Could use a bit of PC troubleshooting help

[krizrox]

I am noticing an odd problem with my studio PC. When I turn the PC on first thing in the morning, sometimes it will not boot up. This occurs maybe once a week. The symptom is that the power light comes on but that's as far as it goes. When I press the reset button on the front of the PC, it then turns on as expected. I tried cleaning and resetting the power supply cables hoping it was just a loose or corroded connection but that didn't help. I don't relish the thought of having to replace the motherboard and everything else associated with it. I've had the same config for about 4 years now so I suppose I've gotten my money's worth out of it but it still works and does more than I need it to do so I'd prefer to keep it going if possible.

Any ideas? My next thought was to replace the power supply. That would be the least problematic and easier thing to replace. Anyone seen a problem like this before? I only see the problem in the morning - cold start sort of thing. Strange.

[yayajohn]

i'd try the power supply. I've had to swap several out in the past decade. I wonder if a power conditioner might help extend the life as opposed to a battery backup?

[Eanna]

Could well be memory. Re seat the memory again.. Common problem.

And if that doesn't work...
Each time you switch on, press whatever button gets you into the bios. Make sure all looks ok.

[jhulk]

i would try the psu they are mass produced in china and they dont use the best of parts

i the last several months i have 2 fail 1 took out an hd drive

both were 5+ years old most psu in pc are switch mode types and when they fail they fail not worth repairing as they are a twat to

diagnose what is actually causing the problem and the amount of labour time out ways the cost of a new item

linear supplies are the best but cost a lot more they are easier to repair but are larger and heavier

on my 36 dsp system my system drive started the click of death and lost every thing on it i do back up most things

so i fitted 2 dual imbedded cf ide cards

for the cost of £30-50 for a silent psu

[krizrox]

thanks guys - I'll try a new PS. That's the easier of the things to replace I guess. If it doesn't cure the problem I can always use the old one as a spare or something and it's a step closer to finding the root cause.

[Eanna]

Make sure you re-seat the memory before splashing cash. Given the symptoms, it's definitely worth a shot...

[krizrox]

Make sure you re-seat the memory before splashing cash. Given the symptoms, it's definitely worth a shot...

thx Eanna - will do that! I was under the impression that if there was a memory issue the mobo would respond with some beeping noises. About a month ago I ran one of those advanced memory tests - it all came back positive. Nothing wrong with the memory modules. I just had the DAW open a couple of days ago to replace the MOBO battery and re-seat the power supply cables (even spritzed a little cleaner on the PS contacts just to make sure). None of that solved the problem though. The next day I noticed the problem.

What about the hard drives? I have two in my system and they are both fairly new. If the primary drive wasn't spinning up might that not produce the same results that I am seeing? It's funny that I only see this in the morning when I first turn on the computer (and only maybe once a week if that). After the first instance, I could turn the unit on and off all day and never see the problem again. Heat or temp related?

What I might do is take your lead and reseat all the memory chips and maybe so the same for all the connectors inside and then wait and see. Thanks!

[Strattosphere]

I would replace the motherboard battery before the power supply.

[krizrox]

did that already - I re-sat the memory chips yesterday and basically cleaned out the innerds. If the problem pops up again I'll go for a new PS and take it from there. Thanks!

[quantum]

If it's not getting past POST, then it's power supply, bad motherboard components (even if it's new), or memory. If it goes past POST but doesn't boot, then it's a bad harddrive (stay away from 5400RPM, especially Hitachi), system files missing, or corrupt Master Boot Record.

[krizrox]

haven't noticed the problem in a few days so maybe the little cleaning I did helped.

[jksuperstar]

Typically you can hear a hard drive fail...clicking on boot up, or a grinding sound. Usually the electronics dont't fail, but it's rather a mechanical issue. Just an FYI.