I have very little technical knowledge. I installed a hard drive and the computer initially worked normally. After I mounted the drive in its cage and closed the case, the PC stopped starting properly. The motherboard LEDs and RGB lighting still come on, but the fans and other components only power up for a fraction of a second before shutting off. I had a similar issue weeks ago that seemed to resolve after leaving the power cable disconnected for several hours. What could be causing this, and what should I check?
2 Answers
Because the computer had a similar failure before the hard-drive installation, the drive may not be the root cause. The brief power-up followed by an immediate shutdown can point to a failing power supply, a motherboard fault, or a short against the case. Leaving it unplugged may allow a protection circuit or a component to reset, but it is not a real repair. Test with a known-good power supply if possible, or have a repair shop diagnose it.
Open the case again and try starting it with the drive removed from the cage. A cable may have been pulled loose, trapped against the case, or pinched when the panel was installed. Check the motherboard power connectors, the drive's power and data cables, and make sure no screw or metal part is causing a short. Disconnect the power cable before touching anything inside.
I tried opening it again. The motherboard LEDs still light up, but the fans and everything else only start for a split second. The same thing happened a few weeks ago, and leaving it unplugged for about three hours seemed to fix it temporarily.
The drive worked normally before I secured it in the cage and replaced the case panel. Once everything was put back, the PC only powered on for an instant, although all the RGB lights and motherboard LEDs still work.