PSU dead? On button doesn't work - paperclip test fires up hdd

Xandos

Xandos

Xandos

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Joined
19 Aug 2006
Posts
596
Hi guys,

I tried to turn on my computer today and it's now not responding to the on button at all. Tried new kettle lead. Just did the "paperclip test" - bridging the on/green and black on the mobo connector (all black for me but followed a map). Can't really tell if the fan in the PSU turns on but a hard drive does spin up.

There is also an on-button on the motherboard which didn't work either.

PSU is a be quiet pure power 9 and has been running for about 2 years.

Really hoping it's the PSU rather than anything worse - but it kinda responded to the paperclip test...

Any ideas please? Thanks for reading!

Edit: tried the reset CMOS button a few times and no change
 
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Thanks for the reply...

No LEDs on the motherboard at all... I can't really remember but assume there was a blue one or something normally... Sorry to hear about your machine...

Edit: well, I dug out another PSU I luckily had in another machine.... And it's similar behavior which I guess makes it not the PSU....

So totally unresponsive with OK PSU - what does that leave? Mobo, if it was CPU board would still wake up and beepy? Could it be a short somewhere? (Computer hasn't moved or changed since it was last working..)
 
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It could be the case power switch itself at fault and does happen every now and then. If you unplug the power switch plug from the motherboard and then touch the two pins with a screwdriver does it all fire up (you won't get a shock and it won't break anything)?
 
I've had motherboards that wouldn't power on at all unless you jumpered the green and black cables while it was connected to the motherboard.

It however worked completely fine with no issues, I just had to keep it jumped.
 
Thanks guys.

How do you jumper the green and black whilst it's connected? Is that the same as removing the case power switch cable and bridging those two with a screwdriver?

Been having a look at replacement motherboards and they are not even slightly cheap.... LGA 2011 is a dying breed it seems...

There is a power on button on the motherboard itself which is not responsive as well.

[edit] screwdriver on the power button pins brought no life either...

Oddly while I was messing around with it - cpu power unplugged and reseating the main motherboard power, the motherboard got a couple of led's lit up... and I powered it on by the power button on the motherboard... It promptly turned off and hasn't shown signs of life again yet.... Confusing
 
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It does sound like a dead mobo but it's worth removing items to eliminate them i.e.

1. remove gpu - does it boot / beep (complaining missing video)
2. remove all ram sticks apart from 1
3. remove everything including cpu

Process of elimination should narrow down the issue i.e. gpu, ram, cpu or mobo (though it sounds like mobo).
 
Once again, thanks for the reply.

I have removed GPU, and all RAM sticks apart from one. I guess I should try removing the SATA drives, but I think that's about all that's left... Now I think about it there could be a PCI network/USB card or something, will try removing those as well.

Haven't bothered with the CPU yet as it's a beast of a heatsink etc... Having a look around online I found:

"Yes, the motherboard LED should light up irrespective of the following:
  • CPU is mounted or not.
  • CPU is fried.
  • RAM is mounted or not.
  • RAM is fried."
Can anyone confirm this? I'd love to know for certain that it's the mobo rather than the CPU - in case I wind up buying a replacement mobo for £200 and then need a new CPU also... Then might as well go current gen....

Thanks!
 
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