I've been experiencing issues with my PC taking longer to reach the POST screen when booting. It seemed to restart a couple of times, and the time on the clock had been reset each boot, although the date was fine. I realized my BIOS was likely resetting upon each restart, so I updated it to version F20, but that didn't help. Recently, I replaced the CMOS battery, and for a few hours, everything seemed normal until my PC suddenly wouldn't power on when I got home. There are no signs of life—no lights, no fan activity, and the power button feels inactive. I noticed that the PSU makes a faint, rapid clicking sound when turned on, unique to when it's connected to the 24-pin connector, which continues even after turning it off until I unplug it. I've taken several troubleshooting steps, like testing different power cables and outlets, but nothing has worked. I'm considering checking if the PSU is functioning properly with a multimeter and possibly reseating the components. Any thoughts on what could be wrong?
4 Answers
It sounds like the PSU might be the issue here. Since the clock resets, it suggests that your CMOS battery has been struggling to hold a charge, likely due to power delivery problems. I'd definitely recommend checking the PSU first. Any erratic behavior tends to point in that direction for me!
I completely second that! Powers supplies can be sneaky like that.
If you haven't done it already, unplug your PC from power and hold the power button for about 10 seconds. It can help drain any residual charge built up in the capacitors, which might clear some weird issues.
This might sound odd, but try unplugging everything from your PC except for the power cable and monitor connections. I once had a weird issue where my system wouldn't boot with an old adapter plugged in. You never know what can interfere!
I've been through something similar. My PC wouldn't power on after some marathon gaming sessions. Sometimes it just comes back to life after a bit—I'm not sure why!
Totally agree! I'd lean toward the PSU too.