Start-up problem -- PSU related?

AleksZ · 03-07-2007, 02:06 PM

A while back my brother's computer went on the fritz; sometimes it would work and other times it'd be all black with a white horizontal line going across it. He would turn on the computer for a few seconds, check to see if it was working, then just hold down the power button and shut down the computer manually if it wasn't. The next day he'd try it again and if the monitor was out, he'd do the same thing. So really, for about a week this computer was never completely powered up or shut down. When I finally convinced him to send the monitor back to the manufacturer to get fixed (it was still under warranty), his computer had started making a high-pitched whine. It was noticeable when the computer was on yet got even louder when the computer was off. Since it's right next to his bed, the only way he could get any sleep was to just take out the power cable from the computer or flip the switch on the back of the PSU.

About a week and half went by and the monitor finally came back. I hooked it up to the tower, plugged back in the cable and turned it on. The computer started up fine yet the monitor stayed in "Power Save" mode. Not wanting to shut it down improperly any more, I grabbed a book and waited. About 45 min later the mobo flash screen came up and the computer booted up normally.

Since then, I've found that if instead of plugging in the computer and turning it on right away, I plug it in and wait 5 minutes then turn it on, the computer boots up fine. Even more peculiar, I found by accident that instead of removing the power cable after the comp is shut down, I can remove the internet cable connection and the whine will almost disappear. If you put your ear to the tower you can still hear it but it's not loud enough to keep you from going to sleep. Still, the same rule applies; once I plug in the cable again, I have to wait 5 min before turning it on or else it'll be a looooong wait before it boots up.

The only thing I've been able to think of is it's a problem with the PSU. The reason why the cable connection might make a difference is that it has a big ole' orange LED on the back of the comp that is no longer drawing power once it's removed. That's my guess at least.

Well, I humbly plead my case to anyone who can help. My brother's getting annoyed with the pre-startup rituals he has to go through and I'm just curious as to why this is happening. Not sure if the system's specs matter but here they are (I built it for him around two years ago). Thanks in advance.

Windows XP Pro SP2
ASUS A8V Deluxe
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
1 GB RAM
Targan 480W
GeForce 6800 GT OC

**MaverickUK** · 03-07-2007, 02:59 PM

Hi,

Welcome to the humble home of TSF, enjoy your stay!

You may want to try this simple procedure to determine whether your motherboard is recieving the POWER_GOOD signal properly from the PSU, hopefully we can eliminate this as a potential problem. Try boot up as usual and if nothing happens then press CTRL + ALT + DELETE and see if the computer will boot. If the computer does manage to boot, then this would put the main fault down to the PSU and would need replacing. If this isn't the issue nor is the PSU, then i would suggest looking at the motherboard and seeing if this is at fault.

Let me know how the above goes.

Nick.

03-07-2007, 02:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
AleksZ Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1 OS: XP Pro	Start-up problem -- PSU related? A while back my brother's computer went on the fritz; sometimes it would work and other times it'd be all black with a white horizontal line going across it. He would turn on the computer for a few seconds, check to see if it was working, then just hold down the power button and shut down the computer manually if it wasn't. The next day he'd try it again and if the monitor was out, he'd do the same thing. So really, for about a week this computer was never completely powered up or shut down. When I finally convinced him to send the monitor back to the manufacturer to get fixed (it was still under warranty), his computer had started making a high-pitched whine. It was noticeable when the computer was on yet got even louder when the computer was off. Since it's right next to his bed, the only way he could get any sleep was to just take out the power cable from the computer or flip the switch on the back of the PSU. About a week and half went by and the monitor finally came back. I hooked it up to the tower, plugged back in the cable and turned it on. The computer started up fine yet the monitor stayed in "Power Save" mode. Not wanting to shut it down improperly any more, I grabbed a book and waited. About 45 min later the mobo flash screen came up and the computer booted up normally. Since then, I've found that if instead of plugging in the computer and turning it on right away, I plug it in and wait 5 minutes then turn it on, the computer boots up fine. Even more peculiar, I found by accident that instead of removing the power cable after the comp is shut down, I can remove the internet cable connection and the whine will almost disappear. If you put your ear to the tower you can still hear it but it's not loud enough to keep you from going to sleep. Still, the same rule applies; once I plug in the cable again, I have to wait 5 min before turning it on or else it'll be a looooong wait before it boots up. The only thing I've been able to think of is it's a problem with the PSU. The reason why the cable connection might make a difference is that it has a big ole' orange LED on the back of the comp that is no longer drawing power once it's removed. That's my guess at least. Well, I humbly plead my case to anyone who can help. My brother's getting annoyed with the pre-startup rituals he has to go through and I'm just curious as to why this is happening. Not sure if the system's specs matter but here they are (I built it for him around two years ago). Thanks in advance. Windows XP Pro SP2 ASUS A8V Deluxe AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 1 GB RAM Targan 480W GeForce 6800 GT OC

03-07-2007, 02:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
MaverickUK TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Cheshire, England. Posts: 710 OS: XP Home My System	Hi, Welcome to the humble home of TSF, enjoy your stay! You may want to try this simple procedure to determine whether your motherboard is recieving the POWER_GOOD signal properly from the PSU, hopefully we can eliminate this as a potential problem. Try boot up as usual and if nothing happens then press CTRL + ALT + DELETE and see if the computer will boot. If the computer does manage to boot, then this would put the main fault down to the PSU and would need replacing. If this isn't the issue nor is the PSU, then i would suggest looking at the motherboard and seeing if this is at fault. Let me know how the above goes. Nick. __________________ Currently studying: CompTIA A+ CompTIA N+ Cisco Certified Network Associate Last edited by MaverickUK : 03-07-2007 at 03:03 PM.