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[Help] Computer not attempting to start

Last response: in Components
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Greetings,

I woke up to a dead computer this morning. I attempted to turn it back on, and it started for about approx. 5 seconds and then shut off. I waited a few minutes, and then attempted to start it again. It started for about 15 seconds, and then shut off again. A third attempt resulted in the computer not starting at all.

I re-checked all connections, cycled the power supply a couple of times, and tried different known working power sources to no avail. My initial assumption is that the issue lies with the power supply seeing as it won't event attempt to start (nothing turns on). As far as I know only a broken PSU could cause that problem, but I'm also not a veteran since this is only my second build.

Are my assumptions correct? Could something else be causing this problem? Any assistance is greatly appreciated, thanks.

By the way, the build is about 11 months old.

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Power supply Master

The first thing you can do is the paper clip test to verif that the power supply will turn on. You can Google the term "paper clip test " for detailed instructions but the main thing to do is to take a paper clip and unfold it so it's straight and then bend it in a U shape. Then take the 24 pin motherboard connector and insert one end into the hole with the green wire and then the other end into the hole with the black wire. The psu should turn on and the fan shuould be running.
Next you can plug the 24 pin connector back into the MB and take a screw driver and touch the two pins that are the power on pins on the motherboard. This will cause the Pc to start if there are no defective parts.
If the pc still won't start then you may have a defective motherboard and you should contact the tech support of the motherboard to opn up a support ticket because you will need one for a RMA.

So, I did the paperclip test and it did exactly what you said. The PSU fan turned on and everything except obviously the MB started up. I then plugged it back in and just did a normal start and the system powered on fine (POST went fine and Windows started). The system is now running as usual.

What exactly did the paper clip test do? Does it still indicate a problem with my PSU or is the system going to run fine now?
Power supply Master

The paper clip test doesn't actually fix anything but by doing it you removed the 24 pin connector from the MB and then put it back in the socket. So my thought is that the connector was loose and by removeing it and putting it back you have reseated the connector to it's proper seating and fixed your problem. ( hopefully)

inzone said:
The paper clip test doesn't actually fix anything but by doing it you removed the 24 pin connector from the MB and then put it back in the socket. So my thought is that the connector was loose and by removeing it and putting it back you have reseated the connector to it's proper seating and fixed your problem. ( hopefully)


Huh, that's interesting. Well, it seems to be running fine now. I'll let it idle for a few hours and see how she does.
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