I recently got a PC from a friend and had already seen it working. I also took it to a repair shop, where it powered on and booted normally, so they didn't charge me. At home, however, the tower shows no signs of turning on. My monitor and laptop charger work from both wall outlets, and I tested multiple ports on a basic surge protector from Walmart. The only device that won't power on is the PC tower. The power supply appears to have a solid green light. What should I check, and would a different surge protector help?
3 Answers
Since the outlets and surge protector work with other devices, the outlet probably isn’t the problem. If pressing the case’s power button produces absolutely no fans, lights, or sounds, check whether the front-panel power-switch connector is attached correctly to the motherboard. It may have been loosened during transport, or the case button could be faulty.
Start with the basics: check that the power cable is firmly connected at both ends, the power supply switch on the back is set to the line or “I” position, and the surge protector itself is switched on. A green light on the PSU doesn’t necessarily mean the computer is receiving the signal to start.
You probably don’t need a more expensive surge protector just to get the PC to turn on. Try plugging the tower directly into the wall briefly, using a known-good power cable if possible. If it still does nothing after confirming the PSU switch and internal connections, the power supply or power button may have an intermittent fault, even though it worked at the shop.
I tested every port with different devices, and the tower is the only thing that stays completely off. I’ll check the front-panel connection next.