Computer randomly powered down and won't turn back on....

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
A

Alpha7

Reputable
Oct 29, 2014
115
0
4,690
This sucks. I just put together a new build a few weeks ago and everything was working perfectly. I got home today and I touched my mouse to wake up my system. No response. I then realized the fan was off. I tried rebooting but got nothing. I then opened the case and checked all of my connections. Everything appears to be seated all the way.

It won't power on at all. No fans start up. The PSU is brand new. EVGA gold. The CPU new. The RAM is recycled from an old build, built in 2014. The motherboard was an open box....... I'm assuming it's a bad motherboard but I want to check first before sending it back to the Ebay seller and creating a headache for him. I'd hate to have to return the board if it's not the board.

A couple of things to note. I had an issue with another computer last year. It was doing all sorts of weird stuff. Shutting down randomly. The USB ports would go in and out. When awaking from sleep mode, the CPU fan would fail to turn on sometimes! It was giving me really wacky CPU temps except if I checked it in the BIOS. I assumed it was a bad board and decided to do a new build. I ditched that power supply and sold the rest of the components. Except the RAM which is in the new computer. Corsair Vengeance. I RMAed the board back to Gigabyte. That computer never refused to turn back on despite it's issues.

On this build, I did notice one thing when assembling the computer the first time. I went to power it on and it failed to boot. I learned that the power switch was not securely seated to the headers on the board. It felt kind of loose. After reconnecting it, it powered up and ran perfectly for a few weeks. Normal temps, no overclocking. I reseated the power switch but no go.

Any input would be appreciated.
 
Solution
jeromian23


Yes that's also possible. However, you will just get a black screen because your computer will have trouble POST-ing (Power On Self Test). With that said, the computer would at least turn on, and you can tell by the fans that are spinning in your computer.

But from what you wrote "It won't power on at all. No fans...
Sort by date Sort by votes
My first power supply died on me after 3 days. Found out after pressing the power button and nothing happening even after checking the cables and the switch on the back. Had it returned asap and got myself a new one.

It could be that your power supply is at fault. Watch this video which help you figure out whether your PSU is faulty or not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co2RizQ8U2k

If it ends up working, then it could be that your motherboard is faulty just as you assume. But for now, I recommend trying out testing your PSU. Let me know how it goes and good luck.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Thanks man. I'll check out the video.

If it's the PSU, it should still be under warranty which is good. The board will be tricker to replace because it's past 14 days now. I didn't leave feedback though so I'm assuming he will take it back if it's bad......

If the header for the power switch has bad connectivity could that cause a computer to power down? I know it could prevent it from powering back on.

Any way to test the board?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Okay, so I rebuilt the entire machine. I wanted to be 100% that all of my connections were installed properly. No go on the boot......

Tomorrow's mission will be to test the PSU and rule that out.

Talked to the seller and he was really reasonable. Said I could send it back. I want to be 100% sure it's the board though before I go ahead with the refund.

Bad memory would cause a computer to not boot, correct?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Yes that's also possible. However, you will just get a black screen because your computer will have trouble POST-ing (Power On Self Test). With that said, the computer would at least turn on, and you can tell by the fans that are spinning in your computer.

But from what you wrote "It won't power on at all. No fans start up" means that it's either your board's fault or PSU. Even if your RAM sticks are bad fans would still turn because it is your PSU that gives them power and the board routes the power to them.

Hope that makes sense.


 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Solution
Okay so I tested the PSU with the paperclip trick. It powered on. I used a molex connector and powered on a small fan.

So I would assume that means it has to be the board, correct.

What you said about the RAM makes sense.

If it was a power button problem it wouldn't have powered off randomly, it would just refuse to power back on.

Any chance the CPU could be the culprit? I would imagine it would be like the RAM. Board would power on but would refuse to post.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Okay so I tested the PSU with the paperclip trick. It powered on. I used a molex connector and powered on a small fan.

So I would assume that means it has to be the board, correct.

What you said about the RAM makes sense.

If it was a power button problem it wouldn't have powered off randomly, it would just refuse to power back on.

Any chance the CPU could be the culprit? I would imagine it would be like the RAM. Board would power on but would refuse to post.
Click to expand...

Yes, the CPU can also be the culprit. I found an article that may explain bad CPU symptoms. I've also found a forum discussion that sounds like the same event that you're experiencing right now and it has a solution for it.

Links:
http://hubpages.com/technology/What-a-CPU-Does-When-It-Goes-Bad-or-Fails
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1261967
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I just read through that thread. My money is on the motherboard for a few reasons. One, is that I was skeptical before I even bought it. I set my sniper program and came home to a winning bid on it. The title said "new" but in the fine print it said open box..... If I had read that before hand I would have passed on it. Open box to me means it was returned...

Two, it sounds like in most cases it's the board or the PSU that goes bad. I started a return with the seller and have a label printed. No big loss. Just a waste of time.

I ordered the new board today. Asus Gryphon Z97. mATX z97 boards are not easy to find these days.

Hopefully nothing else was damaged.

I'll post an update when I get the new board installed.

Thanks for the tips.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thanks for the tips.
Click to expand...
Anytime ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I just read through that thread. My money is on the motherboard for a few reasons. One, is that I was skeptical before I even bought it. I set my sniper program and came home to a winning bid on it. The title said "new" but in the fine print it said open box..... If I had read that before hand I would have passed on it. Open box to me means it was returned...

Two, it sounds like in most cases it's the board or the PSU that goes bad. I started a return with the seller and have a label printed. No big loss. Just a waste of time.

I ordered the new board today. Asus Gryphon Z97. mATX z97 boards are not easy to find these days.

Hopefully nothing else was damaged.

I'll post an update when I get the new board installed.
Click to expand...
On a serious note, that's good to hear. Hope that everything works out. Cheers.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I found something suspect on the bogus board. It looks like there is a bent pin in the socket. I looked it over before I installed my CPU. However, I never looked at it with a flashlight. With just regular lighting it's hard to notice but with the flashlight I can see it. I will post a pic after my phone charges back up.

Could this cause the issues with the board? Also, how likely is this to have damaged the CPU?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
It looks like there is a bent pin in the socket.
Click to expand...
how likely is this to have damaged the CPU?
Click to expand...

Broken pins as far as Intel based motherboards go shouldn't affect your CPU whatsoever. The lesson that should be learned here is to never buy any vital components such as CPU, Motherboard, or PSU from Ebay since they will likely contain some kind of defect.

*Finger contact with gold connectors can ruin CPU because your oil interferes with electric signals
*If even one of these gold connectors are badly scratched, your CPU needs a funeral
a6O9I.jpg


*Bent pins may still allow your computer to work temporarily, but may become increasingly unstable overtime
bentpins1.png


So yes, I think it was a good idea to purchase a new MoBo. Hopefully that solves everything. Cheers.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way. No more Ebay parts for me.

I'll post a pic of the damage. It's just one that looks slightly bent.

I'm confident there are no oils on the bottom of the CPU. I know to only grip it on the sides. I'll take out my magnifying glass and inspect for scratches. I put it back in the case it came in. I'll leave it in there.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
So the old board has been mailed back. Got the new board. Looks really nice. One issue though..... It barely fits in the case. I literally can't get it in with the I/O shield. Also, I realized the housing that holds my hard drive and blu ray is touching up against the backside of the board. I think at this point I'm going to have to rebuild the computer again.... I'm going to have to pull that housing out and dremel a notch into it. Not sure what other options I have. Really sucks not having my desktop running. I was really hoping to have it finished tonight.

http://imgur.com/0CQ5fSX
http://imgur.com/aqAByOB
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Board looks sick. And do what you have to man, although from my view it looks like the housing is just barely touching the armor of the board. If that's the case you can save yourself the hassle of dremeling, but if you think it'll help then that's ok too. Just wondering, have you tested the new board if it boots up at all?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I think it is just the armor too but I didn't want to risk powering it on if it was making contact with the metal in the case. I'm going to dremel it out. As it sits now, I can't get the I/O shield in without notching the drive housing. It will make it easier to get the board in and out too.

I'm really happy with the look of the new board. It was a little pricey but it looks and feels solid. Never had an Asus board so I'm excited to check out the BIOS.

I have an Cryorig H7 cooler for the CPU but I misplaced the mounting hardware and back plate. I had to install the stock cooler, lol.

I'll pull the board out now and check to see it if powers on. I think I'll have to cut the notch tomorrow.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Just noticed something else. There is a cap on the board that is dangerously close to a screw that secures a foot on the case. Glad I just saw that. I might as well dremel that down as well. It looks like it has some kind of a plastic wingnut on it. I'm going to try and get it off.

http://imgur.com/czcfgGE
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
So I finished my case mod. It went smoothly. I notched out the inside of the drive housing with a dremel. Then I filed it down and deburred the edges. The metal was soft and it cleaned up nicely. Once I get the board in there I doubt it's even noticeable. There was a lot of metal dust. I hit it with my air compressor and then hosed it down good. Waiting for it to be 100% dry.

Also, I booted the computer up on my desk outside the case. Booted right up.

Thanks for you help man. Looks like tomorrow I will be back in business.

http://imgur.com/zCjBiRa
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom