Hey everyone, I usually troubleshoot my PC issues pretty well, but I'm stumped this time. My system was totally fine yesterday, but today it just won't power on at all, even though the USB devices still get power. I've tried a bunch of things: I tested the power supply and it works with a paper clip, switched out the motherboard, swapped the power supply, and even removed the CPU to check for shorts. I also tested the power cable on a different system and it works there too. I tried another power cable and removed internal power cable extensions, but nothing has changed. I'm really out of options here, any ideas?
5 Answers
Your power supply could be nearing its end. It might still turn on without a load, but if it's not pushing the needed wattage, it won't boot your system. I had a 750w PSU that failed like that.
You might want to remove all RAM and other components from the motherboard and try to boot it with just the essentials. Sometimes a faulty component can prevent the system from powering on.
Have you tried jumping the power switch pins on the motherboard? Just use a flat head screwdriver to connect them and see if it powers on. Just be careful when doing that!
I already tried shorting the power switch pins, but no luck.
I faced a similar issue once, and it turned out to be a fan causing a short. It sounds odd, but you should try powering on with just the bare essentials connected and see if it works.
That’s a great idea! I'll give that a shot.
Check for anything that might trigger a short circuit, like faulty connectors. Once, my PC didn't power on until I unplugged the front fan. It can be tricky to pinpoint these issues sometimes.
That's interesting! I noticed my surge protector had a warning light, so something must have happened overnight.
That seems like a possibility for me. I’ve rebuilt with another power supply, and it lights up, but I'm still testing things with the original.