Strange Power Behavior...

[marciovp]

My old office computer is behaving strange... (never a dull time).


The other day I powered it in AM ( as I always do) and it was dead. No power. Nothing went ON. Tired several
times. Then I changed the plug to another outlet. It went on... I thought that this was the problem.... Well...


Today I came to work in AM. Started the computer. It was dead. Tried several times to click the switch to
start. Nothing. Dead. Changed to another outlet. Nothing. Change the power cable. Nothing. My panic was
starting. Called the computer shop. Yes they could send someone here in the afternoon... Panic!


Now, get this. As I was talking with the guy in the phone, without me touching it or doing anything...the
computer went ON and started. Alone by itself. It has been ON ever since giving me the chance to make
backups, print schedules, all of that. I am not afraid to put it off in the end of the day.


Wondering what is what... Earlier I took off the front cover (when it was dead) and I saw that it was dirty
in the opening for the frontal fan... I am not even sure if this fan is working...


What could that be? Is not the outled or the power wire. It is not the switch. It is something that suddenly
produced power (most likely the switch was ON after my attempts) expontaneously after a few minutes
being dead...


Please help!
Many thanks

Marcio

[DIY Guy]

First, take the time to get the dust out of there, it can cause the PC to overheat and shorten its lifespan. Use a can of compressed air designed for cleaning elecrtonics

As to the power problems: (Unplug the PC first, touch the metal of the case before reaching inside to avoid static discharge frying components)

1) There is a set of wires that run from the power supply to the motherboard, make sure it is firmly seated on the motherboard. A loose plug could cause the problem.

2) The power switch has a wire that leads to the motherboard (unless it is really really old).make sure it isn't loose.

3) The power supply could have an intermitent short or is otherwise failing. Replacement is easy - see our article on replacing a PC power supply (http://acmehowto.com/howto/pc/hardware/power/replace.php).

4) The Switch could be faulty and working intermittently.

5) The motherboard, or possibly another key component, could be failing.

Start by removing the dust. Check all the connections. See if rattling the whole PC will cause it to start next it doesn't power up.