PC won't start up and stays off for a long time, like six months.
PC won't start up and stays off for a long time, like six months.
Hey guys, so my friend has a computer that won't turn on for about six months now. I decided to help him and try to figure out what's wrong. Basically, when he presses the power button, the fans of the CPU and system fan spin up just a little bit and then stop completely. The computer doesn't start at all. My first move was to clean it up because it looked really dirty. I cleaned it very well but nothing helped. Same error keeps showing up. I'm wondering if you guys know what we should do next since you're clearly more knowledgeable than me, right? His system specs are out of my reach because he bought this old thing back in 2012. But the computer always worked fine before. Like I said, the problem started six months ago and he wants my help. All I know by cleaning it is that it has an i5 processor and what looks like an rx 550 graphics card. It has one stick of DDR3 memory that I think is 4 GB. Thanks in advance, and sorry if I can't give you more details about the computer specs.
The PC hardware specs are probably out of your knowledge because it is a really old computer. When making a troubleshooting thread, it's common to list all your system details. Please tell me what you built like this: CPU: Cooler: Motherboard: RAM: SSD or HDD: GPU: Power Supply: Case: Operating System: Monitor: Also, please mention how long the power supply has been sitting there since its make and model. It might be from 2012 or older. There is a chance that the power unit has stopped working. Try to find (borrow instead of buy) a power supply that can handle all your other parts. If you have an integrated graphics chip on your processor, then try building without the separate graphics card. I am sorry I cannot give more details about these specs. The saying goes: help us so we can help you. We are not able to provide much info besides general advice...
The PC system specifications are not in my knowledge base; it is a very old computer. When asking for help or posting a troubleshooting thread, it is standard to include your full list of specs. Please write them out like this: CPU, cooler, motherboard, ram, SSD/HDD, GPU, PSU, chassis, OS, monitor. Also tell us the age and make/model of the power supply unit (PSU). It might have failed around 2012. The PSU could be dead or weak. Please borrow a replacement PSU that fits your whole system instead of buying one new. If your processor has an integrated graphics chip called an iGPU, try turning off the separate discrete GPU so it can run without needing more power from the PSU. Sorry, I don't know all the exact details about your PC anymore. It's like saying: help us, and we will help you as much as possible with just generic advice since we don't have enough information to see what exactly is going on inside that machine.
I will add another point: many electrolytic capacitors can break after a long time. Power supplies might be unreliable, but it looks like they are still trying to turn things on. You could try unplugging hard drives, NVMe SSDs, and maybe even the RAM to see what happens if you plug them back in later. If you reach the BIOS screen, that means those parts were likely the problem. Once you get the system working again, put the RAM back and test it once more. Also, make sure there are only mouse and keyboard plugged into USB ports; adding extra devices can cause issues like fans spinning too long, which is a sign of trouble even if your video doesn't start showing up. You might also have to adjust BIOS settings, but I don't think that would cause such a sudden power drop. There is a small battery on the motherboard inside the BIOS area. If this battery wears out over time, it can corrupt the BIOS. For that fix, you could replace the battery and then press a CMOS reset button (usually by touching two pins together briefly while the computer is off). Even if the old battery causes problems, you don't need to keep power on to use the reset feature—so you can try resetting without replacing the battery just to see if anything improves. However, I'd recommend swapping that battery anyway since it's likely broken already. Check for corrosion around the button battery too.
@LinuxDevice It's almost impossible to believe that 4th gen Intel is this old now. If it was covered in lots of dust and cobwebs, it might have overheated or a short circuit could happen. You probably won't get much out of trying to fix this PC. You can buy something much newer and powerful used in the US for about $100, refurbished or bought second hand. Even you can build a modern system for under $400 that would be way more power than your current setup. Also, remember that computers from before the 8th gen Intel chips and the Ryzen series with processors above 2xxx won't work well on Windows 11 or even Windows 10. The support for these systems ends in October. That means you have a deadline to meet it while still using your PC safely for browsing the internet. You could try Linux, but I wouldn't start that unless fixing it is very easy and basically free.
Is a problem with the motherboard, so it sends no power signal to the power supply. The power supply shuts off right away. You can try the paper clip trick by pinching pins 16 and 17 on the PSU. If your power supply stops working like that when you do this, then the motherboard is broken. (Being a bad motherboard does not mean all of the rest of my stuff isn't broken.)
just like you guys told me, it was the power supply. I fixed it and it started up. thanks to everyone who helped me out there.
I'm not saying he needs to change anything right now. I'm just suggesting some easy fixes that cost nothing. Taking out drives and memory, or resetting the BIOS, all costs money-free. Personally, I won't use Windows 11 until the very last day. If I really have to, I'll buy a key for Windows 10 and run it with W11. I don't care much about using Windows these days anyway; I'm mostly into Linux stuff. This is true for embedded systems and CNC machines too. But then again, maybe the person who posted this has some old equipment that's important even if it runs a game or something simple? Forcing people to upgrade their hardware when they aren't gaining anything is very bad. Especially because Windows 11 is pushing subscriptions hard.