Why won't my PC power up?

I USUALLY LEAVE MY COMPUTER ON A COUPLE OF DAYS AT A TIME. THE OTHER DAY I DECIDED TO SHUT DOWN...THE NEXT NIGHT I COULDN'T GET IT TO EVEN COME ON...WHAT COULD BE CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN?

This question was answered on January 9, 2003. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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I doubt the problem had a lot to do with the amount of time the PC was powered-up between reboots.

There is a methodology to resurrecting a dead PC

First, make sure the thing is plugged in I know this is obvious, but you’d be surprised how often this turns out to be the problem Check any power strip it may be plugged into, and also the end that connects to the PC, itself Power supply vibration can cause the PC end of the power cord to work loose, and there are a lot of crummy power cords floating around these days.

If none of this is the problem, it's time to monitor the fans for operation The power supply fan should always come on Check the position of the "hard wired" switch built into most supplies, near the power plug

You profile indicates an older PC Power supplies often go bad, but are not difficult to replace If I get five years from a power supply, I am happy, but keep an eye on it, suspecting the supply is probably fixin' to die

My guess, is the power supply is the most likely cause of your problem, especially if none of the lights on the PC come on at all Measure your supply physically for replacement and buy the largest one in terms of wattage rating you can afford They're not hard to unplug and replace, but be gentle, and take a couple of notes regarding how it is connected

Carrying an old power supply into the store for purposes of comparison when looking for a replacement (sometimes over the objections of overzealous security guards) is recommended.

While you're in there, blow the dust out of the innards of your computer using a can of compressed air available for such purposes Again, be careful not to poke at any of the components too hard.

Especially on newer PC's, carefully check for signs the CPU fan is operating On any PC, if the fan is more than a few years old, it's good preventative maintenance to replace it, and protect your investment Modern processor chips will overheat and shut down a PC in a matter of seconds Repeated attempts at rebooting can cause processor failure Replace any thermal grease or heat pad associated with fan or heat sink removal This is important.

RG

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Posted by Robert of Mesa Community College on January 9, 2003

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