Need help from Sparky or you other computer gurus---bizarre problem!!!

[jwbryson1]

My desktop is 5 years old and has been plugged into the same power outlet in my office since I bought it. I am running it through an APC surge suppressor / battery backup. The other day it stopped working--it would not turn on. Plugged in but not getting any power it seemed. When plugged in, the power button on the front of the CPU had an orange light that would flash slowly but regularly, but I could not get it to turn on.

I took it to a computer repair shop and it worked fine (of course). They said if it happens again, bring it back.

I took it home and it worked fine, at first! I deleted some unused programs from it and hit restart for the changes to take effect--it shuts down and AGAIN it will not turn on. But, it will turn on without fail when I tried it in another room of my house, so it seems the only plug that is a problem is the plug in the office..

But, the plug in the office works fine too. I tried an iron, a hair dryer and a baby monitor and they all work in the office plug. Note that I am having the same problem even when I bypass the APC surge suppressor and plug the computer directly into the wall outlet.

My best guess is the PSU is going bad on it, but I can't understand (1) why it stopped working after 5 years of using the same plug and (2) why it works in other rooms of my house but not in my office.

Does anybody have a clue on this one? I am asking Sparky because I thought maybe it was an electrical current issue, but I'm not sure how or why the current would change in my house and how that would affect the computer.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[480sparky]

Power supply would be my first choice. It may work fine with it's first turned on and cool, but fails when it heats up.

Outside of that, I'd just be shooting in the dark unless I was there with my tools.

 

[jwbryson1]

Is replacing the PSU on a computer a simple task? I suspect it can't be that hard, as long as you get the right one for the job.

 

[480sparky]

I'm not all that familiar with the innards of the magic black box, but I suspect they can contain the same pitfalls as buying a faucet at the Big Box home improvement center. You buy a name brand, like Kohler or Delta, and parts are available even at the corner drug store. Buy the cheap 'this week only!' special, and you've got a no-name that's impossible to find parts for.

 

[KmH]

Yes, it's pretty simple.
Make sure you follow good safety procedures to avoid getting shocked, like making sure any capacitors are drained.
Also make sure you bleed any static electricity off your body so you don't fry any other electronics inside the case.
A spark of static electricity can be 50,000 or more volts, and this time of year static can be a real problem because the air is dry.

 

[amolitor]

google up "Dell Orange Light of Death" or "Amber Light of Death"

This seems to be a pretty common problem, but the solutions don't make a lot of sense to me.

 

[480sparky]

Minor electrical safety video:

 

[ClickAddict]

If you find the power supply is not the issue, check for the heat sensor. Many PCs (All?) have heat sensors that trigger a shutdown (and wont startup until cool enough) I belive if you look at your event logs it will indicate if the heat sensor is what is responsible. Happened to a buddy of mine. Exact same symptoms. (Would work fine when cooled but would have issues after a bit.)

 

[Light Guru]

Power supply would be my first choice.

I dont think it would be the power supply the light indicated it is getting power.

To clarify things a little it does tun but it just does not boot up, they are two vary different things.

I took it to a computer repair shop and it worked fine (of course). They said if it happens again, bring it back.

I took it home and it worked fine, at first! I deleted some unused programs from it and hit restart for the changes to take effect--it shuts down and AGAIN it will not turn on. But, it will turn on without fail when I tried it in another room of my house, so it seems the only plug that is a problem is the plug in the office..

But, the plug in the office works fine too. I tried an iron, a hair dryer and a baby monitor and they all work in the office plug. Note that I am having the same problem even when I bypass the APC surge suppressor and plug the computer directly into the wall outlet.

It sounds like it only boots up after it has been unplugged and then plugged back in. Apple Computers for example have what is called a SMC on the logic board that governs how the machine distributes power to all the components in the machine and unplugging the machine for a minute and then re plugging it back in will reset the SMC on some models.

My guess is that the computer needs a new mother board. But seeing as the machine is 5 years old it really is time to get a new one. Computer like dogs age faster then humans 1 computer year = 20 human years. So that makes your computer the equivalent of a 100 year old human.

 

[christop]

Minor electrical safety video:

Win.

 

[jwbryson1]

google up "Dell Orange Light of Death" or "Amber Light of Death"

This seems to be a pretty common problem, but the solutions don't make a lot of sense to me.

I did this and you are correct. I got a lot of hits (!!) but the proposed solutions are pretty technical (for me) and it seems that there are a lot of possible problems, most of which suggest a hardware failure from the PSU, to hard drive to mobo.

I don't know what to do. I don't want to buy another new computer since I just got one.

 

[Light Guru]

I don't want to buy another new computer since I just got one.

So use the new one the machine having issues is 5 years old.

 

[runnah]

Power supply is borked or your CPU is over heating. Can you hear fans running?

Also you can pull an event log from you're system menu and see if it is showing any faults.

 

[jwbryson1]

I don't want to buy another new computer since I just got one.

So use the new one the machine having issues is 5 years old.

New computer is MINE, and will be used for photography exclusively. I don't need a bunch of crap gunking it up.

Broken computer is my wife's and my kids' computer. :mrgreen:

 

[jwbryson1]

Power supply is borked or your CPU is over heating. Can you hear fans running?

Also you can pull an event log from you're system menu and see if it is showing any faults.

I don't think the fans are running and I don't know how to pull an event log.

The annoying thing is that it worked fine at the repair shop. The guy had the side panel removed and the green lights were all illuminated green as they are supposed to be, the hard drives were silent as he said they should be, and it acted normal. I really think it's a PSU issue or mobo issue, but I will just take it back to the repair guy and let him take a second look at it.