Topic: case power problems.

[captalmighty]

i put my computer back together last night in a new case. it was working perfectly up until this morning, roughly 9 hours after i put it together, then it just shut down. i tried to power it back on, but it seemed like the power only went on for a second. the fans whirred once adn then stopped. it keeps doing this everytime i try to turn it back on. anybody know what the cause of this may be?

[Zeus]

It sounds like it's grounding on something.  Is there any way that you installed an extra standoff that the motherboard is grounding on?  Sounds like a major PSU issue to me.

[captalmighty]

im not too experienced with this stuff. this is only my second computer that i have put together. so what exactly is a standoff and how would i know how to locate it?  ....i apologize right now for being pretty retarded when it comes to the actual terms and what they are

[LobbDogg]

Yeah I'm thinking along the same lines as Zeus.  The standoffs are the little metal pegs that you screw the screws into to secure the motherboard onto the motherboard tray.  Most cases when new make the user install the standoffs where they are required for their particular motherboard.  I'd maybe just pull the motherboard off and double check that there are no extra standoffs where there are no screw holes in the mainboard.  Another thing I'd maybe take a look at is maybe just re-attach your heatsink fan for the CPU as it may be overheating and then the computer shuts down.  Sometimes if the heatsink fan isn't on perfectly flat, this is enough to cause a heat issue.  Good Luck.

[captalmighty]

oh! no, i am certain that there are no other standoffs that are open. thank you guys for the help. ill have to try this stuff when i get home. does anyone else have any ideas?

[Nicao]

I've seen that happen from 1) a bad power supply 2) a power switch that is sticking 3) motherboard connectors plugged in wrong (for the front panel lights and such) 4) bad motherboard (Hopefully that isn't it) and other things too but those are the most common. For a troubleshooting step unplug everything in the case but your video card, your power switch and the power to the main board, then see if you still have a problem.

Good Luck

[captalmighty]

i just disconnected all of the power connectors from the mobo and all of the drives and stuff. then i plugged in the main ATX1 connector into the mobo. i try the power button and i get the exact same thing. wtf is going on?

[LobbDogg]

How about if you eliminate the power switch by using a screw driver to start the machine.  Or also if you can, try a known good power supply.

[captalmighty]

how would i use a screwdriver to start up the computer? is it just a problem with the power supply?

[Fujitsu]

look in your motherboard manual, and find the two pins that are used for your power switch (it should be labeled on your motherboard, and you've probably already got the switch hooked up to them), then take a screwdriver and touch both the pins and your computer will start up

[captalmighty]

i just tried that screwdrvier thing and it still did the exact same thing as before. the only thing that is connected right now is the main connector & cpu fan to the motherboard. and no matter what i do, i get the same result. is this a problem with my power supply? or do you guys think that my motherboard fried?

[Fujitsu]

I'd try a different power supply first, its possible thats all it is