PC won't boot on power on (but will after a while).

  • Thread starter Thread starter Poster Matt
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Poster Matt

Hi,

I received a lot of help 2 years ago in this group concerning a PC build. Now
I've a major problem with the PC and would really appreciate some advise.

When I turn my PC on it won't boot - the PC won't even get as far in the
powering-up / boot process for anything to be displayed on my monitor, so not
even as far as being able to go into the BIOS setup. In fact the monitor does
not even detect a signal from the PC, saying on screen 'No signal detected'.
Pressing the PC's power button to turn it off and then on again results in the
same thing happening - no boot, even if repeated as many as 10 times or more.

For a while I could get around this by turning the PC off at the mains, leaving
it off for a few minutes and then turning it on again, after which pressing the
PC's power on button always resulted in the PC booting successfully. Now even
that is not working - though I can get it to boot by repeatedly trying the mains
off, wait, try to boot process. After a few attempts it works.

Once a boot is successful the PC performs perfectly. Reboots using Windows's
'restart' always work with no problems at all. However I now don't turn the PC
off at all unless going away for more than one night.

Clearly I have a major problem and one that I've left too long to resolve,
having simply not had the time.

My reason for posting is that I do not have a clue how to resolve the problem,
not knowing even where to start diagnosis.

Can you guys advise me on the steps I need to take to diagnose the fault please?

Here are the details about the build PC:

Feb 2008 Build:

Asus P5KC Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Dual Core CPU
2GB Corsair Dominator 1066MHz DDR2 Dual Channel Memory (2 x 1GB)
Zalman CNPS9700-LED Super Aero Flower CPU Cooler
Sapphire Radeon HD2600PRO 512MB DDR2 PCI-Express
Compro Videomate T220 - Digital Tuner / PCI Interface
500GB Samsung SpinPoint F1 3.5" SATA Hard Disk Drive x 2
Antec P180 - Advanced Super Midi Tower
Akasa 80mm Ultra Quiet & Akasa 120mm Ultra Quiet (Fans)
520W Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply
Floppy Disk Drive - Generic Brand
Samsung SH-S203 SATA Dual Layer DVD Writer
Samsung SATA 16x DVD-ROM Drive
Windows XP SP2.

July 2008 added:
Samsung HD103UJ 1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive
SATA II 2 Port Controller Card - PCI Express

Please note the following:

1) The problems described have been going on for the last 3-4 months and so did
not occur immediately after installing the 1TB HDD and SATA controller card
added in July 2008.

2) One of the fans may not be working properly, it screeches loudly for a short
while sometimes.

Many thanks for any advice. Cheers.
 
Poster said:
Hi,

I received a lot of help 2 years ago in this group concerning a PC
build. Now I've a major problem with the PC and would really appreciate
some advise.

When I turn my PC on it won't boot - the PC won't even get as far in the
powering-up / boot process for anything to be displayed on my monitor,
so not even as far as being able to go into the BIOS setup. In fact the
monitor does not even detect a signal from the PC, saying on screen 'No
signal detected'. Pressing the PC's power button to turn it off and then
on again results in the same thing happening - no boot, even if repeated
as many as 10 times or more.

For a while I could get around this by turning the PC off at the mains,
leaving it off for a few minutes and then turning it on again, after
which pressing the PC's power on button always resulted in the PC
booting successfully. Now even that is not working - though I can get it
to boot by repeatedly trying the mains off, wait, try to boot process.
After a few attempts it works.

Once a boot is successful the PC performs perfectly. Reboots using
Windows's 'restart' always work with no problems at all. However I now
don't turn the PC off at all unless going away for more than one night.

Clearly I have a major problem and one that I've left too long to
resolve, having simply not had the time.

My reason for posting is that I do not have a clue how to resolve the
problem, not knowing even where to start diagnosis.

Can you guys advise me on the steps I need to take to diagnose the fault
please?

Here are the details about the build PC:

Feb 2008 Build:

Asus P5KC Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Dual Core CPU
2GB Corsair Dominator 1066MHz DDR2 Dual Channel Memory (2 x 1GB)
Zalman CNPS9700-LED Super Aero Flower CPU Cooler
Sapphire Radeon HD2600PRO 512MB DDR2 PCI-Express
Compro Videomate T220 - Digital Tuner / PCI Interface
500GB Samsung SpinPoint F1 3.5" SATA Hard Disk Drive x 2
Antec P180 - Advanced Super Midi Tower
Akasa 80mm Ultra Quiet & Akasa 120mm Ultra Quiet (Fans)
520W Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply
Floppy Disk Drive - Generic Brand
Samsung SH-S203 SATA Dual Layer DVD Writer
Samsung SATA 16x DVD-ROM Drive
Windows XP SP2.

July 2008 added:
Samsung HD103UJ 1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive
SATA II 2 Port Controller Card - PCI Express

Please note the following:

1) The problems described have been going on for the last 3-4 months and
so did not occur immediately after installing the 1TB HDD and SATA
controller card added in July 2008.

2) One of the fans may not be working properly, it screeches loudly for
a short while sometimes.

Many thanks for any advice. Cheers
Click to expand...


..
From your post I would suspect a bad Power Supply.


Regards, Rene
 
.
From your post I would suspect a bad Power Supply.


Regards, Rene
Click to expand...

I agree with Rene, but it could also be something as simple as the case
switch. (You did not mention whether you get any activity: lights, fans,
etc.) But assuming you are getting nothing at all, you should eliminate
the switch as a possibility before replacing the PS. You can test the
switch at the motherboard where the "Power SW" header connects. Simply
short the 2 pins with a screwdriver to see if it boots normally that
way. If it does then your case switch is bad.
Don't kill your rig with static - use proper precautions, etc etc.
 
TVeblen said:
I agree with Rene, but it could also be something as simple as the case
switch. (You did not mention whether you get any activity: lights, fans,
etc.) But assuming you are getting nothing at all, you should eliminate
the switch as a possibility before replacing the PS. You can test the
switch at the motherboard where the "Power SW" header connects. Simply
short the 2 pins with a screwdriver to see if it boots normally that
way. If it does then your case switch is bad.
Don't kill your rig with static - use proper precautions, etc etc.
Click to expand...

Sorry I tried to be as detailed as possible but forgot to mention that, yes, I
do get power, lights on the case, fan noise, HDD activity light too, even when
there is no boot.

I don't understand why you think the problem is the power supply. Why will it
boot eventually after the switch off at the mains, wait, power up, repeat as
necessary process? And once booted, work perfectly for weeks on end with no
problem?

I'm not doubting your diagnosis just not understanding it.

Also could it be that my "520W Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply" does not
have enough wattage?

Thanks guys.
 
Poster said:
Sorry I tried to be as detailed as possible but forgot to mention that,
yes, I do get power, lights on the case, fan noise, HDD activity light
too, even when there is no boot.

I don't understand why you think the problem is the power supply. Why
will it boot eventually after the switch off at the mains, wait, power
up, repeat as necessary process? And once booted, work perfectly for
weeks on end with no problem?

I'm not doubting your diagnosis just not understanding it.

Also could it be that my "520W Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply" does
not have enough wattage?

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Switching off at the mains resets the power supply failsafes and allows
the powersupply to restart, Also doing a restart from windows allows
the PS to use stored power from its capacitors to help overcome the
higher current requirements of drive spin up.
once everything is running the power demand is much lower.
I do sparetime repairs on computers for friends and family and have just
lately run into 2 sytems with exactly your problem. BTW fans and lights
will all run at much lower voltages than the whole system and makes
things confusing.
Your PS is probably sufficient in size when working properly.

Regards, Rene
 
Rene said:
Switching off at the mains resets the power supply failsafes and allows
the powersupply to restart, Also doing a restart from windows allows
the PS to use stored power from its capacitors to help overcome the
higher current requirements of drive spin up.
once everything is running the power demand is much lower.
I do sparetime repairs on computers for friends and family and have just
lately run into 2 sytems with exactly your problem. BTW fans and lights
will all run at much lower voltages than the whole system and makes
things confusing.
Your PS is probably sufficient in size when working properly.

Regards, Rene
Click to expand...

Many thanks Rene for taking the time to explain the problem. I think I'll bump
up the wattage of the new power supply in case of future upgrades. Should be
able to fix a new unit this weekend.

Any recommendations for what to get? My Corsair HX520W hasn't even lasted 2 years.

Thanks again guys.
 
Switching off at the mains resets the power supply failsafes and allows
the powersupply to restart, Also doing a restart from windows allows
the PS to use stored power from its capacitors to help overcome the
higher current requirements of drive spin up.
once everything is running the power demand is much lower.
I do sparetime repairs on computers for friends and family and have just
lately run into 2 sytems with exactly your problem. BTW fans and lights
will all run at much lower voltages than the whole system and makes
things confusing.
Your PS is probably sufficient in size when working properly.

Regards, Rene
Click to expand...

Capacitors, mains, powersupply failsafe resets...too much credit to
PS. PSupplies are dumb as a nail, other than quality and a few for
adjusting rails, they should do one thing well and don't need much
intervention or verbiage. Basically got a pwr-good strobe to the MB --
ATX added some weirdness to the wall socket, another logic state that
may (on some builds) initially require fiddling a little with the pwr-
on switch or pwr cord.

Take it down to as basic as it'll go, single HD, MB/no more than what
it takes to run one, and VID. Also, try to boot w/out HD for the
usual b&w screen display line - "stick something in me to boot". Start
adding the rest of the stuff. Flakey add-on PCI controller BIOS
routine perhaps. One by one until the one associated w/ problems
occurs.

Got it any earlier, then start looking at the MB/mem/cpu/vid -- PS.
Try running w/out some stuff. *If and when* the PS is being pulled
down -- that tv tuner, the DVD drives & floppy. You can live with
them disconnected, try it awhile and see how things go.

Might have something going on with one or between the TV card, pci HD
controller, and bios hang. May be able to tweak the bios, may get fed
up and replace something with better hardware that less prone to
conflicts.

Then, again, you've stuffed it up right tight. May be the PS groaning
after all. Like I said, you can lighten up -- some of that stuff you
can run w/out temporarily. Runs great no issues on the light side,
then a 1200W PS may be in the crystal ball, after all.
 
Poster said:
Many thanks Rene for taking the time to explain the problem. I think
I'll bump up the wattage of the new power supply in case of future
upgrades. Should be able to fix a new unit this weekend.

Any recommendations for what to get? My Corsair HX520W hasn't even
lasted 2 years.

Thanks again guys.
Click to expand...

Good idea to oversize for future addons, I have been replacing 450 to
500 Watt units with 600 or 650 watt, OCZ, Enermax and PCpowerand cooling
All seem OK, most of the well branded ones should be good Check Newegg
etc for reviews.

Regards, Rene
 
Quote: One of the fans may not be working properly, it screeches loudlyif that is the Fan on the CPU cooler I would check to see if its running on
startup.
It might be seizing up when cool and the BIOS sees no fan movement and stops the
startup.

Other than that I too feel you have reached your Power limit.
Which you can test by disconnecting a few peripherals

peter
 
Sorry I tried to be as detailed as possible but forgot to mention that,
yes, I do get power, lights on the case, fan noise, HDD activity light
too, even when there is no boot.
Click to expand...
<Snip>

Then that raises the possibility that the video card could be defective.
Can you get another card to try in your machine, or borrow one to put in
yours? That is not to say that Rene is wrong - the PS is a very likely
suspect, but you may want to do some of the "free" diagnostics before
you go buying new stuff. A system that will not post has got a major
hardware issue going on. What Flasherly says is correct. To diagnose a
problem like yours I would disassemble the entire rig , so there is just
a motherboard, processor, and power supply and try it. The board will
beep like mad (no memory code). Then add one stick of memory you should
now get the no video code. Then add the video card. At this point you
should get to the BIOS screen. If you don't then you know you have a
problem with one of those 5 components. If it works with the main 5 then
start adding components back one at a time until you find the one that
hoses the system.
 
Flasherly said:
Capacitors, mains, powersupply failsafe resets...too much credit to
PS. PSupplies are dumb as a nail, other than quality and a few for
adjusting rails, they should do one thing well and don't need much
intervention or verbiage. Basically got a pwr-good strobe to the MB --
ATX added some weirdness to the wall socket, another logic state that
may (on some builds) initially require fiddling a little with the pwr-
on switch or pwr cord.

Take it down to as basic as it'll go, single HD, MB/no more than what
it takes to run one, and VID. Also, try to boot w/out HD for the
usual b&w screen display line - "stick something in me to boot". Start
adding the rest of the stuff. Flakey add-on PCI controller BIOS
routine perhaps. One by one until the one associated w/ problems
occurs.

Got it any earlier, then start looking at the MB/mem/cpu/vid -- PS.
Try running w/out some stuff. *If and when* the PS is being pulled
down -- that tv tuner, the DVD drives & floppy. You can live with
them disconnected, try it awhile and see how things go.

Might have something going on with one or between the TV card, pci HD
controller, and bios hang. May be able to tweak the bios, may get fed
up and replace something with better hardware that less prone to
conflicts.

Then, again, you've stuffed it up right tight. May be the PS groaning
after all. Like I said, you can lighten up -- some of that stuff you
can run w/out temporarily. Runs great no issues on the light side,
then a 1200W PS may be in the crystal ball, after all.
Click to expand...

Can I have some of whatever you're on please?
 
Rene said:
Good idea to oversize for future addons, I have been replacing 450 to
500 Watt units with 600 or 650 watt, OCZ, Enermax and PCpowerand cooling
All seem OK, most of the well branded ones should be good Check Newegg
etc for reviews.

Regards, Rene
Click to expand...

Cheers Rene. I'll check them out and look on Newegg.

Thanks again.
 
peter said:
Quote: One of the fans may not be working properly, it screeches loudly
if that is the Fan on the CPU cooler I would check to see if its running
on startup.
It might be seizing up when cool and the BIOS sees no fan movement and
stops the startup.

Other than that I too feel you have reached your Power limit.
Which you can test by disconnecting a few peripherals

peter
Click to expand...

Ok. Many thanks.
 
TVeblen said:
<Snip>

Then that raises the possibility that the video card could be defective.
Can you get another card to try in your machine, or borrow one to put in
yours? That is not to say that Rene is wrong - the PS is a very likely
suspect, but you may want to do some of the "free" diagnostics before
you go buying new stuff. A system that will not post has got a major
hardware issue going on. What Flasherly says is correct. To diagnose a
problem like yours I would disassemble the entire rig , so there is just
a motherboard, processor, and power supply and try it. The board will
beep like mad (no memory code). Then add one stick of memory you should
now get the no video code. Then add the video card. At this point you
should get to the BIOS screen. If you don't then you know you have a
problem with one of those 5 components. If it works with the main 5 then
start adding components back one at a time until you find the one that
hoses the system.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks for the advise.

Looks like I'm in for a long weekend. :(
 
peter said:
Quote: One of the fans may not be working properly, it screeches loudly
if that is the Fan on the CPU cooler I would check to see if its running
on startup.
It might be seizing up when cool and the BIOS sees no fan movement and
stops the startup.

Other than that I too feel you have reached your Power limit.
Which you can test by disconnecting a few peripherals

peter
Click to expand...


Good Point! peter is absolutely correct, Many MBs will not boot if the
CPU fan is not running or running too slow, Defineatly worth checking.

Regards, Rene
 
Poster said:
When I turn my PC on it won't boot - the PC won't even get as far in the
powering-up / boot process for anything to be displayed on my monitor, so not
even as far as being able to go into the BIOS setup. In fact the monitor does
not even detect a signal from the PC, saying on screen 'No signal detected'.
Pressing the PC's power button to turn it off and then on again results in the
same thing happening - no boot, even if repeated as many as 10 times or more.
Click to expand...

Read the reviews for your motherboard on Newegg. Filter on the word "boot."
You will see you are not alone. People seem to prefer BIOS version 1105. You
might want to check yours. Power supply's probably fine.
 
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