Question Computer only starts sometimes?

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idc789

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Mar 28, 2017
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I'm actually not sure where to put this. I guess it is a power issue.

This PC is 4-5 years old and I never had an issue with it before this.

Suddenly it wouldn't start. Flipped the switch in back off and on plus made sure the power cord was tight and then it came on. I thought maybe something was loose. But it happened again a week or so later, and kept happening more frequently. Now every time it's shut down I have to wait 12-36hrs to be able to turn it back on; it's kinda random.

When it's on it's absolutely fine, no issues at all. I've been leaving it on for 7-10 days at a time, although eventually it does crash and burn. I can even restart it from Start Menu and it's fine with that.

A couple of times (out of 20 maybe, when I had to wait longer and longer to start it) it did say something about "overclock failed". I actually have no idea if it was ever overclocked. I read someplace it could be the battery on the motherboard so I changed that out with a new one and all that caused was the loss of my bios settings! Very angry on that one because I have no idea what they were or how to get them back. And of course I'm still having this annoying "computer doesn't feel like starting today" issue.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank you.
 
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Ralston18

Ralston18

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Oct 11, 2014
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PSU is a likely suspect.

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS.

Especially the PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition.

Other thoughts: Noted that you did try a new CMOS battery.

When you replaced the CMOS battery did you also clean the computer, check all internal connections, card seatings, etc.?

Verify that all are fully and firmly in place. Components and connections do creep loose over time.
 
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idc789

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Sorry, what is PSU?

I honestly don't know all the specs. I inherited the computer 3 years ago. OS, I think is Win 7.

It was dusty when I opened it so I tried to blow away the dust as best I could or otherwise wiped off things that were not, uh, electronic-looking -- eg the fans etc. Otherwise I didn't know what to do. I will try to check all connections as soon as I can.

Would pictures help?

Thank you so far.
 
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henry.j.kautz

henry.j.kautz

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PSU make/model?
If you don't know that, some warning flags are an unpainted/steel looking PSU, rainbow-colored cables. There should be a sticker on the power supply with a manufacturer's name, open your case and take a look.
 
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idc789

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Well I figured you probably didn't mean Penn State University.

Power Supply is Seasonic Snow Silent. I can't see any model number on it. It's white. Looks like this: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://c1.neweggimages.com/ProductImage/17-151-154-01.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.newegg.com/seasonic-snow-silent-series-snow-silent-750-750w/p/N82E16817151154&docid=O3nO5U7jlhUsaM&tbnid=WbvG1zi5B2ehsM:&vet=10ahUKEwi4jpWPgcbiAhWinuAKHYfKBeQQMwg-KAAwAA..i&w=640&h=480&bih=1057&biw=1920&q=Seasonic Snow Silent&ved=0ahUKEwi4jpWPgcbiAhWinuAKHYfKBeQQMwg-KAAwAA&iact=mrc&uact=8#h=480&imgdii=r-ma9iwCSdJRzM:&vet=10ahUKEwi4jpWPgcbiAhWinuAKHYfKBeQQMwg-KAAwAA..i&w=640

On the other side is ASUS X99, GeForce GTX 970, and Crystal Sound 2 which is actually showing it has power.

When googling one thing that came up was a bad motherboard but I don't think the PC has any other signs of this. Thoughts?

I am okay at following directions and figure things out mostly, even if computer jargon is wholly opaque to me. I can't afford a new PC (not that I want a new one) nor a service tech so I figure I will just do my best.

I will try to get pictures of the PC later today.
 
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idc789

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Ah one more dumb question but... if the power supply were going bad, would it still start after a few days and run 7 days straight? That's the thing I don't get. Also I forgot to mention that I have checked all the connections that I saw.
 
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ElectrO_90

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idc789 said:
Ah one more dumb question but... if the power supply were going bad, would it still start after a few days and run 7 days straight? That's the thing I don't get. Also I forgot to mention that I have checked all the connections that I saw.
Click to expand...
No, which is why I think it's the switch going faulty
If you download the motherboard manual, you will see in the bottom right hand corner there are pins with several cables that come out.
They generally go to the main switch and reset of your computer buttons
I recommend swapping the RESET and PWR over - to test them.
Or you can put a screw driver between the PWR pins and start it (by first removing the connector). I don't recommend this in case you "slip" but it's not difficult, just the other way is a lot safer
 
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idc789

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ElectrO_90 said:
No, which is why I think it's the switch going faulty
If you download the motherboard manual, you will see in the bottom right hand corner there are pins with several cables that come out.
They generally go to the main switch and reset of your computer buttons
I recommend swapping the RESET and PWR over - to test them.
Or you can put a screw driver between the PWR pins and start it (by first removing the connector). I don't recommend this in case you "slip" but it's not difficult, just the other way is a lot safer
Click to expand...

Yes I'm sorry, I forgot to mention I did try this.

I actually checked at the power and reset buttons, where the wires seemed hot-glued in, and traced them back to the board and was able to slip them off with my fingernail and switch them. After plugging everything back in I gave it some time but it still wouldn't start.


Right now it seems like the PC will no longer come on at all. I guess the next step is to take out the power supply and test that. I'm just not sure how to get it out, lol. :/ Also I just realized these pics are way bad.
View: https://i.imgur.com/9kfzv1Xl.jpg
Guess I'll just fiddle with it til I figure it out.
 
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hang-the-9

hang-the-9

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That system has good quality parts, has a water cooler as well. If you don't know what you are doing with the computer you may want to find a friend that has worked on systems before to help you so nothing else gets broken. It's not very hard to snap a connector. Seasonic has a good warranty on their power supplies, but you will probably need to find out where the person that had it before bought it and maybe get the receipts.

If it's several years old, it is a good idea to go over the system and clean everything up, reseat the cables, do some wire managing (some cables are floating around the heatsink), re-do the cooler with new thermal paste. Also contact Seasonic to check on the warranty, it sounds like the power supply may be the issue. Sitting for a while then working is a sign of the PSU doing something bad.
 
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ElectrO_90

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The other week at a large lan, someone there had problems with their computer turning on, but not actually doing anything, it was really strange. When I went through the usual procedures and couldn't work it out in the first few minutes, I started checking power cables and the main 24pin cable actually was only partially in, so checking cables are in properly.
 
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