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Computer won't turn on! Help Please!

1K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Tyree 
#1 ·
Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm new to this site.

I'm having a problem with my dad's computer. It is an eMachines T3516 desktop. He shut it down last night and this morning when he went to turn it on it wouldn't! We've tried everything from unplugging the power cord and plugging it into a different outlet. We even cleaned out all the dust from inside the tower. When you push the power button nothing happens. We took the side panel of the tower off and when the machine is plugged in there is a little green light on the motherboard that is on.

I really don't know anything about computers. We are on a super tight budget so replacing his computer is not an option. If there is any really inexpensive way to fix this problem that would be great! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
#4 · (Edited)
Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm new to this site.
Welcome! :wave: Wish it was under better circumstances, of course...
We even cleaned out all the dust from inside the tower.
Was there much? Very possible that a component has simply given out after prolonged excessive temperatures.
It is an eMachines T3516 desktop.
It probably shipped with a brandless, low-quality PSU (power supply). It may have burned out; load on PSUs is highest right at boot-up, so it's completely reasonable for it to run the computer until shutdown, then refuse to restart.

Hopefully it didn't take any other components with it if it blew. Is there any acrid, burnt-electronics kind of smell?

How comfortable are you unplugging stuff (and plugging it back in) inside the case? You can check a PSU by unplugging it from all components and then using a paperclip to short the pin for the green (start) wire to any black (ground) wire's pin (in the 20/24 pin main MoBo connection). If the fan doesn't start whirring, it's dead. If it does start whirring, it still could be the problem; you could try swapping out a known-good PSU from another PC and see if it works. You can also check the PSU with a multimeter, if you happen to have one...

You can also unplug everything except for one stick of RAM & system HDD and see if the computer will then boot. Search the forums for Bench Test.

Hope some of these troubleshooting ideas help.

jw

[edited -- changed a 'when' to 'if' -- don't want to make assumptions...]
 
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