The PC won't start after approximately six months.
The PC won't start after approximately six months.
Hey guys,
so my friend's PC hasn't booted up for about six months now. I thought it was time to lend a hand and try to understand what's going on. The main issue is that when he presses the power button, the CPU fans spin a tiny bit before stopping completely, and the system won't start. At first, I cleaned the machine thoroughly because it looked really messy, but nothing changed. The same problem keeps happening. I'm wondering if you guys, who seem more experienced, could guide me through the troubleshooting steps.
The PC's specifications are not in my knowledge base—it's an old machine, possibly from 2012. It always booted fine before. He mentioned it has an i5 4000 processor and an RX 550 GPU, with one stick of 4 GB DDR3 RAM.
Thanks ahead of time, and sorry I can't share more details about the specs.
The pc system specifications are not readily available to me; it appears to be an older machine.
When sharing a troubleshooting thread, it's standard to provide full system details. Please list the specs in the following format:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
Please include the age of the PSU along with its make and model.
It might have been installed around 2012, and it could be failing. Consider finding a compatible PSU to power the whole system if needed. If your processor includes an integrated GPU, you can skip the discrete one.
Sorry, I can't provide more specific information about the PC specs.
The saying goes, help us, help you.
We can only share general details at best.
The pc system specifications are not readily available to me; it appears to be an older machine. When sharing troubleshooting threads, it's important to provide full details about your setup. Please list the following components in order: CPU, CPU cooler, motherboard, RAM, SSD/HDD, GPU, power supply, chassis, operating system, monitor. Include the age of the power supply if known, apart from its brand and model—possibly installed since 2012. It's possible the PSU has failed; consider finding a compatible replacement to power your entire system. If your processor includes an integrated graphics unit, you might be able to skip the discrete GPU. And sorry, I can't provide more specific information about your PC. The saying goes, help us, help you—without knowing what you're working with, generic advice is limited.
I will include what @Lutfij adds, noting that many electrolytic capacitors tend to fail over extended periods. Power supplies often show signs of instability. It seems the power supply is attempting to function at least initially. You may observe the behavior if you disconnect all hard drives, NVMe or SSDs, and possibly the RAM. Accessing the BIOS might be possible if these parts are involved. If it works, reinstall the RAM and retry. Consider removing any USB components other than the mouse or keyboard. Look for signs of wear such as fans operating longer, which could indicate a problem even without video output. You might also need to address BIOS settings, although they seem unlikely to cause such a rapid shutdown. There is a small battery on the motherboard that can degrade over time; if it drops too low, it may affect BIOS stability. Replacing this battery and resetting the CMOS BIOS (by briefly touching a few pins together while powered off) could help. Be aware that even with a faulty battery, keeping power on is sufficient; you might try the reset without removing the battery, but I recommend replacing it if it’s outdated. Also inspect for corrosion around the battery.
It's hard to imagine this being from the 4th generation now. If the machine had been dusty and dusty, it might have overheated or had a short circuit. Spending any money or effort fixing it probably won't be worth it. You'd be better off buying something newer used in the US for around $100 or building a modern system under $400—far more powerful than this setup. Also, remember that rigs older than 8th generation Intel and 2xxx Ryzen won't support W11 and W10 until October. This isn't an immediate problem but could affect safe browsing and internet use for many users. Consider switching to a Linux-based OS only if the fix is simple and nearly free.
That an issue with the mobo, it doesn't signal power on to the PSU so the PSU shuts off immediately.
You can do the paper clip test on the PSU, shorting pin 16 and 17 ,if the PSU runs like that it means that the mobo is broken.
(The mobo being broken doesn't mean that everything else isn't broken)
https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/articl...upply-Unit
As everyone mentioned, the issue was the power supply. I switched it and it worked again. Thanks to all of you for your help.
I'm not recommending replacing anything. I'm proposing some simple options you can test. Disconnecting drives and RAM doesn't cost anything, and resetting the CMOS BIOS also has no expense.
I personally won't go all the way with W11. I'll purchase a W11 key and use it alongside W10 if necessary. I don't rely much on Windows these days, I'm more comfortable with Linux, especially for embedded systems and CNC control. That's another matter.
It might be worth considering that the person posting about the system has old hardware that still works, even if it's just a game. Continuing to use it is better than giving up. This situation is particularly challenging for those without much financial resources, especially when W11 pushes for subscriptions.