pc wont switch on

lesley2004

Hi

This doesnt happen all the time but sometimes when i try to switch on the pc it wont start up.

The power button has a orange lite which flickers on and off when this occurs.

I end up switching on and off at the wall and eventaully the green light comes on for a few seconds and then switches off as though the pc has been on or in hibernation, then when I try to switch it on it comes on and there is no further problem

This happened last night again and I thought it was never going to work, this morning it has switched on first time

Anyone got any ideas what is happening?

isofa

I'd have a look through the manual or contact the supplier, it sound like it's either getting put into sleep/hibernation or more unlikely there is a power supply fault (unlikely because you've got lights etc on the button).

gigif30

i had the very same problem whare the lights on the front of my pc would flash once but the pc wouldnt go on it was the power pack that needed replaced and it now works fine:beer:

lesley2004

what do you mean by power pack? sorry if thats a stupid question.

if this was the prob would it be intermittent, i have switched the pc on and off several times today without any problem

lesley

tomsolomon

PSU or Power supply unit. Cheap to replace, but dont it attempt it unless your confident enough. It converts a/c power to d/c power for the mainboard, drives etc.

lesley2004

same prob again tonight, eventaully I have managed to get pc switched on

still not sure what the power pack is (sorry to be dumb!)

Is it the plug or is it something inside the pc

and if it is the plug wheres best place to get another?

b33r

Thats a PSU, well the bit in the red box is, obviously your case and layout may well differ to that.

Here is the section on ebuyer that sells them. If you don't know at all what you are doing it might be wise contacting the people who sold or built your PC but it's very easy to change. Look on the label on it and it will say what wattage it is so you will know what you need to replace it with.

This is all assuming it is the PSU, what someone said earlier about hibernation is possible, id try disabling that first. Usually if a PSU goes, it goes completerly but isn't impossible it would work sometimes.

lesley2004

Hi

Thanks for your reply, I think I will double check that it has nothing to do with hibernation first.

The pc is dell, there is a flashing orange light in the back of the pc it is behind where the ethernet cable is attached. It stays on and flashes even when i switch off at the plug....does this sound like the powerpack

lesley2004

argh..............

Again this morning I have been unable to switch on my pc, eventually after trying intermittently for 2 hours ona nd off it has powered up.

All the time the on button has an orange lite flashing, eventually it fired up to green light for 1/2 secs, and switched itself off. Then when i tried to switch it on it worked!!!

I have looked at the power pack and it looks too complicated for me, too many wires coming out of it, thats if i am looking at the right thing, but I think I am

I have looked at power settings on the control panel and have changed a setting which says enable hibernation, so will see if that makes any difference,

BritBrat

How old is the PC?

Make?
Model?

If it's a Dell I found this:

The power light illuminates and blinks or remains solid to indicate different states:

No light — The computer is turned off (S4, S5, or mechanical OFF)
Steady green — The computer is in a normal operating state
Blinking green — The computer is in a power-saving state (S1 or S3)
Blinking or solid amber — See "Power Problems"
http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/systems...ve.htm#1177038
If the power light is steady amber — The computer is receiving
electrical power, but an internal power problem might exist.
Ensure that the microprocessor power cable is securely connected to the
system board.
If the problem persists, contact Dell.

iviv

Also, be careful when getting a replacement PSU, as they are the one component of PCs that you shouldn't skimp on, A cheap, badly made PSU has the potential to break, and take several otherr components with it.