I've had my custom-built PC for several years without any issues, but recently it just stopped booting up. Last night when I tried to turn it on, nothing happened at all. The power button had some problems in the past, so I started troubleshooting there. Since I have a microATX case, I had to remove a few components to access the switch pins. I switched the reset button with the power button and even tried shorting the pins, but it still won't turn on. I noticed that the Standby Power LED under the GPU is on, indicating power to the motherboard. I ordered new CR2032 batteries to replace the CMOS battery, considering the PC is about 10 years old. I'm not suspecting the power supply since the LED is on. Am I mistaken? If the new battery doesn't solve the issue, what should I try next? My multimeter is broken, but I can purchase a new one if necessary.
2 Answers
Have you moved your PC recently? It might be a good idea to reseat all your components, like the GPU, RAM, and power cables. If your PSU is about 10 years old, that might be the next thing to check if the issue persists.
Definitely get a multimeter to test the power supply if the CMOS battery change doesn't help. It can help you figure out if the PSU is the culprit here.
Right! But I'm curious, would the standby LED still be on if the power supply was completely dead?
I haven't moved it for over 6 months. The last time I used it, I uploaded a video and then shut it down using AnyDesk. It was pretty dusty since I haven't used it much lately. I gave it a light dusting today, but I think I'll take it apart for a more thorough cleaning and reseat everything just in case. I was worried about the PSU too, but would the standby LED still light up if the PSU was completely dead?