Problem powering up

[Vile]

I having trouble powering up computer. I am wondering if I have a
power supply problem? Might need to replace it? If I unplug the
power cord for a min it seems to work fine. Any way to test the power
supply? What test should I perform? I have win xp. All drivers up
to date including motherboard. No changes to computer for months. I
run virus checks and spy checks all the time nothing on that front.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Malke]

I having trouble powering up computer. I am wondering if I have a
power supply problem? Might need to replace it? If I unplug the
power cord for a min it seems to work fine. Any way to test the power
supply? What test should I perform? I have win xp. All drivers up
to date including motherboard. No changes to computer for months. I
run virus checks and spy checks all the time nothing on that front.

Thanks in advance.

Hi - There are simple power supply testers that cost around $10usd, but
the easiest thing to do is 1) first, change the power cord; 2) change
the power supply. If you need more help, then please post back and
explain exactly what you mean by "trouble powering up computer". If you
are uncomfortable opening the computer, take the machine to a good
local repair shop for testing and repair. However, replacing a power
supply is quite easy. Just don't ever open a power supply!

Happy New Year,

Malke

 

[Vile]

I have been using the power button on keyboard to power up. It
flickers power for a second then turns off. I unplug the power cord
for a min and then try again and it does the same thing. I try it
again and this time it powers up. I have been leaving it on now until
I buy a new power supply which seems to be what to do unless someone
has another idea. I never move the computer around and everything
seems tightly plugged in on the inside of the tower. I think I have a
300 volt power supply, should I get the most powerfull one I can
afford? I went to pricewatch.com and checked there. Anything to keep
in mind when getting a power supply? Are they all the same for
general normal sized towers? Below is my system details from Balarc
advisor which does not recognize my power supply it seems. If you are
bored goto pricewatch.com and let me know what the best priced power
supply for me is.

Thanks




Operating System System Model
Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1 (build 2600) VIA
Technologies, Inc. VT8363
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
900 megahertz AMD Athlon
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache Board: 8363-686A/B
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Award Software International, Inc. 6.00 PG 06/24/2002
Drives Memory Modules c,d
53.00 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
22.36 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

IDE DVD-ROM 16X [CD-ROM drive]
TDK CDRW121032 [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

ST313021A [Hard drive] (13.02 GB) -- drive 1
ST340823A [Hard drive] (40.02 GB) -- drive 0 704 Megabytes Installed
Memory

Slot 'BANK_0' has 128 MB
Slot 'BANK_1' has 64 MB
Slot 'BANK_2' has 512 MB
Slot 'BANK_3' is Empty
Local Drive Volumes

c: (on drive 0) 40.01 GB 11.95 GB free
d: (on drive 1) 13.00 GB 10.41 GB free


Installed Microsoft Hotfixes Printers
DataAccess
Q318202 (details...) on 07/18/03
Q318203 (details...) on 02/22/02
Q823718 (details...) on 08/20/03
DirectX
DX819696 (DirectX Update 819696)
Internet Explorer
Q330994 (details...)
Q818529 (details...)
Q822925 (details...)
SP1 (SP1)
Windows Media Player
WM308567 (details...)
WM320920 (details...)
WM320920.1 (details...)
WM817787 (details...)
WM819639 (details...)

Controllers Display
Standard floppy disk controller
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller]
VIA Bus Master IDE Controller NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra [Display
adapter]
Nokia 447Za [Monitor] (14.9"vis, s/n H735019536, August 1997)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller
VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller Logitech Microphone
(Messenger)
Standard Game Port
VIA AC'97 Audio Controller (WDM)
Communications Other Devices
NE2000 Compatible ISAPNP Ethernet Adapter (Generic)
Network Card MAC Address: 00:00:C5:04:5C:B0
Network IP Address: 67.173.23.246 / 24 hp psc 2100 series
Logitech QuickCam Messenger
Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
Logitech USB Camera (Messenger)
USB Composite Device
USB Printing Support
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
psc 2100 (DOT4PRINT)
Software Licenses

 

[Malke]

I have been using the power button on keyboard to power up. It
flickers power for a second then turns off. I unplug the power cord
for a min and then try again and it does the same thing. I try it
again and this time it powers up. I have been leaving it on now until
I buy a new power supply which seems to be what to do unless someone
has another idea. I never move the computer around and everything
seems tightly plugged in on the inside of the tower. I think I have a
300 volt power supply, should I get the most powerfull one I can
afford? I went to pricewatch.com and checked there. Anything to keep
in mind when getting a power supply? Are they all the same for
general normal sized towers? Below is my system details from Balarc
advisor which does not recognize my power supply it seems. If you are
bored goto pricewatch.com and let me know what the best priced power
supply for me is.

(snippage)

Yes, I think you just need to buy a new power supply. The symptoms you
described are classic signs of a failing power supply. If you have a
standard tower case, then the power supply will be a standard size. I'd
go ahead and get a good 400 or 450 one. Don't buy a really cheap one
because they aren't worth it. On the other hand, I don't think you have
to buy one that costs the earth. Tom's Hardware (www.tomshardware.com)
did an interesting comparison piece on power supplies some time last
year.

Cheers and good luck,

Malke