu and ram.

 

[Tech^salvager]

try what LeeThom said and also check out the PSU and see if its in working order.

 

[tech4all]

Thank you for the replies. Will try some of those out when I get a chance.

 

[ZeratulsAvenger]

If you don't even hear the sound of the PSU(power supply) fan start to spin, then you have a problem. Check to make sure the switch on the back of the PSU is in place(try it once with the O depressed, and once with the | depressed or whatever the two signs are... I am to lazy to turn my computer around).

Was it working recently? Have you done any hardware changes recently(A new Graphics card, HD's, etc)?

Chances are it is a blown PSU.

If it is a standard ATX PSU, then you have an easy fix or an easy way to guarentee it is a blown PSU. Borrow a PSU from a friend(who knows what they are doing preferably), make sure it is of decent Wattage and also a good quality one and you can try and power up the computer with that PSU.

If it is a proprietary PSU(some Dells, HP's, etc have non standard PSU's) then it may take a call to the manufacturer.


EDIT: I doubt as if a mis-seated RAM module would cause it not to even power up, at all. In every instance I have seen, at least the Heatsink fan along with PSU fan will spin and you will just be left with a blank screen and possibly one of the cryptic beep codes. It's not exactly difficult to reseat RAM though so it's worth checking to make sure.

 

[puckhead193]

Try holding the powerbutton; it worked on my gateway when it wouldn't start up......

Or you can just trash it and get a new Mac

 

[Westside guy]

Oh S**T - i just realised, you Yanks don't have fuses!?
Guess it's number 3 then!

You mean in general, or just in line with the power on a computer? We have fuses all over the place.

If the problem is the power supply - they're generally pretty darn easy to swap out.

 

[Timelessblur]

does you mobo have any lights on it. There is a light on my mobo that will light up if there is any power feeding to the mobo. Basicly if the powersupply is plug in to the wall and the mobo this light will be on. If there is light and it not coming on something is wrong with the connectoin or PSU it self because no standby power is being fed to the mobo

 

[mklos]

Easiest way to fix that...throw the POS out and get a Mac! Now you know why PCs are sooooo cheap! You get what you pay for!

This is a Mac Forum, not a PC forum! Who cares about PCs! PC=Pile of Crap!

 

[tech4all]

Thanks again for the info.

And just to clear things up. We actually have three Macs. My main machine is a PowerMac G5 (as you can tell from my sig). The PC is used as a print server that allows me to print to printers on the network from my Mac.

 

[mklos]

Ok...

It just bothers me when people post PC problems on a Mac Forum. It works the other way around too. I dare you to post a Mac problem on a PC Forum.

I'd buy a JetDirect Printer server and ditch the PC. Your printers will all have an IP Address so any computer connected to the network could print from them. A JetDirect Printer Server is around $180 (US).