How to tell what is faulty :(

Paul_257

Commendable
Jan 15, 2017
14
0
1,510
Hi,

So a build I've had for the last 1.5 has recently been causing me some issue. It started when I was using the computer to browse the web it kept restarting and powering up. Eventually it stopped restarting, so dumbfounded I pressed the power button it tried to turn on but it would either A. make it to the BIOS screen with the ASROCK symbol, or B. make it to the windows screen or C. it would make it to neither and just blank out before either of those 2 stages were reached.

I was able to use my computer all last night, there was no quarrel the issue went away for a few days but this morning it wouldn't turn on it kept rebooting, there was absolutely no luck. I unplugged some hardware and plugged her back in with just the motherboard, and CPU plugged in everything seemed to work. (of course I had no screen I only had 2 things plugged in the mobo, and CPU.) I unplugged the screen etc.


I did more troubleshooting today, I used the good ol' paperclip test with NOTHING plugged in just the paper clip... and then I tried plugging in a few of my case fans and once I did that it wouldn't turn on. I only knew the fans were on for a milisecond of power because well the LED blue turned on.


Do you guys think my PSU is faulty? =/ it turned on fine with just the paperclip.
 
The PSU attempting to power on with zero load only tells you that it is not 100% dead...and is really no indication that it could work under a typical 50-300 watt varying load condition....

Certainly, substituting a known good quality PSU of more than adequate wattage would be a prudent first step given your symptoms; it it fixes it, you are done.

YOu can also at least rule out a shorted drive or USB header, etc., by disconnecting everything non-essential to the computer at least powering on...(disconect all USB headers, SATA power/data cables, any uneeded SCSI/video capture/network/RAID /WI-Fi cards, etc......
 

Paul_257

Commendable
Jan 15, 2017
14
0
1,510
So, the PSU is now not turning on at all. Either some how the paper clips screwed something up in the pins or it's dead. So what happened was: I plugged in a few fans it powered up and then faded. I unplugged the fans, and powered her back up (still w/ the paper clip.) and then it just peacefully passed away


:(


so I take it it's quite clear my computer woes were PSU based?
 

Paul_257

Commendable
Jan 15, 2017
14
0
1,510
Hi, so I bought a new power supply unit today and I plugged it in and ran into the same problems. With EVERYTHING plugged into the unit it wouldn't even turn on the computer. So I unplugged a lot of the peripherals, and trimmed it down and eventually it turned on. It was going good, I had EVERYTHING plugged in, and then BAM it shut off. And now when I turn the computer back on or try 2 it won't give me anything, the motherboard just has a flashing led because it keeps losing power, and then getting it back from the power supply. It's usually a static blue or green flash underneath the chipset but it keeps flickering on and off consistently.


I unplugged everything and only plugged in ONE fan into the power supply, and then did the good ol' paperclip test and nothing. the fan looks like the wind blows it for about a millisecond and then it stops never makes a complete spin.

Am I killing my power supplies or am I just unlucky here? Could something be soiling these units?


I'm correct to presume that this power supply is also defective :( right?
 

Paul_257

Commendable
Jan 15, 2017
14
0
1,510
I think it might be the motherboard that bought the farm only because: it was originally making a different LED pattern and now it keeps losing power in and out.
 

Paul_257

Commendable
Jan 15, 2017
14
0
1,510
The motherboard keeps losing power to it, I know that because of the LED going bonkers.


Is it possible the motherboard is dead?

This all started a week ago when the computer kept restarting over and over, and then it got to the point where the computer wouldn't even turn on. Which is now.