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PC Powers up - a bit - then powers off.

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8 replies

by bobsel

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Hi,

Being new here I hope this in the right place.

When I switch on from 'cold' my pc starts to power up, then it shuts down again. I then have to switch off and on again at the mains, and switch on the pc again: and eventually - after anywhere between 2 and 20 attempts - the pc powers up as if nothing has happened and works without problems. Unless I try to switch on from cold again, in which case it does all the above again.

Reboots from warm work fine.

I have an AMD Sempron (tm) 3000+. Motherboard: Gigabyte 7VT600-P-RZ (-C). 1.5 GB DDR-SDRAM, Radeon 9550 graphics. It's all nearly 4 years old now.

Any advice appreciated.

Bob

8 replies

by ---tk---

Im assuming you built the machine... I would check all your connections. including the connections from the physical power on switch to the motherboard... I would check your power supply with a tester, shouldnt cost more than $20... I would also reseat your CPU and apply new thermal greese and make sure your fan is still spinning freely... hopefully this helps.....

by bobsel

tkrl26,

Thanks for the advice, and I'll try your suggestions.

No. It was put together by a supplier, but to my (now out-dated) specs. But the supplier is now out of business. Even so, it's been good until now.

Cheers

Bob

by the altruist

Sounds like a bad case of capacitors to me.
Check your motherboard, and look for any capacitors that are rounded at the top. The capacitors (they look like miniature soda cans) should be COMPLETELY FLAT on top. If they are even the slightest bit rounded, they need to be replaced. Replacing is not easy, and if you can't do it your self, not cheap either. At this point in your PC's life-cycle, a new motherboard might not be a bad idea.

by older mycroft

Basically because if you can think 'outside the box' - (pun intended!) you can consider [electrical current] as the opposite of [cool flowing air].

Since electrical current is available instantly when you press the ON button, but cooling air isn't readily available when you press OFF, then whatever heated up is [u]still trying[/u] to cool back down when you next engage the flow of current again.

Each time you turn on and turn off, various components begin to get warmer with each attempt.

Given the age of your unit, and the perhaps inordinate number of times you are turning ON & OFF (compared to the typical user - (I turn OFF maybe once a fortnight)) I'd go with the components most likely to benefit from the build-up of heat.

The capacitors call from above is a fitting one, but I'd also go with the possibility of a (slightly) duff PSU. It is logical to assume that eventually the PSU will fail completely.

by Former member

Change the power supply first (cheapest option), if that fails to cure it you will know it will be the motherboard is slowly giving up.

Please post back if you have any more problems or questions.
If this information is useful, please mark as helpful. Thanks.

by oh smeg

The Power Supply is faulty.

Replace the Power Supply with a Known Good one and things should be right again. The need to disconnect the Mains is a sure sign of the Power Supply going faulty so this is all that is required to fix this unit up now.

if you persists using it the way that it is you will more likely than not cause more damage which is far more expensive to rectify.

Col

by bobsel

Hi People,

Thanks for the advice. I'll try it all, bit by bit, and see what happens.

Cheers

Bob

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