Hardware Problem - PC Not turning on

[IdlePhaedrus]

Hi There,

I am hoping there is a hardware guru out there who can help. I have an AOpen XC Cube EZ65 which I purchased in the UK five years ago.

In the last couple of days, when I turn it on, the blue light around the on button flashes, but the machine does not start.

If I switch off the machine completely using the hard switch on the power supply wait a few seconds, switch it on again and then hit the front power button the machine starts, and runs all day.

I have checked the voltages on the mobo using the utility that came with the machine and they are all within the tolerances for the unit.

I suspect either the power supply or mobo is going, could someone confirm my suspicions?

If it is the power supply does anyone know where I might get a new one to fit the small form factor of the box?

Any help appreciated.
Phaedrus

 

[Kalvaer]

Is it plugged in... and by that I mean your monitor as well Kidding.

What utility allows you to check voltages if the PC isn't starting?
If the voltages are ok though, its usually not your PS.

Does it make any beeps when it turns on? or does it just power up and stay there? Best way to find out is generally pull something out, turn it on, and see what happens. Of course having spares to test everything is usually not something everyone has lying around

Pull something though like your graphics card and listen if it "beeps", it could be anything from faulty memory, to the CPU though

 

[ponder]

PSU I would think. Had a similair problem with my Antec. Press switch, light flashes once. Turn off power to PSU, wait, switch on, press front power switch bingo until one day there was no more bingo.

 

[IdlePhaedrus]

Is it plugged in.

LOL

I can start the machine, but only after all power has been removed to the power supply using the on / off switch at the back of the box and then switched on again.

Once that has been done I can press the start button on the front and all the normal post codes and startup procedures follow as per normal.

If the machine has been turned off over night using windows normal shut-down procedure (but not completely using the on / off switch on the power supply). Then, when I turn it on in the morning, the light around the start button on the front will flash very briefly, but there is no other startup, no beeps, no fans, nada.

The red light on the mobo is still on in this situation.

It's almost as if a capacitor has run-down and has to be recharged by turning the power supply off and on again. Dunno if mobo's or power supplies use capacitors for this sort of thing.

I am using the AOpen SilentTek utility to view the voltages. Here is an image.

 

[auriga1000]

had similar problem. turned out to be mobo and gfx card. removed gfx card and started pc with onboard graphics. worked fine for a week and then gave up. high res knocked mobo totally out.

 

[IdlePhaedrus]

had similar problem. turned out to be mobo and gfx card. removed gfx card and started pc with onboard graphics. worked fine for a week and then gave up. high res knocked mobo totally out.

Hmm, thanks, that does not sound good.

 

[<moLe>]

option a))definetly a power issue...try unplugging un needed drives/cards see if the problem persists. if it doesnt then plug back the devices one by one until you find the culprit
option b)) test it with an alternative powersupply ((higher or atleast similiar voltage)) and see if the problem persist, if fault does not re-occur with new PSU you can safely assume the PSU was to blame, otherwise I'll start looking at the motherboard to find the fault.

 

[OverKill69]

Happens to my PC sometimes.

Before you chuck it away and buy a new one....
It might not be your PC.
There are some capacitors that sometimes don't get discharged when they power down. Especially if the power goes off unexpectedly, like a power cut or something.

All you do is physically remove the plug from the PSU and then press the power button. You'll see the light come on for a second or two.
That's the residual charge in the capacitors being discharged.

Plug it all back in and it should start up fine.
It happens to new machines as well. Got more to do with your house's electrics than the PC hardware.

EDIT: Yes, you're 100% correct about the caps... check your mulitplug, think if you've changed anything. The earth leakage was a bit wack on one of my circuits at home and it used to cause this problem 3 or 4 times out of 10 startups. I used to get a slight "buzz" if i touched the case. I moved the PC to another plug point in the house and it (the "no start-up" thing) didn't happen till a power failure.

 

[auriga1000]

option a))definetly a power issue...try unplugging un needed drives/cards see if the problem persists. if it doesnt then plug back the devices one by one until you find the culprit
option b)) test it with an alternative powersupply ((higher or atleast similiar voltage)) and see if the problem persist, if fault does not re-occur with new PSU you can safely assume the PSU was to blame, otherwise I'll start looking at the motherboard to find the fault.

following on from my reply, i changed psu first and issue remained until i did as described, so possibly not psu, but all avenues have to be explored anyway.

 

[IdlePhaedrus]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I will try each one out one by one and see what happens.