Computer won't start, fans won't spin, but lights come on (SOLVED)

[C_Whit3]

Hi,

My computer has been working perfectly until recently, when i left it on overnight. I've done this before and have friends who leave theirs on for days at a time, but for whatever reason, the next time i tried to turn it on after this, it wouldn't start. I thought it might be an issue with the power supply, so i tried manually starting it from the motherboard with a screwdriver. Still nothing. Whenever I do try to turn it on, however, all of my accessories (keyboard, hard drive, wifi receiver, etc.) all have LEDs that turn on, leading me to believe there must be some amount of power going through the motherboard. However, no fans will spin and it won't boot. So, I sent my PSU back to EVGA and got a new one back. I just tried starting it up with it, and still nothing. Does anyone have any ideas what my problem might be?

TL; DR: Trying to boot, fans won't spin. Tried starting with screwdriver, didn't help. Peripheral LEDs come on but no fans. Replaced PSU, still won't work.

I can send specs if needed. Thanks in advance for any and all help!

 

[alexoiu]

Hi, Try clearing the CMOS (unplug the power cord and remove teh CMOS battery for a minute, then test with only CPU and CPU fan installed, both 24 and 4/8 pin power cable connected.
If the CPU fan does not spin, the board might be defective.

 

[C_Whit3]

Hi, Try clearing the CMOS (unplug the power cord and remove teh CMOS battery for a minute, then test with only CPU and CPU fan installed, both 24 and 4/8 pin power cable connected.
If the CPU fan does not spin, the board might be defective.

I just tried this and it booted perfectly, however i had to remove my video card to get to the CMOS battery. What steps do I need to take going forward to make sure it works when it's out back together?

Thanks!

 

[alexoiu]

No other steps. Just power off, reinstall the card and test.

 

[C_Whit3]

No other steps. Just power off, reinstall the card and test.

Should I put the CMOS battery back in? I'm not sure if this something that needs to be replaced regularly or not.

 

[alexoiu]

Yes, put back the battery. Usually, they last 7-10 years, or even more.

 

[C_Whit3]

Yes, put back the battery. Usually, they last 7-10 years, or even more.

Okay. Thanks again for everything! If you don't mind going into the details, what exactly is it that booting it without the battery did? I'm curious how exactly this fixed the issue.

 

[alexoiu]

You're welcome.
It's a mystery for me too, why some boards need sometimes a CMOS clearing in order to function properly and send the ok signal to the power supply.
It's probably a design or component fault.