[Solved] Computer will not turn on

[cdog420]

I figured since the TWC is often very helpful I would try my luck here.

So I just returned home after 3 weeks, tried to turn on my desktop and the computer will not turn on at all. My wife was the last person to use it, she said it was working fine then one day it just wouldn't turn on anymore. Nothing happens when the power button is pushed, nothing at all. No lights, no beeps, no sounds, and no fans. It is almost acting like there is no power reaching the computer.

I checked all the power cables and everything seems to be plugged in just fine. Next step was to make sure my PSU is working, so I bought a PSU tester and according to the instructions everything is fine with my power supply. So then I checked to make sure all the RAM was seated correctly, and even tested them individually in the computer and it still won't turn on. Next I unplugged the hard drives and tried them individially as well and no success. Then I checked the power button, it appears to be connected properly, I even unplugged the power switch cables from my motherboard and tried to attach the reset button switch to see if maybe that could fix it, nothing happened. I unplugged the GPU as well and tried and no success as well.

I really do not know what the problem is. I have had this computer for almost 2 years now with little to no trouble with anything in it. I am wondering if it could possibly be a fried motherboard? Anyone have any ideas on what else I could try or do to help fix this situation? Any help would be appreciated.

[2-D Ron]

I figured since the TWC is often very helpful I would try my luck here.

So I just returned home after 3 weeks, tried to turn on my desktop and the computer will not turn on at all. My wife was the last person to use it, she said it was working fine then one day it just wouldn't turn on anymore. Nothing happens when the power button is pushed, nothing at all. No lights, no beeps, no sounds, and no fans. It is almost acting like there is no power reaching the computer.

I checked all the power cables and everything seems to be plugged in just fine. Next step was to make sure my PSU is working, so I bought a PSU tester and according to the instructions everything is fine with my power supply. So then I checked to make sure all the RAM was seated correctly, and even tested them individually in the computer and it still won't turn on. Next I unplugged the hard drives and tried them individially as well and no success. Then I checked the power button, it appears to be connected properly, I even unplugged the power switch cables from my motherboard and tried to attach the reset button switch to see if maybe that could fix it, nothing happened. I unplugged the GPU as well and tried and no success as well.

I really do not know what the problem is. I have had this computer for almost 2 years now with little to no trouble with anything in it. I am wondering if it could possibly be a fried motherboard? Anyone have any ideas on what else I could try or do to help fix this situation? Any help would be appreciated.

Is it dusty around the vent holes? You might need to remove the dust from the fan.
I wear rubber gloves and remove the casing and I use my Hoover nozzle attachment and clean up as much of the dust as I can from the fan (Shouldn't do that requires something with a softer suction) but I use my hoover, hasn't caused any damage.

Basically my P.C did the same thing, refused to switch on a year back.
Because there was too much dust it was blocking the fan from rotating properly; kicks in a safety mechanism of some kind where the P.C will not run due to the risk of overheating and catching fire if the Fan isn't operating properly.
Once the Fan is cleaned it should switch on again.. Hopefully.

P.S. Always remember to unplug everything first, safety safety!

[cdog420]

Blowing out dust was one of the first things I did. I also checked to see if the cpu fan was working by hooking it up to one of the power cables that runs to the PSU when using the PSU tester and the fan kicked on immediately.

If there are no signs of power in PC. Then:
1) Obviously make sure that power is being supplied from the power source, use a real load, like a bulb, to see if that's true or not. (You did this.)
2) Check all the power cables. (You did this.)
3) Check your PSU and make sure it's working. (You did this.)
4) It could be that your power button in your case is damaged. So in that case open your computer chassis and short the power pins with a key or something to start it manually.
5) Remove the CMOS battery to clear BIOS settings and reinsert it again. Now try again.
5) Replace your MOBO. Before doing that make sure it's indeed fried. You can easily verify that using a POST (Power On Self Test) Card. Check the POST Code to find out it there's another issue, otherwise MOBO is dead.

Good Luck!

I tried using keys, a knife, a screwdriver to short the power button. Never have done that before but I assume you just touch a metal piece to both of the pins at the same time? I did that and nothing happened.

Took out CMOS battery and reinserted, nothing.

Now I am thinking of getting a POST card, but will it be worth it if the mobo isn't supplying any power to anything on the computer? I even unplugged everything from motherboard except CPU, CPU fan, and 1 stick of RAM and still could get nothing, no lights, no beeps, no fans, nothing....

I also noticed something, I have a USB mouse with lights that used to be lit up 24/7 when attached to my computer, even when the power on the computer was off (PSU power was still on), now when the mouse is attached it does not light up.

Thanks for all the help everyone, it is greatly appreciated.

[Ishan]

If there are no signs of power in PC. Then:
1) Obviously make sure that power is being supplied from the power source, use a real load, like a bulb, to see if that's true or not. (You did this.)
2) Check all the power cables. (You did this.)
3) Check your PSU and make sure it's working. (You did this.)
4) It could be that your power button in your case is damaged. So in that case open your computer chassis and short the power pins with a key or something to start it manually.
5) Remove the CMOS battery to clear BIOS settings and reinsert it again. Now try again.
5) Replace your MOBO. Before doing that make sure it's indeed fried. You can easily verify that using a POST (Power On Self Test) Card. Check the POST Code to find out it there's another issue, otherwise MOBO is dead.

Good Luck!

[Ishan]

I tried using keys, a knife, a screwdriver to short the power button. Never have done that before but I assume you just touch a metal piece to both of the pins at the same time? I did that and nothing happened.

Yeah we just need to short the pins to start the PC manually in case the power button of the case isn't working anymore.

Now I am thinking of getting a POST card, but will it be worth it if the mobo isn't supplying any power to anything on the computer? I even unplugged everything from motherboard except CPU, CPU fan, and 1 stick of RAM and still could get nothing, no lights, no beeps, no fans, nothing....

Its probably not worth it if you don't have it already. Better to take your PC to a computer guy that might already have it.

I also noticed something, I have a USB mouse with lights that used to be lit up 24/7 when attached to my computer, even when the power on the computer was off (PSU power was still on), now when the mouse is attached it does not light up.

Yes this is a good indication that MOBO is dead. Because when the MOBO is receiving power and the PC is off its LED indicators are still on and mouse also light up if it has any LED lights.

[Hrothgar Óhreinsaður]

Is the surge protector plugged into the wall?
Is the surge protector switch set to on?
Is the power switch on the back of your PSU set to on?
Is the selector on the back of your PSU on 110v/115v? If set to 220v/230v it won't work in the U.S. and vice versa for foreign nations.
Try plugging the surge protector into a different receptacle, or plug something else into that receptacle, to ensure it is drawing power.

These may seem obvious, but they are common reasons why a PC won't turn on.

[RubiconDecision]

Over a year ago I noticed problems with an aging computer. I'd been having trouble with high heat for a long time. I most noticed it when playing MTW2 in custom battles. It shut off and I couldn't get it to come back on.

Opening it up, the thermal paste had separated from the heat sink. As such the graphics driver board was getting entirely too hot and one of the many safeties on temperature had caused the kickout. After a good cleaning, I purchased an inexpensive thermal paste, probably a better one than the original with silver in it (heat conducting but not electrically conducting). After I did this, I no longer had any issues with it. It actually is running better than it was originally even in intense battles with no lag.

It's possible that one of those safeties is keeping your computer from booting.

Here's a step by step guide on checking/replacing it.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...rmal-Paste-on/

At a certain point, you might need a computer tech, but I can tell you honestly that some will just try swapping out boards to isolate the issue and that can get expensive.

Have you tried an outlet that is entirely seperate from the standard one? I had a very strange breaker issue where low power was coming through a breaker once and causing undervoltage to the device. That took forever simply because I didn't try going to another room outlet for troubleshooting. I scratched my head for the longest time over that one.

[cdog420]

Over a year ago I noticed problems with an aging computer. I'd been having trouble with high heat for a long time. I most noticed it when playing MTW2 in custom battles. It shut off and I couldn't get it to come back on.

Opening it up, the thermal paste had separated from the heat sink. As such the graphics driver board was getting entirely too hot and one of the many safeties on temperature had caused the kickout. After a good cleaning, I purchased an inexpensive thermal paste, probably a better one than the original with silver in it (heat conducting but not electrically conducting). After I did this, I no longer had any issues with it. It actually is running better than it was originally even in intense battles with no lag.

It's possible that one of those safeties is keeping your computer from booting.

Here's a step by step guide on checking/replacing it.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...rmal-Paste-on/

At a certain point, you might need a computer tech, but I can tell you honestly that some will just try swapping out boards to isolate the issue and that can get expensive.

Have you tried an outlet that is entirely seperate from the standard one? I had a very strange breaker issue where low power was coming through a breaker once and causing undervoltage to the device. That took forever simply because I didn't try going to another room outlet for troubleshooting. I scratched my head for the longest time over that one.

It appears that my heatsink is still properly in place, the screws holding the waterblock in place seem as secure as the day I placed them in (almost 2 years ago). If separated thermal paste was the case, I would assume that my MOBO would still have power flowing through it though correct? Wouldn't the computer still attempt to turn on?

I haven't tried hooking the computer up in another room, but when using my power supply unit tester, the tester shows that the PSU is running within normal operating voltages according to what the instructions said.

Upon further interrogation of my wife, she had said that she may have unplugged the PSU power cable to the outlet one day when I was gone without turning the power off on the PSU first, could this have caused the MOBO to fry?

[RubiconDecision]

It appears that my heatsink is still properly in place, the screws holding the waterblock in place seem as secure as the day I placed them in (almost 2 years ago). If separated thermal paste was the case, I would assume that my MOBO would still have power flowing through it though correct? Wouldn't the computer still attempt to turn on?

I haven't tried hooking the computer up in another room, but when using my power supply unit tester, the tester shows that the PSU is running within normal operating voltages according to what the instructions said.

Upon further interrogation of my wife, she had said that she may have unplugged the PSU power cable to the outlet one day when I was gone without turning the power off on the PSU first, could this have caused the MOBO to fry?

It's not the thermal paste issue that locks out the power. It's the safeties for high temp that cause the computer to not power up. That's what happened to me. I may have sprayed contact cleaner on the boards while investigating and cleaning and that big drop in temperature from applying the fluid may have reset the temperature sensors. I don't know. Can't remember if I used contact cleaner or not. It's not always a great idea as the cold causes condensation to form. That's supposed to evaporate though with the solvent.

The cracked/separated thermal paste was making the GPU to run entirely too hot which was the primary cause of that overtemp condition. It was only upon disassembly that I discovered the state of my thermal paste, but it was evident there was an issue from the speed of the fan and from physically touching my laptop.

I'm assuming this is a desktop unit. Some laptop power supplies have a proprietary power supply, so one cannot mix and match them even if they supply the same voltage and amperage. I guess that's possible too that while the power supply is sending the proper types of voltages, there could be problems with the other characteristics of the power supply. The PSU tester, I assume, is only measuring that certain voltages are developed.

Some electronics have leds mounted on the boards for troubleshooting. You should look up a technical specs for those boards. If so, then those leds are for fast reference to see if the power is adequate to power up.

Some electronics have microswitches built into the housing to halt power if opened. In other words it's there specifically to interrupt power to prevent a case of a user powering up the device without the housing. I'd investigate that too.

DID YOU TRY powering up the computer on another outlet from a seperate circuit breaker? Go to another room and power it up and see what happens. It's a remote possibility as surely you have devices working fine from that same outlet.

Say, you don't use the modem port to a telephone line, do you? Most people don't do that but network their computers directly or use Wifi to get to the Internet. In the old days, a very common issue was getting a voltage spike through the telephone line, not from the power supply. Some people still use their computers for faxes and so the telephone line can allow a surge to go through it.

If you have lots of USB devices that are powering up those devices, then a short in a USB cable or device can keep a computer from powering up. Disconnect all of them to see if the computer will power up that way.

[cdog420]

It's not the thermal paste issue that locks out the power. It's the safeties for high temp that cause the computer to not power up. That's what happened to me. I may have sprayed contact cleaner on the boards while investigating and cleaning and that big drop in temperature from applying the fluid may have reset the temperature sensors. I don't know. Can't remember if I used contact cleaner or not. It's not always a great idea as the cold causes condensation to form. That's supposed to evaporate though with the solvent.

The cracked/separated thermal paste was making the GPU to run entirely too hot which was the primary cause of that overtemp condition. It was only upon disassembly that I discovered the state of my thermal paste, but it was evident there was an issue from the speed of the fan and from physically touching my laptop.

I'm assuming this is a desktop unit. Some laptop power supplies have a proprietary power supply, so one cannot mix and match them even if they supply the same voltage and amperage. I guess that's possible too that while the power supply is sending the proper types of voltages, there could be problems with the other characteristics of the power supply. The PSU tester, I assume, is only measuring that certain voltages are developed.

Some electronics have leds mounted on the boards for troubleshooting. You should look up a technical specs for those boards. If so, then those leds are for fast reference to see if the power is adequate to power up.

Some electronics have microswitches built into the housing to halt power if opened. In other words it's there specifically to interrupt power to prevent a case of a user powering up the device without the housing. I'd investigate that too.

DID YOU TRY powering up the computer on another outlet from a seperate circuit breaker? Go to another room and power it up and see what happens. It's a remote possibility as surely you have devices working fine from that same outlet.

Say, you don't use the modem port to a telephone line, do you? Most people don't do that but network their computers directly or use Wifi to get to the Internet. In the old days, a very common issue was getting a voltage spike through the telephone line, not from the power supply. Some people still use their computers for faxes and so the telephone line can allow a surge to go through it.

If you have lots of USB devices that are powering up those devices, then a short in a USB cable or device can keep a computer from powering up. Disconnect all of them to see if the computer will power up that way.

Heat was never a problem in my computer, so I am pretty sure that wasn't an issue.

It is a desktop, all non-essential drives, USB devices, graphics card, RAM, and fans are not hooked up. There PSU tester is showing that enough voltage is being supplied to at least get the computer to attempt a start up.

Normally, when powering up there used to be LED indicator lights, but not anymore. When attempting to start my computer there are no lights, no beeps, nothing at all. I read through the manual for my board several times and even googled about it and I could never find anything about microswitches or anything like that.

Tried powering it up in a different room and still nothing happens.

My modem port is hooked up directly from a router, which is hooked into my phone line (dsl line).

There are no USB devices hooked up, I only tried using the mouse with the LEDs on it to see if power was still flowing through the MOBO.

Everyone's help has been greatly appreciated as well!

[RubiconDecision]

Do you have a multimeter? It's a device that measures voltage, amperage(usually low), and resistance. There is a fuse on the motherboard that could have been taken out by a surge. They look like this:

See how the white letters on the board indicates that it's a fuse with a number?

You measure continuity with a multimeter to see if the fuse is good. Takes seconds to do. Look up your motherboard to see where it is located and how to check it.

All of your cables are connected to all of the inside devices and to the power supply? Most cables are specifically "keyed" such that it's not likely to connect the wrong cable to another. One being disconnected could cause a lack of powering up. Loose cables occur frequently, or even happen from people poking around trying to discover what is amiss. Especially look for a loose ribbon cable not fully inserted. They often click or have connectors that snap when completely inserted.

Wait...."fans not hooked up?" Some computers have sensors for the fan and won't run in an inoperable fan state because it would directly cause an overtemp condition.

[cdog420]

I tried searching for info on whether or not my mobo has a fuse or not, I could not find anything including in the manual. I looked the board up and down very carefully and I did not see anything that resembled a fuse. I don't have a multimeter anyways (wish I did though).

All essential cables for a system boot are correctly inserted or hooked up as well.

I meant that all non-essential fans are disconnected. I have 7 fans so I disconnected a few non-essential ones to see if the PSU had to much of a load on it, it did not make any difference when all fans were hooked up again, no system boot at all.

If it helps at all, I will post my system specs for further information:

i7-980x 3.33 ghz
evga geforce 590 3 gb
Gigabyte g1 Guerrilla mobo
12 gb corsair vengeance RAM
1000w Coolermaster silent pro PSU

[cdog420]

UPDATE

So after visually inspecting my MOBO again for the fuse, I noticed that at the bottom that all of my front panel USBs were still connected. I hadn't tried disconnecting those yet because I forgot about them, so I immediately inspected to see if any of the front panel USBs had been messed with, and I noticed that one of them looked like someone tried shoving something inside of it (most likely my 3 year old daughter). I unplugged the front panel USB connections from my mobo, hooked my power cables back up and my computer booted instantly.......I wanted to punch myself in the face for not noticing that earlier.

I think whoever (probably my daughter) messed with the USB ports may have shorted them out causing the computer not to boot at all.

All that time wasted for something so simple. I did order a new MOBO the other day, thankfully I realized the problem before I completely turned everything over to the new one. I will have to pay to send the new MOBO back, so I am going to chalk this up as a learning experience.

Thanks again everyone for all of your help. Hopefully if someone having the same PC problems as I am having can learn from my mistake.

Thanks again!