Computer Repeatedly Shutting Down/ Crashing?

[Onelasttry]

I'm at the end of my rope, here... I built my own computer about a month ago, and so far I thought everything was fine. I could play Bioshock 1 and 2, I could play League of Legends, Terraria too. It was alright until I tried to play the then-new Star Wars: Battlefront Beta. Randomly(?) during play, my computer would "shut off". I say that with quotations because it doesn't necessarily shut DOWN, as my tower power LED stays on, but other than that my computer is effectively off; my keyboard is off, my mouse is off, my monitors receive no input, but I can still hear the fans whirring away.

I've looked and asked around extensively and the problems I've been shown/presented with have generally been either A) A power supply issue or B) An overheating issue or maybe a driver issue.

In response to these, I am not entirely sure if it is a power supply issue, I first thought that my dorm was unable to supply enough power to run both of my monitors as well. I first tried to plug my monitors into a different socket on the outlet instead of my surge protector, that is, directly into the wall. It did not help at all, still crashes or does whatever this is. I even unplugged my second monitor to no avail. I then tried to have my computer be the only thing plugged into the surge protector, still crashes. I've even tried plugging my computer directly into the wall, something not recommended due to Arizona's apparent constant power surges and it still crashes. I have no idea if its that my computer is not getting enough power or any other issue. The only thing that I've been able to pick up from it is that in my event viewer, there is a critical level event titled "Kernel-Power" stating that "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly." But as it says, simply "crashed" is included in the error dialogue. So with the power issue I am at a complete loss, especially since I have a 650W supply and my computer is supposedly rated at 351W. I have gone through multiple times and made sure that ever connection is secure and the economy mode on my PSU is off.

Now for the second issue. I have searched up the acceptable temperatures of both my CPU and GPU and I monitor the temperatures with CoreTemp and MSI's Afterburner application. My temperatures come nowhere close to what is stated to be "critial" or "dangerous". For instance, my CPU goes to a maximum of 60C, sometimes reaching 70C playing the Battlefront Beta, but from what I have read 80C and above is what is dangerous/shutdown level. My GPU goes to around 60C, which is almost exactly what is estimated when under load. This leads me to believe that it cannot be an overheating issue, but I assume that you guys would have a better understanding of that.

To touch upon the final recommendation, I have updated all drivers for my GPU, updated my motherboard BIOS, and even my sound drivers. Still crashes.

This is the link to my build.

I am begging for a solution, I've just about crashed from the stress of this. This build was supposed to not only give me the insane pleasure of playing the newest releases with amazing quality, but it was meant to last me the next 4 years of college what with how much money I have put into it. If there are any further questions, I will try my best to answer them or supply any given data, though I may need help finding this information.

Thank you for your time.

 

[cdrkf]

I'm at the end of my rope, here... I built my own computer about a month ago, and so far I thought everything was fine. I could play Bioshock 1 and 2, I could play League of Legends, Terraria too. It was alright until I tried to play the then-new Star Wars: Battlefront Beta. Randomly(?) during play, my computer would "shut off". I say that with quotations because it doesn't necessarily shut DOWN, as my tower power LED stays on, but other than that my computer is effectively off; my keyboard is off, my mouse is off, my monitors receive no input, but I can still hear the fans whirring away.

I've looked and asked around extensively and the problems I've been shown/presented with have generally been either A) A power supply issue or B) An overheating issue or maybe a driver issue.

In response to these, I am not entirely sure if it is a power supply issue, I first thought that my dorm was unable to supply enough power to run both of my monitors as well. I first tried to plug my monitors into a different socket on the outlet instead of my surge protector, that is, directly into the wall. It did not help at all, still crashes or does whatever this is. I even unplugged my second monitor to no avail. I then tried to have my computer be the only thing plugged into the surge protector, still crashes. I've even tried plugging my computer directly into the wall, something not recommended due to Arizona's apparent constant power surges and it still crashes. I have no idea if its that my computer is not getting enough power or any other issue. The only thing that I've been able to pick up from it is that in my event viewer, there is a critical level event titled "Kernel-Power" stating that "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly." But as it says, simply "crashed" is included in the error dialogue. So with the power issue I am at a complete loss, especially since I have a 650W supply and my computer is supposedly rated at 351W. I have gone through multiple times and made sure that ever connection is secure and the economy mode on my PSU is off.

Now for the second issue. I have searched up the acceptable temperatures of both my CPU and GPU and I monitor the temperatures with CoreTemp and MSI's Afterburner application. My temperatures come nowhere close to what is stated to be "critial" or "dangerous". For instance, my CPU goes to a maximum of 60C, sometimes reaching 70C playing the Battlefront Beta, but from what I have read 80C and above is what is dangerous/shutdown level. My GPU goes to around 60C, which is almost exactly what is estimated when under load. This leads me to believe that it cannot be an overheating issue, but I assume that you guys would have a better understanding of that.

To touch upon the final recommendation, I have updated all drivers for my GPU, updated my motherboard BIOS, and even my sound drivers. Still crashes.

This is the link to my build.

I am begging for a solution, I've just about crashed from the stress of this. This build was supposed to not only give me the insane pleasure of playing the newest releases with amazing quality, but it was meant to last me the next 4 years of college what with how much money I have put into it. If there are any further questions, I will try my best to answer them or supply any given data, though I may need help finding this information.

Thank you for your time.

Ok, so just to clarify- does your computer crash *specifically in battlefront*? or is it now crashing in any game?

If the crash is isolated to battlefront, this is a software related issue and we need to look into what background / startup applications are running that could be upsetting that game specifically.

If it crashes in a more general way (e.g. when playing a game, or even randomly whatever your doing), then it suggests faulty hardware e.g. motherboard failure (or as others have suggested PSU) or even possible a dodgy graphics card or processor. If you've only just purchased your parts, then keep in mind you should have at least a years warentee on all of them so worst case is you have to get a replacement.

One thing that does concern me- you mention that in your area it's prone to 'power surges'? I mean whilst you have a surge protector in there, that cannot guarantee your machine hasn't been effected- it's possible a large surge could have damaged something (most likely would be PSU or Motheroard), although that would lead to general crashes in everything.

 

[Onelasttry]

I'm at the end of my rope, here... I built my own computer about a month ago, and so far I thought everything was fine. I could play Bioshock 1 and 2, I could play League of Legends, Terraria too. It was alright until I tried to play the then-new Star Wars: Battlefront Beta. Randomly(?) during play, my computer would "shut off". I say that with quotations because it doesn't necessarily shut DOWN, as my tower power LED stays on, but other than that my computer is effectively off; my keyboard is off, my mouse is off, my monitors receive no input, but I can still hear the fans whirring away.

I've looked and asked around extensively and the problems I've been shown/presented with have generally been either A) A power supply issue or B) An overheating issue or maybe a driver issue.

In response to these, I am not entirely sure if it is a power supply issue, I first thought that my dorm was unable to supply enough power to run both of my monitors as well. I first tried to plug my monitors into a different socket on the outlet instead of my surge protector, that is, directly into the wall. It did not help at all, still crashes or does whatever this is. I even unplugged my second monitor to no avail. I then tried to have my computer be the only thing plugged into the surge protector, still crashes. I've even tried plugging my computer directly into the wall, something not recommended due to Arizona's apparent constant power surges and it still crashes. I have no idea if its that my computer is not getting enough power or any other issue. The only thing that I've been able to pick up from it is that in my event viewer, there is a critical level event titled "Kernel-Power" stating that "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly." But as it says, simply "crashed" is included in the error dialogue. So with the power issue I am at a complete loss, especially since I have a 650W supply and my computer is supposedly rated at 351W. I have gone through multiple times and made sure that ever connection is secure and the economy mode on my PSU is off.

Now for the second issue. I have searched up the acceptable temperatures of both my CPU and GPU and I monitor the temperatures with CoreTemp and MSI's Afterburner application. My temperatures come nowhere close to what is stated to be "critial" or "dangerous". For instance, my CPU goes to a maximum of 60C, sometimes reaching 70C playing the Battlefront Beta, but from what I have read 80C and above is what is dangerous/shutdown level. My GPU goes to around 60C, which is almost exactly what is estimated when under load. This leads me to believe that it cannot be an overheating issue, but I assume that you guys would have a better understanding of that.

To touch upon the final recommendation, I have updated all drivers for my GPU, updated my motherboard BIOS, and even my sound drivers. Still crashes.

This is the link to my build.

I am begging for a solution, I've just about crashed from the stress of this. This build was supposed to not only give me the insane pleasure of playing the newest releases with amazing quality, but it was meant to last me the next 4 years of college what with how much money I have put into it. If there are any further questions, I will try my best to answer them or supply any given data, though I may need help finding this information.

Thank you for your time.

Ok, so just to clarify- does your computer crash *specifically in battlefront*? or is it now crashing in any game?

If the crash is isolated to battlefront, this is a software related issue and we need to look into what background / startup applications are running that could be upsetting that game specifically.

If it crashes in a more general way (e.g. when playing a game, or even randomly whatever your doing), then it suggests faulty hardware e.g. motherboard failure (or as others have suggested PSU) or even possible a dodgy graphics card or processor. If you've only just purchased your parts, then keep in mind you should have at least a years warentee on all of them so worst case is you have to get a replacement.

One thing that does concern me- you mention that in your area it's prone to 'power surges'? I mean whilst you have a surge protector in there, that cannot guarantee your machine hasn't been effected- it's possible a large surge could have damaged something (most likely would be PSU or Motheroard), although that would lead to general crashes in everything.

It is in most current/3D games or a mix of the two. Like I said, Terraria, League of Legends, and Bioshocks 1 and 2 run fine, however other things like Alan Wake, Skyrim, Sims 3, and now even Cities Skylines will crash. The odd thing about the Sims 3, however, is that it only crashes sometimes. I searched it up and it said to turn on VSync and that stopped if from crashing the first time, but it resumed crashes from then on. I turned my GPU fan to max and it stopped it from crashing for most of the time, which confuses me even more.

It has never once crashed during normal tasks, such as me doing homework or watching videos or movies.

And with the power surge statement, that's simply me parroting what my roommates have said, them being Arizona residents.

 

[cdrkf]

I'm at the end of my rope, here... I built my own computer about a month ago, and so far I thought everything was fine. I could play Bioshock 1 and 2, I could play League of Legends, Terraria too. It was alright until I tried to play the then-new Star Wars: Battlefront Beta. Randomly(?) during play, my computer would "shut off". I say that with quotations because it doesn't necessarily shut DOWN, as my tower power LED stays on, but other than that my computer is effectively off; my keyboard is off, my mouse is off, my monitors receive no input, but I can still hear the fans whirring away.

I've looked and asked around extensively and the problems I've been shown/presented with have generally been either A) A power supply issue or B) An overheating issue or maybe a driver issue.

In response to these, I am not entirely sure if it is a power supply issue, I first thought that my dorm was unable to supply enough power to run both of my monitors as well. I first tried to plug my monitors into a different socket on the outlet instead of my surge protector, that is, directly into the wall. It did not help at all, still crashes or does whatever this is. I even unplugged my second monitor to no avail. I then tried to have my computer be the only thing plugged into the surge protector, still crashes. I've even tried plugging my computer directly into the wall, something not recommended due to Arizona's apparent constant power surges and it still crashes. I have no idea if its that my computer is not getting enough power or any other issue. The only thing that I've been able to pick up from it is that in my event viewer, there is a critical level event titled "Kernel-Power" stating that "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly." But as it says, simply "crashed" is included in the error dialogue. So with the power issue I am at a complete loss, especially since I have a 650W supply and my computer is supposedly rated at 351W. I have gone through multiple times and made sure that ever connection is secure and the economy mode on my PSU is off.

Now for the second issue. I have searched up the acceptable temperatures of both my CPU and GPU and I monitor the temperatures with CoreTemp and MSI's Afterburner application. My temperatures come nowhere close to what is stated to be "critial" or "dangerous". For instance, my CPU goes to a maximum of 60C, sometimes reaching 70C playing the Battlefront Beta, but from what I have read 80C and above is what is dangerous/shutdown level. My GPU goes to around 60C, which is almost exactly what is estimated when under load. This leads me to believe that it cannot be an overheating issue, but I assume that you guys would have a better understanding of that.

To touch upon the final recommendation, I have updated all drivers for my GPU, updated my motherboard BIOS, and even my sound drivers. Still crashes.

This is the link to my build.

I am begging for a solution, I've just about crashed from the stress of this. This build was supposed to not only give me the insane pleasure of playing the newest releases with amazing quality, but it was meant to last me the next 4 years of college what with how much money I have put into it. If there are any further questions, I will try my best to answer them or supply any given data, though I may need help finding this information.

Thank you for your time.

Ok, so just to clarify- does your computer crash *specifically in battlefront*? or is it now crashing in any game?

If the crash is isolated to battlefront, this is a software related issue and we need to look into what background / startup applications are running that could be upsetting that game specifically.

If it crashes in a more general way (e.g. when playing a game, or even randomly whatever your doing), then it suggests faulty hardware e.g. motherboard failure (or as others have suggested PSU) or even possible a dodgy graphics card or processor. If you've only just purchased your parts, then keep in mind you should have at least a years warentee on all of them so worst case is you have to get a replacement.

One thing that does concern me- you mention that in your area it's prone to 'power surges'? I mean whilst you have a surge protector in there, that cannot guarantee your machine hasn't been effected- it's possible a large surge could have damaged something (most likely would be PSU or Motheroard), although that would lead to general crashes in everything.

It is in most current/3D games or a mix of the two. Like I said, Terraria, League of Legends, and Bioshocks 1 and 2 run fine, however other things like Alan Wake, Skyrim, Sims 3, and now even Cities Skylines will crash. The odd thing about the Sims 3, however, is that it only crashes sometimes. I searched it up and it said to turn on VSync and that stopped if from crashing the first time, but it resumed crashes from then on. I turned my GPU fan to max and it stopped it from crashing for most of the time, which confuses me even more.

It has never once crashed during normal tasks, such as me doing homework or watching videos or movies.

And with the power surge statement, that's simply me parroting what my roommates have said, them being Arizona residents.

To be honest, that sounds like a faulty GPU then (especially if increasing the fan speed helps). The temps you mentioned were a little on the warm side but not excessive.

Out of interest, do you have nvidia Geforce Experience installed? If you have, make sure all the games given you hassle are set to the optimised defaults and try again. That would eliminate any random settings.

The other thing to try, load up windows using a clean boot:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/kb/929135

This will disable *all background software* essentially running with a clean install. If the games stop crashing then it's a software conflict that's your issue...

 

[Onelasttry]

I'm at the end of my rope, here... I built my own computer about a month ago, and so far I thought everything was fine. I could play Bioshock 1 and 2, I could play League of Legends, Terraria too. It was alright until I tried to play the then-new Star Wars: Battlefront Beta. Randomly(?) during play, my computer would "shut off". I say that with quotations because it doesn't necessarily shut DOWN, as my tower power LED stays on, but other than that my computer is effectively off; my keyboard is off, my mouse is off, my monitors receive no input, but I can still hear the fans whirring away.

I've looked and asked around extensively and the problems I've been shown/presented with have generally been either A) A power supply issue or B) An overheating issue or maybe a driver issue.

In response to these, I am not entirely sure if it is a power supply issue, I first thought that my dorm was unable to supply enough power to run both of my monitors as well. I first tried to plug my monitors into a different socket on the outlet instead of my surge protector, that is, directly into the wall. It did not help at all, still crashes or does whatever this is. I even unplugged my second monitor to no avail. I then tried to have my computer be the only thing plugged into the surge protector, still crashes. I've even tried plugging my computer directly into the wall, something not recommended due to Arizona's apparent constant power surges and it still crashes. I have no idea if its that my computer is not getting enough power or any other issue. The only thing that I've been able to pick up from it is that in my event viewer, there is a critical level event titled "Kernel-Power" stating that "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly." But as it says, simply "crashed" is included in the error dialogue. So with the power issue I am at a complete loss, especially since I have a 650W supply and my computer is supposedly rated at 351W. I have gone through multiple times and made sure that ever connection is secure and the economy mode on my PSU is off.

Now for the second issue. I have searched up the acceptable temperatures of both my CPU and GPU and I monitor the temperatures with CoreTemp and MSI's Afterburner application. My temperatures come nowhere close to what is stated to be "critial" or "dangerous". For instance, my CPU goes to a maximum of 60C, sometimes reaching 70C playing the Battlefront Beta, but from what I have read 80C and above is what is dangerous/shutdown level. My GPU goes to around 60C, which is almost exactly what is estimated when under load. This leads me to believe that it cannot be an overheating issue, but I assume that you guys would have a better understanding of that.

To touch upon the final recommendation, I have updated all drivers for my GPU, updated my motherboard BIOS, and even my sound drivers. Still crashes.

This is the link to my build.

I am begging for a solution, I've just about crashed from the stress of this. This build was supposed to not only give me the insane pleasure of playing the newest releases with amazing quality, but it was meant to last me the next 4 years of college what with how much money I have put into it. If there are any further questions, I will try my best to answer them or supply any given data, though I may need help finding this information.

Thank you for your time.

Ok, so just to clarify- does your computer crash *specifically in battlefront*? or is it now crashing in any game?

If the crash is isolated to battlefront, this is a software related issue and we need to look into what background / startup applications are running that could be upsetting that game specifically.

If it crashes in a more general way (e.g. when playing a game, or even randomly whatever your doing), then it suggests faulty hardware e.g. motherboard failure (or as others have suggested PSU) or even possible a dodgy graphics card or processor. If you've only just purchased your parts, then keep in mind you should have at least a years warentee on all of them so worst case is you have to get a replacement.

One thing that does concern me- you mention that in your area it's prone to 'power surges'? I mean whilst you have a surge protector in there, that cannot guarantee your machine hasn't been effected- it's possible a large surge could have damaged something (most likely would be PSU or Motheroard), although that would lead to general crashes in everything.

It is in most current/3D games or a mix of the two. Like I said, Terraria, League of Legends, and Bioshocks 1 and 2 run fine, however other things like Alan Wake, Skyrim, Sims 3, and now even Cities Skylines will crash. The odd thing about the Sims 3, however, is that it only crashes sometimes. I searched it up and it said to turn on VSync and that stopped if from crashing the first time, but it resumed crashes from then on. I turned my GPU fan to max and it stopped it from crashing for most of the time, which confuses me even more.

It has never once crashed during normal tasks, such as me doing homework or watching videos or movies.

And with the power surge statement, that's simply me parroting what my roommates have said, them being Arizona residents.

To be honest, that sounds like a faulty GPU then (especially if increasing the fan speed helps). The temps you mentioned were a little on the warm side but not excessive.

Out of interest, do you have nvidia Geforce Experience installed? If you have, make sure all the games given you hassle are set to the optimised defaults and try again. That would eliminate any random settings.

The other thing to try, load up windows using a clean boot:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/kb/929135

This will disable *all background software* essentially running with a clean install. If the games stop crashing then it's a software conflict that's your issue...

GeForce Experience does not actually recognize many of my games, nor does it offer optimization options for the ones that do register to it.

Does the clean boot have the chance to damage anything in any way when I do it?

If the faulty GPU is the case, would you recommend I try to contact NVIDIA(?) and attempt to get it replaced?

 

[cdrkf]

Clean boot is safe, it just turns things off temporally (you can easily reenable stuff after).

As for if the graphics card is faulty, your guarantee well be with the card manufacturer (e.g. MSI or Gainward or whatever brand it is), so you need to contact them rather than nvidia. They'll probably tell you to return it to the shop you purchased it from and get a replacement.

 

[westom]

I say that with quotations because it doesn't necessarily shut DOWN, as my tower power LED stays on, but other than that my computer is effectively off; my keyboard is off, my mouse is off, my monitors receive no input, but I can still hear the fans whirring away.

Right out of the movie Casablance. Major Strausser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects. Every recommendation (PSU, heat) is classic of someone who has no idea how a computer works. Who can only blame the usual suspects.

Complete power off (as described) is determined by a power controller. Another part of a power 'system'. Power controller has many inputs including the front panel power on button. Only a power controller decides to power on a computer, when a CPU can operate, and when power is turned off.

That power controller has its own and separate power supply that would also power an LED. Power controller is powering off another supply (also inside a PSU) that powers keyboard, mouse, video output and fans.

Appreciate many recommendations that did not even know of a power controller. To understand what is happening means a meter, some requested instructions, and minutes of labor. Resulting three digit numbers are posted so that the fewer who actually know this stuff can reply. Without hard facts (ie numbers), then the better informed can provide no assistance.

Normal is for a defective PSU to work just fine in a system. Your PSU could be constantly defective. Always defective parts can cause intermittent failures. You may have that example. But nobody can say what is defective until number are learned using requested instructions.

 

[cdrkf]

@westom, ruling out the common regular suspects (e.g. inefficient cooling leading to overheating) is common sense.

As is requesting the op tries a clean boot to rule out a software conflict before looking at the problem in greater detail.

If you can help fantastic but can we please keep things civil here rather than belittling others who have offered assistance.

It's also worth keeping in mind many people know little about electronics in general and may not have access to the required equipment to take the measurements you deem simple. As nice as it would be, a multi meter and oscilloscope isn't standard issue for school leavers

 

[westom]

It's also worth keeping in mind many people know little about electronics in general and may not have access to the required equipment to take the measurements you deem simple.

That is my point, is it not? A digital meter is so ubiquitous as to be sold even in Walmart and stores that sell hammers. Often for a price less than a hammer.

Nobody said anything that is beyond a layman's abilities. In fact, a skill level to obtain those numbers is that of a junior high science student. And nobody said anything that is demeaning. Nobody said anyone needs any electronics knowledge. Numbers obtained by a layman means the few who know electronics can finally post something useful.

OP describes a classic symptom of a power controller powering off his system. Nothing else does that. Neither heat nor software driver creates that symptom. For example, a driver problem results in a BSOD. Or an error message in the system (event) logs while the OS works around that defective. It does not power off as the OP describes.

Again, these symptoms are classic of something involving the power controller. With a meter, a defect is quickly identified. Or other (and fewer) suspects are then considered. That means a layman using a simple tool, some instructions, and minutes of labor - that even a teenager can perform. It is only scary when one has never done it. Nobody need know anything about electronics to use a meter. And nobody said anything about an oscilloscope - that is unnecessary.

Please do not assume what was never posted. Three simple things that any layman can do were listed. Only then can the fewer who know this stuff post something useful.

 

[Onelasttry]

@westom, ruling out the common regular suspects (e.g. inefficient cooling leading to overheating) is common sense.

As is requesting the op tries a clean boot to rule out a software conflict before looking at the problem in greater detail.

If you can help fantastic but can we please keep things civil here rather than belittling others who have offered assistance.

It's also worth keeping in mind many people know little about electronics in general and may not have access to the required equipment to take the measurements you deem simple. As nice as it would be, a multi meter and oscilloscope isn't standard issue for school leavers

I tried doing the clean boot and I also have a fan blowing into my tower and it seemed to stay on during gaming for much much longer than just with the fan alone, but it still crashed eventually in the same way, so I'm assumeing that the clean boot helped in some way, but the problem persists.

 

[Onelasttry]

It's also worth keeping in mind many people know little about electronics in general and may not have access to the required equipment to take the measurements you deem simple.

That is my point, is it not? A digital meter is so ubiquitous as to be sold even in Walmart and stores that sell hammers. Often for a price less than a hammer.

Nobody said anything that is beyond a layman's abilities. In fact, a skill level to obtain those numbers is that of a junior high science student. And nobody said anything that is demeaning. Nobody said anyone needs any electronics knowledge. Numbers obtained by a layman means the few who know electronics can finally post something useful.

OP describes a classic symptom of a power controller powering off his system. Nothing else does that. Neither heat nor software driver creates that symptom. For example, a driver problem results in a BSOD. Or an error message in the system (event) logs while the OS works around that defective. It does not power off as the OP describes.

Again, these symptoms are classic of something involving the power controller. With a meter, a defect is quickly identified. Or other (and fewer) suspects are then considered. That means a layman using a simple tool, some instructions, and minutes of labor - that even a teenager can perform. It is only scary when one has never done it. Nobody need know anything about electronics to use a meter. And nobody said anything about an oscilloscope - that is unnecessary.

Please do not assume what was never posted. Three simple things that any layman can do were listed. Only then can the fewer who know this stuff post something useful.

In the event that I can get a multimeter, how would I go about testing my power supply unit and power controller?

 

[westom]

In the event that I can get a multimeter, how would I go about testing my power supply unit and power controller?

Restore everything as when the computer worked. AC power cord connected to a receptacle. Computer not on. Set a digital meter to 20 VDC. Attach its black probe to the chassis (bare metal; not paint).

Locate a purple wire (pin 9) from PSU to where it attaches to the motherboard. Use a red probe to touch that wire inside a nylon connector that attaches to motherboard. If necessary, make that connection using a needle or paper clip. It should read somewhere around 5 volts. Record that number to three digits.

Next, do same with a green wire (pin 16). Then press computer's Power On button. Monitor how meter changes and what it eventually settles to. First number should be something well above 2.6. Second number should be something near to zero, Actual numbers and time to change (behavior) are relevant.

Repeat same to a gray wire (pin 8). Note a higher starting voltage, a lower final voltage, and its behavior. Report those three digit numbers and behavior.

Setup computer to execute as much software as possible. IOW it should be outputting sound loudly, while searching the disk, while playing complex graphics (ie a move or game), while powering a USB device, while accessing the internet, etc. Having it access many peripherals simultaneously is important. If it cannot power up, then monitor any one red (pin 4,21-23), orange (pin 1,2,12 or 13), and yellow (pin 10 or 11) wire for what each does as and after its power button is pressed.

Report all three digit numbers from those six wires. Next reply will identify or exonerate suspects.

BTW, if wires are not colored, then a PSU may not be ATX Standard. See www.smpspowersupply.com for color and pinouts.