Computer turns on for 1 second then shuts off

[Guest]

I built a custom computer in october of last year.
CPU: Intel Core i7 920
Mobo: Gigabyte EX58-UD3R
RAM: 4GB [2X 2GB] Corsair DDR3
Graphics: EVGA GTX 260 Core 216
PSU: Coolermaster 550W PSU
HDD: Western Digital 500GB & Hitachi 350GB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Two days ago while rendering out a sequence in Adobe After Effects the computer shut off suddenly by itself. It was not due to overheating, all recorded temps were normal. I thought it was nothing, turned it back on and went back to normal use. The next day [yesterday] I was playing Bioshock 2, same thing happened, it shut down without explanation, all temps were normal. So, I thought something came loose that was causing this, so I opened it up, nothing was loose. Noticed it was a little dusty, so I took a compressed air can and dusted it out, replaced CPU thermal grease then put everything back together. I turned it on, and the internal fans and LED lights came on for 1 second, then died. I tried a few times to turn it on and nothing happened. I opened it back up, checked everything, reset Bios then tried again. Nothing.

I have no idea what could be wrong. Please can someone help?
[fyi, i know alot about computers so dont hold back when it comes to vocab]

 

[lordszone]

I built a custom computer in october of last year.
CPU: Intel Core i7 920
Mobo: Gigabyte EX58-UD3R
RAM: 4GB [2X 2GB] Corsair DDR3
Graphics: EVGA GTX 260 Core 216
PSU: Coolermaster 550W PSU
HDD: Western Digital 500GB & Hitachi 350GB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Two days ago while rendering out a sequence in Adobe After Effects the computer shut off suddenly by itself. It was not due to overheating, all recorded temps were normal. I thought it was nothing, turned it back on and went back to normal use. The next day [yesterday] I was playing Bioshock 2, same thing happened, it shut down without explanation, all temps were normal. So, I thought something came loose that was causing this, so I opened it up, nothing was loose. Noticed it was a little dusty, so I took a compressed air can and dusted it out, replaced CPU thermal grease then put everything back together. I turned it on, and the internal fans and LED lights came on for 1 second, then died. I tried a few times to turn it on and nothing happened. I opened it back up, checked everything, reset Bios then tried again. Nothing.

I have no idea what could be wrong. Please can someone help?
[fyi, i know alot about computers so dont hold back when it comes to vocab]

Hi
There are two things in my mind that you can do.
1) try to run your system with another psu. maybe it has failed. if you dont have any other psu and cant arrange one for testing then run your system without the vga card and see if it boots, u wont have display but still by hdd sounds and beeps u can figure it out.
2) try to change the ram because i dont know exactly which ram you have but as far as i know, in the past ddr3 was high voltaged sticks, with high voltages like 1.8 and etc, and if you have 4gb ram with two sticks, then that looks like a dual kit of old corsair ddr3 ram. and the high voltage might have taken its toll. yeah this point may not be very effective and others can argue but you can try it anyways because sometimes strange things happen and their solution is something stranger.
Hope i helped.

 

[Guest]

Hi
There are two things in my mind that you can do.
1) try to run your system with another psu. maybe it has failed. if you dont have any other psu and cant arrange one for testing then run your system without the vga card and see if it boots, u wont have display but still by hdd sounds and beeps u can figure it out.
2) try to change the ram because i dont know exactly which ram you have but as far as i know, in the past ddr3 was high voltaged sticks, with high voltages like 1.8 and etc, and if you have 4gb ram with two sticks, then that looks like a dual kit of old corsair ddr3 ram. and the high voltage might have taken its toll. yeah this point may not be very effective and others can argue but you can try it anyways because sometimes strange things happen and their solution is something stranger.
Hope i helped.

i tried taking the graphics card out, still nothing. I tried taking 1 RAM stick out to see if that does anything, but nothing happened. I think I agree with you, it very well could be the PSU, luckily its still in warranty and will replace it to see if that works. Thanks for the help.

 

[lordszone]

i tried taking the graphics card out, still nothing. I tried taking 1 RAM stick out to see if that does anything, but nothing happened. I think I agree with you, it very well could be the PSU, luckily its still in warranty and will replace it to see if that works. Thanks for the help.

Hi
Before going on with giving the psu in warranty, chk by using a friend's psu or something and see if it works. like that you will be confirmed as to what the prob is.

 

[JDFan]

When you say nothing happens do you mean nothing at all - ie. non of the fans or any sign of life at all ?? -- If so sounds like the PSU either died or blew the fuse that is inside it or tripped the electrical circuit coming from the wall -- is it plugged into a surge protector and if so is the light on it on ? - if it is does the fan or red light come on on the PSU when you turn it on ?

From the description it sounds like the PSU may have been overheating causing the shutdowns ( as the heat builds the PSU performance drops until a point is reached under load that causes a shut down) - and then eventually the PSU either reached a breaking point and died or the shut downs caused the fuse to blow and so now you get nothing.

 

[lordszone]

sorry i missed a point
secondly try to run the system with a different ram, not the sticks you have. maybe it helps. but as per my experience goes, when your case happens, of powering on the system and it runs for 1 sec and then shuts down means that you have fried your mobo. this has happened with me in the past and the same symptoms were what i faced. hope that is not the case with you.

 

[Guest]

When you say nothing happens do you mean nothing at all - ie. non of the fans or any sign of life at all ?? -- If so sounds like the PSU either died or blew the fuse that is inside it or tripped the electrical circuit coming from the wall -- is it plugged into a surge protector and if so is the light on it on ? - if it is does the fan or red light come on on the PSU when you turn it on ?

From the description it sounds like the PSU may have been overheating causing the shutdowns ( as the heat builds the PSU performance drops until a point is reached under load that causes a shut down) - and then eventually the PSU either reached a breaking point and died or the shut downs caused the fuse to blow and so now you get nothing.

When I say nothing happens i mean that nothing has changed. Ive always gotten to the point were the fans turn on for a split second. It is plugged into a surge protector, and I didnt trip the circuit becuase the monitor is plugged into the same wall outlet and its working fine

 

[JDFan]

sorry i missed a point
secondly try to run the system with a different ram, not the sticks you have. maybe it helps. but as per my experience goes, when your case happens, of powering on the system and it runs for 1 sec and then shuts down means that you have fried your mobo. this has happened with me in the past and the same symptoms were what i faced. hope that is not the case with you.

That could also happen if the CPU fan is not plugged into the MOBO correctly - if the MOBO senses no CPU cooling fan it will shut down to protect the CPU from damage -- @OP - When the thermal paste was replaced are you sure you plugged the fan back in properly and in the correct pins ? Another cause of a 1 sec on then shutdown could be the MOBO shorting out on the case -- check if there is any contact of the MOBO and the case tray (esp. if missing any of the standoffs) - or if a loose screw fell under the MOBO making a short between the MOBO and case. (but again that would take a second or so to shut it down and would not account for getting nothing at all !!

EDIT : JUst saw your last post and if that is the case then check for the CPU fan being plugged in correctly or any possible short between the MOBO and case. -- might even try removing the MOBO from the case and breadboarding it to see if it is a short causing it.

 

[Guest]

sorry i missed a point
secondly try to run the system with a different ram, not the sticks you have. maybe it helps. but as per my experience goes, when your case happens, of powering on the system and it runs for 1 sec and then shuts down means that you have fried your mobo. this has happened with me in the past and the same symptoms were what i faced. hope that is not the case with you.

Damn, i really hope its not the mobo, Ill try my older 450W PSU, its enough to power the system so well see if the psu is the problem. ill reply with the results when im done.

 

[Guest]

Ok, So I just tested the system with another PSU, and the same thing happens. That means it would be the motherboard that is causing the problem.

Any idea on what would have caused the motherboard to die suddenly?

 

[JDFan]

Ok, So I just tested the system with another PSU, and the same thing happens. That means it would be the motherboard that is causing the problem.

Any idea on what would have caused the motherboard to die suddenly?

Have you looked closely to make sure there is nothing shorting the MOBO to the case ? - any metal to metal contact of the MOBO and case will cause that type of problem.

Also look for any blown capacitors etc. on the MOBO that might be the cause of sudden death.

 

[lordszone]

Ok, So I just tested the system with another PSU, and the same thing happens. That means it would be the motherboard that is causing the problem.

Any idea on what would have caused the motherboard to die suddenly?

Hi
I think that static charge thingy might have come into play or a physical damage. this is because a computer never dies suddenly. its either someone messed with it or static because motherboard being short cannot happen in a already running system. hope i helped.

 

[Guest]

Hi
I think that static charge thingy might have come into play or a physical damage. this is because a computer never dies suddenly. its either someone messed with it or static because motherboard being short cannot happen in a already running system. hope i helped.

You know, now that I think of it, When I picked the computer up to bring it into the other room so I could inspect it better, I did hear a loose screw in the case move around. I will go look for it to see if it is jammed underneath the motherboard.
I did not see any blown capacitors so that is not the issue.

 

[Guest]

Hi
I think that static charge thingy might have come into play or a physical damage. this is because a computer never dies suddenly. its either someone messed with it or static because motherboard being short cannot happen in a already running system. hope i helped.

I found the problem!
As it turns out, my un-thoroughness of checking over the computer did not include taking the other side of the cases cover off to look for problems, I found a screw that was lodged in between the motherboard and the case that was causing it to short-circuit and not start, I removed the screw, hit the power button and wammo, it works.

Thank you everyone for your help! ill make sure to check that first next time

 

[Guest]

Oooooook this sucks. That solved 1 issue. The second I noticed it turned on and stayed on I came and posted that response. I noticed it was on, but then I noticed the 4 pin cpu power cord going into the cpu power slot was unplugged. I plugged that back in and the same thing started happening again. Turns out it is my psu.
I guess its time to get a new one, bad thing is that it is out of warranty.
I have a 550W now, so I guess ill go grab a 750W, i was thinking about getting another gtx for a sli config and ill need the extra power.

Again, thanks for everyones help.

 

[Flappy1114]

Was the problem really the PSU??? I had the same exact symptoms as you but it happened with my regular PSU as well as my test PSU...

 

[jmc42]

I had a very similar problem this week with my sons PC. ATX-400W PSU.

I bought a new 450W PSU and on fitting I had a quieter PSU but same syptom.

Power light on MB but it tripped out in under 1 sec after CPU & PSU fans started. Checked connections and MB for shorts.

It turned out to be the Motherboard/BIOS battery

I removed it first and it then started with power on!

Replaced with new 2032 battery. Saved default BIOS settings and it loaded OS fine.

 

[andy_in_kenya]

Just really confirm the machine works with another PSU. Be careful! The way you describe the problem it could pretty well be the motherboard having developed an internal short. I have seen exactly that on several MoBos in my job as a hardware technician... Actually more often caused by defective MoBos than defective PSUs....

 

[ttoyu]

Make sure your cpu power cable is connected properly. Worked for me.

 

[arshsidhu]

i have the same problem plzz help me
i changed the PSU,Motherboard,GPU,CPU,RAM,and also upgraded the ram,.................
but after a month yhe problem comes out again ......................
plz help me at www.facebook.com/arshsidhu19


plzzz,plzz,plzz,plzzz,plzz message me at my fb id

 

[exactoman]

I solved a problem like yours.

Turned out to be the power button wire in this case was not amply shorting the two pins that cause the computer to turn on. I found out after buying a new power supply, repositioning the cpu, repositioning the RAM, and then finally manually shorting the two pins, carefully, with a screwdriver. Tada! It worked. Shorting the pins turned the computer right on every time. So it was the power button on the case, not the mobo, psu, cpu, or ram...........THIS TIME! Muahahahahaha

 

[MajorTom6000]

I also had a similar problem were it would power on for half a second, fans sped up then turned off. Nothing ever appeared on screen. I cant remember now, but I dont think it ever beeped either.
Oddly enough different PSUs gave slightly different results, like it fans might stay running with one PSU, though I think it might be that that was the duff PSU !
Looking extensively on the forums I narrowed it down to either the PSU, the memory, the motherboard or the CPU ! I think any one of these could cause these same symptoms !Arrrgghh. I think if the motherboard or CPU is the problem it might be due to some sort of short circuit. Possably like a screw under the motherboard short circuiting, or badly placed stand off, or excess metalic thermal paste. Though it could be an invisible short circuit possibly caused by overloading or something. What I had was invisible
The least likely cause of such a problem being the CPU. Of course what it turned out that I had not working was the CPU !
The only real way to debug generally being swapping working components for your components. Though this isnt always easy or possible !

 

[Edis Kostic]

HI, Just encounter this same problem you guys are having as soon as i turn it on after few secs it dies completely, tried it numerous times same thing happens, so i loaded it in safe mode and restore it a week back....boom no more issues its been 2 weeks now no issues!
any other solutions that or whats the source of this issue?

 

[Luke Denby]

Hey i recently had a similar problem with my newly built PC doing this. Turning it on, and than less than a second later it turning off. I know this thread was a long time ago but i wanted share what FIXED IT for me, for any other user's that ran into this problem like i did. My PC had been running for over 2 months without a hitch! and out of the blue one day when turning it on it started to do this. After trying a ton of fixes, I though my MOBO was just fried. Until i read from one user that i should unscrew all screws a little bit from the motherboard, because one may be grounding the MOBO to my case. Sure enough after unscrewing every screw (JUST A LITTLE, NOT ALL THE WAY) and then powering on, my PC booted up without a problem. I then booted from powered down state about 15 times to make sure it was actually working. and it worked 15/15 times. SO it was true, my particular problem was a motherboard screw that was tightened to much (but actually none of my screws were really that tight, so it MAY be a faulty motherboard)

My motherboard also increased slightly in temperature after loosing the screws, not sure if it matters but i thought it was worth noting: From 30c to 32c

 

[Ryan_4]

I was experiencing the same problem above for quite a while now. I unplugged my system fans and suddenly it booted up; however it did not display anything. I'm still troubleshooting but I also loosened my screws like Luke Denby did and that might have helped
EDIT: It boots up and everything if I unplug the plug that controls the system fans (even with the fans being powered). I'm currently getting windows 7 on a usb and we'll see where this leads me. I dont know why this is the solution but it should be fine as long as the fans are running constantly, or isn't there some kind of response it needs when the computer starts overheating ie. speeds up fans. For now I'm just glad that it boots