Computer will not power on unless side panel is off

[xkzyw]

Hi

I was troubleshooting a graphics card so removed the card to deal with some driver issues and got all that sorted while having left the side panel off.

After I put the panel back on, it wouldn't boot. I removed the panel again and it booted fine. I did this several times and always the same behaviour.

I even called the case manufacturer to see if they had heard of this happening but they had no idea.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[cklaubur]

Are there any power cables near the side panel where they could get pinched?

It's the only idea I have. The side panel should have no effect on whether the computer boots or not.

Casey

 

[xkzyw]

Nope, I checked to make sure nothing was out of place or getting caught. The panel goes on easily, nothing forced. Everything inside is neat and tidy and out of the way. Can't see how the side panel can have such an effect, it's very strange.

Only thing I could think of was some kind of static build up when the cover goes back on, but I'm clutching at straws.

 

[USAFRet]

Are there any power cables near the side panel where they could get pinched?

It's the only idea I have. The side panel should have no effect on whether the computer boots or not.

Casey

This. There is a cable sticking out and interfering with the boot process. Probably a power or drive cable.

 

[USAFRet]

By "wouldn't boot", what exactly does it do?

 

[xkzyw]

If you try to boot with the panel on, it may start to boot but will freeze before getting to log in screen. Some times there is an initial display, others it is black and never gets going.

If you boot with the panel off, it's absolutely fine and if you put the panel on, it will freeze within a few seconds.

The side panel does not touch any cables in any way.

 

[USAFRet]

If you try to boot with the panel on, it may start to boot but will freeze before getting to log in screen. Some times there is an initial display, others it is black and never gets going.

If you boot with the panel off, it's absolutely fine and if you put the panel on, it will freeze within a few seconds.

The side panel does not touch any cables in any way.

And it used to work before?
There is nothing a flat panel of metal that could cause this.

 

[xkzyw]

yes it worked before. I had only taken the panel off because there was an issue with the video card after updating to Win8.1, so I just opened it to take that card out, so I sorted the drivers, put the card back in and it was all fine until I put the side panel on.

I put the panel on while it was still running and it black screened within 30 seconds. Further attempts to reboot failed at various stages of the boot up process. I even managed to log in once but it froze soon after.

When, I took the side panel back off, it restarted fine. And I can reproduce the error every time, side panel off works, side panel on freezes normally before login screen.

Agreed that a flat panel should not cause issues like this, but it's the only thing I'm changing each time...

 

[USAFRet]

Which panel? Looking at the front of the case, left or right? (I'm thinking left, correct?)
Which case is it?

 

[Saga Lout]

Does that side panel have a fan mounted on it? If you remove the panel, fire up then touch the side to an earth source, does that cause the system to shut down?

 

[xkzyw]

Yes it's the left panel. The right panel with the motherboard etc. has never been removed. The left panel is just a panel, no fan on it, there is a fan hole but nothing on it. It's an Antec Gaming Three Hundred case.

What/how do you mean, touch the side to an earth source?

 

[Saga Lout]

I believe Americans call it the ground. In England we refer to it as the earth and it's the place electricity most likes to go, even if it means going through a human to get there.

If touching the panel to the rest of the case causes the machine to go down, I wonder if it also happened when you touched it to something close to the case, such as another metal object.

 

[xkzyw]

Well, after reproducing the error 100% all evening, I left it overnight and it booted up fine the next morning. Now it is working with the side panel on.

Still had a load of 8.1 update issues to troubleshoot but got through those one by one and they're all fixed.

No explanation for the side panel issue...

 

[ccampy]

Check there's is nothing near the panel such as thwnpower conecters for you GPU seeing as this sissue started after you did work on that

 

[Onus]

Hmmm, perhaps something is flexing and shorting. If temperature is a contributing factor, this bears further investigation, as it could happen again, possibly in the middle of something important.

 

[xkzyw]

Thanks all for your comments but I think this will remain one of life's mysteries... I could reproduce the problem all day when it started and then left it over night and the next day was fine. I have checked endless times for anything that could be out of place or causing a short but there is nothing and I cannot reproduce... very odd...

Now I just have to figure out why 8.1 still keeps freezing, but that's a whole other issue :S