[SOLVED] Trying to diagnose a power issue

[lorin35]

Hey,

A friend built me a computer from parts a year ago. Finally had a chance to boot it up.

On first boot there was a reference to the time and date and bios but on pressings f1 to continue it booted up no problem .

Its quiet in general.

After a week or 2 of use I noticed it had shut down when I was not monitoring it. This happened again the next day.

Every time I load it up I have to press f1 to continue for it to boot, however the date is correct as far as how it displays on windows.

Today I tried to switch it on and nothing but an amber flashings light on power button. On googling this I saw could be a failed power supply. I took the side of tower off to see if there was anything loose inside (I'm no expert as you can probably guess) And this time when I switched it on it loaded fine (albeit with same notification re date and time and having to press f1 to continue)

I don't know if this is a bios battery issue, a motherboard issue , a power lead issue or power supply itself? or perhaps more than one of these.

On a side note, my intention is to buy a power supply, as I'm looking to upgrade graphics card. So that may resolve it, but obviously need to know what this is before I move forward

Any advise appreciated.

 

[rgd1101]

full system spec? include make and model of the psu

 

[JoBalz]

Hey,

A friend built me a computer from parts a year ago. Finally had a chance to boot it up.

On first boot there was a reference to the time and date and bios but on pressings f1 to continue it booted up no problem .

Its quiet in general.

After a week or 2 of use I noticed it had shut down when I was not monitoring it. This happened again the next day.

Every time I load it up I have to press f1 to continue for it to boot, however the date is correct as far as how it displays on windows.

Today I tried to switch it on and nothing but an amber flashings light on power button. On googling this I saw could be a failed power supply. I took the side of tower off to see if there was anything loose inside (I'm no expert as you can probably guess) And this time when I switched it on it loaded fine (albeit with same notification re date and time and having to press f1 to continue)

I don't know if this is a bios battery issue, a motherboard issue , a power lead issue or power supply itself? or perhaps more than one of these.

On a side note, my intention is to buy a power supply, as I'm looking to upgrade graphics card. So that may resolve it, but obviously need to know what this is before I move forward

Any advise appreciated.

I suspect it may be the CMOS battery, but I went online and checked and every source I checked, their first response was that it sounds like the CMOS battery. So, since the batteries are quiet inexpensive, it's a good first step in troubleshooting.

Also, I did find articles noting that on older Dell computers, the light is a diagnostic tool. A Blinking amber light indicates a problem with the power supply inside the computer. If the system cannot boot and there is a solid amber light, this indicates a problem with the system board. Keep in mind, other brands of computers, and other motherboards, may use different colors of lights, but it's an idea. If you were going to buy a new PSU anyway, it's a good start, since a motherboard can end up being more expensive and more time consuming to replace. Would also be a bummer to replace it and it still be a PSU problem.

FYI: If you have friends that build computers (ie, are computer enthusiasts), ask them if they have a PSU tester. It's a small unit which is used to test the PSU 20/24 pin connectors as well as the PSU's ATX, SATA, and HDD connectors. Generally runs $12-16 at Newegg. Since I often build computers, I keep one in my tool box (but of course, have never had to use it!).

 

[lorin35]

full system spec? include make and model of the psu

Dell 7010 i5-3470 64 bit

PSU Dell L275EM-00

 

[lorin35]

I suspect it may be the CMOS battery, but I went online and checked and every source I checked, their first response was that it sounds like the CMOS battery. So, since the batteries are quiet inexpensive, it's a good first step in troubleshooting.

Also, I did find articles noting that on older Dell computers, the light is a diagnostic tool. A Blinking amber light indicates a problem with the power supply inside the computer. If the system cannot boot and there is a solid amber light, this indicates a problem with the system board. Keep in mind, other brands of computers, and other motherboards, may use different colors of lights, but it's an idea. If you were going to buy a new PSU anyway, it's a good start, since a motherboard can end up being more expensive and more time consuming to replace. Would also be a bummer to replace it and it still be a PSU problem.

FYI: If you have friends that build computers (ie, are computer enthusiasts), ask them if they have a PSU tester. It's a small unit which is used to test the PSU 20/24 pin connectors as well as the PSU's ATX, SATA, and HDD connectors. Generally runs $12-16 at Newegg. Since I often build computers, I keep one in my tool box (but of course, have never had to use it!).

yes it was the blinking light so maybe the PSU replacement best bet..

The time date thing does imply Bios battery though? and if so I guess I'm best to replace that too?

On both notes where best to instigate compatibility for these parts?