Help! Computer won't turn on!

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Techie22

Techie22

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Dec 22, 2005
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My computer is acting really strange right now. I installed an x2 4600+, abit at8 32x mobo, and an x1900xt last week. Recently, after it's been off for a while, I press the power on button and nothing happens. I unplug the power supply and then plug it back in, press the power button, but nothing turns on. When I unplug the power supply, plug it back in, flip the on/off switch, then press the on button, it starts normally. What is the problem here?

I am using an antec 500 watt smartpower 2.0 psu. I have been using it since january with no problems. I checked a psu wattage calculator site, and I am well within my limits. (430 watts). I have even overclocked my cpu by 200mhz while its running, and nothing went wrong. (however it is not oced anymore...everything at default)

What's going on?
 
I think you've answered that question yourself.

If messing around with the power supply fixes the problem, then what part of your computer do you suppose is causing it? 😛

But then, I could be wrong.
 
Antec usually makes pretty good PSU's, but after reading through a variety of sources and some first hand experience, the Smartpower supplies are hard to recommend. If you are in the market for a replacement and insist on Antec then go with the true power 2 series. Otherwise the following are good brands: FSP, enermax, sparkle, mushkin, tagan, seasonic, OCZ, and a few others that aren't immediately springing to mind. Just make sure you look at the amps on the 12 volt rails and don't settle for anything less than 36 (combined).
 
I think you've answered that question yourself.

If messing around with the power supply fixes the problem, then what part of your computer do you suppose is causing it? 😛

But then, I could be wrong.
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Ya, but what is wrong with the power supply? It runs stable everytime the computer is on. No overheating or power issues...Any power guys out there that know what could be the source of the problem? I really don't want to go spend another $100+ on a power supply if I am not having any real problems.
 
Ya, but what is wrong with the power supply? It runs stable everytime the computer is on. No overheating or power issues...Any power guys out there that know what could be the source of the problem? I really don't want to go spend another $100+ on a power supply if I am not having any real problems.
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Actually I'd contact Antec's customer service (especially if the unit is still under warranty . . . I think they offer 3 year warranties if I'm not mistaken?) They have been pretty responsive in the past when I've needed an answer.
 
Ya, but what is wrong with the power supply? It runs stable everytime the computer is on. No overheating or power issues...Any power guys out there that know what could be the source of the problem? I really don't want to go spend another $100+ on a power supply if I am not having any real problems.
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This is the thing... you don't really need to know 'what' is wrong with the power supply, just that something is. There are very few user-serviceable parts in a PSU, unless you have a good knowledge of electronics in which case you wouldn't need to ask I suppose.

The only part I have replaced myself in a PSU is the fast blow fuse (which is sometimes a great quick fix if you blow a PSU btw) but this isn't the cause of your problem. If it was, no amount of tinkering would get it to power up.

I'd say it's time to investigate your warranty options.
 
so I called Antec...

They said that it was either a defective power supply, or I was running too close to 500 watts that it wasn't turning on. They said that with my video card I was probably running at 95% capacity, and that I should invest in a new psu. Here is my setup:

x2 4600+
abit at8 32x mobo
ati x1900xt
2x1 GB Corsair xms ram
2 DVD Drives
3 sata HDDs
1 floppy
5 led case fans (4 80mm, 1 120mm)
Temperature lcd and fan speed controller

all on an antec smartpower 2.0 500 watt. They suggested I get a 650 or more. I am thinking of going crossfire next year. What are my options for good psus? I don't want to spend more than around $125.
 
so I called Antec...

They said that it was either a defective power supply, or I was running too close to 500 watts that it wasn't turning on. They said that with my video card I was probably running at 95% capacity, and that I should invest in a new psu. Here is my setup:

x2 4600+
abit at8 32x mobo
ati x1900xt
2x1 GB Corsair xms ram
2 DVD Drives
3 sata HDDs
1 floppy
5 led case fans (4 80mm, 1 120mm)
Temperature lcd and fan speed controller

all on an antec smartpower 2.0 500 watt. They suggested I get a 650 or more. I am thinking of going crossfire next year. What are my options for good psus? I don't want to spend more than around $125.
Click to expand...

These would be good candidates.
600+ watt PSU's between $100 and $200

The sparkle or OCZ look like a pretty good bets (for just a bit more than your stated budget) or perhaps the BFG . . . though I have no knowledge of BFG's PSU's, though they make pretty good video cards.
 
It seems as though someone on the abit-usa forums is having the exact same problem as me. His post:

Ok my system specs...

ABIT AT8 RD480 crossfire edition
AMD athalon 64 X2 3800+
Geil 1GB PC3200 DDR ram
Antec TX1050b black ATX tower case that came with an Antec SP-500 500w power spply
ATI Radeon X850 XT 256m Platinum edition PCIE
Samsung 250gb Sata II hard drive

Ok the system runs fine while its on (except I get some beeps occasionally when playing World of Warcraft for some reason all the temperatures and voltages appear normal using uGuru utility) but after I shut it down it wont turn back on unless I flip the power switch on the power supply off, wait for the computer to power down completely, and then turn it back on.

After I shut down the computer the post code is F. the second number is blank. I have tried resetting bios and that didnt work. This all just started happening within the last week too. Any help with fixing this problem, or for that matter the beeps would be greatly apprieciated thank you in advance.

On what i hope is an unrelated note i read elsewhere on these forums that power supplies that come with cases are generally pieces of junk. Is the power supply im using inadequate or a bad brand of power supply?
Click to expand...

and my post:

I have the exact same problem as you. I have the at8 32x with a dual core amd processor, and an antec smartpower 2.0 500watt psu (same model). I can't seem to figure out whether it's the mobo that's causing the problem or the psu. I am running windows with games and movies at stable voltages when I get it to turn on. A psu calculator website says I have enough power as well. I am also getting an F. on my post code display. I called antec, and they seem to think that I am either running under powered, or my psu if defective.

Are there any knowledgable power guys out there that can help us with this problem? (maybe someone from abit)

my specs:
x2 4600+
abit AT8 32x Crossfire
2GB Corsair xms ddr400 CL3 3-3-3-8
Aspire x-navigator case
ati x1900xt
WD Raptor 74GB
WD Caviar 160GB
Maxtor Maxline III 300GB
antec smartpower 2.0 500 watt
sony floppy
NEC DL 3520A DVD Drive
Sony DVD-ROM
Click to expand...

is this a mobo problem or a psu failure?
 
If you are absolutely sure that you don't exceed the power specification of the PSU at start-up time (it's higher than at stable operation), try upgrading the BIOS to the latest version available: it's the mobo that monitors the POWER_GOOD signal and starts the CPU DC-DC converters when the PSU has started stable operation.
If this doesn't resolve, I'd RMA the PSU: maybe the embedded MCU has a failure or some caps are defective and can't provide the required start-up current that's higher that the rated.
 
just did a bios update...Computer rebooted and started up normally. When I got to windows my mouse was frozen. I unplugged and plugged in the mouse and it worked (Ya ya I know your not supposed to do that). I then shut down windows. I pressed in the power switch and nothing happened. I turned the psu off and on with the switch a bunch of times and finally got it to start up normally. Is this a PSU problem?

I'm gonna call abit in an hour to see what they think...



Techie
 
I also had this problem with my smartpower PSU. The way I fixed it was by unplugging my second cd-drive. Starts up everytime now. I still ocassionally have to replug my mouse back in, but that's not a big deal.

Basically, you are most likely running too close to the wattage maximum. One way to test this would be to unplug everything non-essential and try booting. If it starts, then the PSU is good, just not powerful enough for your setup. Dual core, a 1900xt, 3 HDDs and 2 DVD drives can put quite a strain on a PSU at start-up.
 
exactly what Traken said, if unplugging some components seems to make the problem go away with starting up, then you have a PSU that doesn't perform all that well when it gets close to its max load.

This is where high quality PSU's seperate themselves from generic P.O.S's A 400 watt Raidmax (btw they make great doorstops and paperweights!) may perform just fine running that 2.6 ghz celeron, the one 200 GB Hard drive, A DVD-ROM, and that Nvidia geforce 4 Ti4600. But two video card upgrades, an extra HD, a new mobo and dual core pentium D later, and all of a sudden it randomly reboots, won't start up everytime and generally just behaves badly. (this scenario occured with a friend of mine). When stressed or pushed to the upper limits of it's operating capacity, a crappy PSU will buckle like a belt often times.

Many a motherboard, CPU, or video card has probably been wrongly fingered as defective when the root of the problem is a subpar or inadequate power supply.

In general just forget about wattage. A 510 watt PC power & cooling PSU runs anywhere from $200 to $250, while a 500 watt powmax sells for $25 - not even on the same planet, let alone ballpark in terms of capability. Wattage matters, but what matters more is how that wattage was calculated (volts * amps on each rail and added together). In one of those rare cases in technology, it's almost more important to look at price versus specs. when it comes to PSU's

/lecture

As for the Antec smartpower, they aren't bad PSU's but they aren't great either; they are decidedly middle of the road in terms of performance and quality.
 
Don't jump on a new supply before you check out a couple of simple things.
Are you certain the case power switch is good?

Are the wires to the MB securely attached? Do you have a Volt/Ohm meter? If so, pull the power switch leads off the MB and test the switch for continuity.

Since you replaced the MB, did you double check the Power switch settings in BIOS?
 
Don't jump on a new supply before you check out a couple of simple things.
Are you certain the case power switch is good?

Are the wires to the MB securely attached? Do you have a Volt/Ohm meter? If so, pull the power switch leads off the MB and test the switch for continuity.

Since you replaced the MB, did you double check the Power switch settings in BIOS?
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1. yes I am sure as it has been working for a week without problems on my new hardware, and I never had a single problem since december.

2. I have checked the wires and all the leds, power buttons, case power...etc etc are plugged in.

3. I have checked the power settings in the bios and on uGuru in windows, and the voltages are okay. My temps are okay too.

I think what it is, is that I have enough power to run it without things heating up or malfunctioning, but I don't have sufficient power to start up. It might be failing when I press the switch. Calling abit now....
 
I was referring to the ACPI Standby State and power switch functions in BIOS, not the voltages themselves. But I guess you did check those settings. I had problems with a new MB install and the power switch settings, so I thought I'd mention it, just in case.
 
called abit and antec again. Neither of them could figure out whether it was the psu or mobo. They both pointed me in the direction of an rma. WTF! 8O
Now I have to rebuild my computer, and reinstall everything right? And by the way, should I just go ahead and skip the rma for the psu and buy a new one?

Should I just try to sell everything I have and go for conroe? :lol:

Spare parts I have now:

x2 4600+
at8 32x (needs rma?)
smartpower 2.0 500watt (don't know if it's working correctly)
x800pro pci-express
audigy 1 ES
P4 530J
abit AG8 mobo
corsair xms ddr400 CL 3 3-3-8

If I actually went ahead and sold that stuff, wheres the best place to sell it? should I put a P4 computer together and sell that? I guess I could either sell all that and go conroe, or wait 2-3 weeks for a new mobo and psu and pray that there aren't any problems.

Techie :?
 
from the abit forum:

okay I'm still having a problem 🙁

I just installed my old graphics card (sapphire x800pro pci-express) and the system runs fine except that I am having the same power on problem. I have the flip the switch a bunch of times and uplug the computer before I can get it to work. I have realized that I had enough watts to run both gfx cards, but I can't determine the source of the problem. Abit tech support said they didn't know either, and that it could be either one. I am leaning towards a psu power on error, but am not 100% positive. I don't wanna install everything again on a new mobo please!


Techie
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btw, it's sweet how you can swap ati graphics cards and windows instantly recognizes it before you reinstall the drivers!
 
I'd RMA the psu first and see if that makes a difference, if not then RMA the board . . . this may not be a very quick option and if you "need" your computer sooner than that, then maybe RMA'ing both at the same time wouldn't be the worst thing you could do?

As for selling the whole lot and going with conroe? heh, yeah I guess that's an option too . . . a little drastic maybe, but certainly possible 😉

If you are going to sell, try craigslist.org over ebay (gawd how I hate selling on ebay now!!). craigslist is free and works really well.

And if you get an identical motherboard from abit you won't have to re-install anything . . . unless your HD got damaged somehow. :?
 
i had a similar problem, i unhooked everything, took a needle and tightened up all the molex/motherboard connectors and it worked fine after that, sometimes its just bad connectors, try it its free. 😀
 
i had a similar problem, i unhooked everything, took a needle and tightened up all the molex/motherboard connectors and it worked fine after that, sometimes its just bad connectors, try it its free. 😀
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definetly worth a shot . . . beats waiting two or three weeks for an RMA to process.
 
but why is it that it works when I start up after having it unplugged for 30 mins, but not anytime when windows shuts down? And when I flip the power switch on and off? And it has been working fine on my new hardware for a week... :?

I'll give it a shot.



Here is a post by another guy from the abit forum who had the same problem as me (same mobo, diff psu):

It's the Antec Powersupply that are causing you and the first poster's problems. I had trouble with an Antec TrueControl 2 550watt powersupply, and replaced it with a Thermaltake Toughpower 700 and haven't had any trouble since.

The quality of Antec Powersupplies has gone down hill over the past couple of years.
Click to expand...


Techie
 
Okay I checked all of my connectors and one was actually loose (on the modular plug on the psu.) I plugged that in checked all of the other ones, and booted up again with my x1900xt. Everything loaded fine, but my mouse froze when I got to windows. I had to unplug it and plug it back in to solve the problem.

HERE IT COMES:

same problem! and the question remains...mobo or psu? I am thinking of buying an OCZ 700watt psu tomorrow just for the hell of it. (I don't feel like replacing the one that's cutting it close anyways.)

wow...this thread just goes on and on and I haven't gotten anywhere.


Techie
 
yeah i would try a different psu, im not trying to make you run in circles, but have you checked the health of your harddrive also? That could cause this problem too.
 
Alright guys, I ordered an OCZ GamerXStream 700watt PSU. It has 4 12V Rails at 18A. Total cost was $130 with a $20 MIR on newegg. Hopefully that will solve my problem.



Techie
 
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