Computer Won't turn on

My Dad has a problem with his computer. It won't turn on - that is the hard
drive doesn't spin, the fan doesn't go on, and the power light doesn't go
on. My Dad said that a few weeks ago it would not turn off, but as of about
1 week ago it won't turn on. We took the case off and played with the
switch, but still no go. I've checked the power cord - it's ok. I'm
wondering if it's the power supply or the switch. What's a good way to
diagnose a problem there? Is there something else it could be? We replaced
the battery.

Thanks,

Jack

Jack Bruss wrote:

> My Dad has a problem with his computer. It won't turn on - that is the hard
> drive doesn't spin, the fan doesn't go on, and the power light doesn't go
> on. My Dad said that a few weeks ago it would not turn off, but as of about
> 1 week ago it won't turn on. We took the case off and played with the
> switch, but still no go. I've checked the power cord - it's ok. I'm
> wondering if it's the power supply or the switch. What's a good way to
> diagnose a problem there? Is there something else it could be? We replaced
> the battery.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jack

The switch could be the problem, especially on an older PC. One option is to
take the unit to the PC service department of a Best Buy or Comp USA near you to
have them diagnosed the problem and fix it. My guess is that your machine is
getting old. If it is, perhaps replacing the PC is worth considering.

Power supply problems are fairly common, and it could be the problem here. I've
seen other things keep a PC from having any power come on at all: the floppy
connector had been put on one pin off. If you made any internal adjustments on
the PC prior to it failing, recheck the seating of each part to make sure it's
on properly. But this doesn't seem to deal with your situation as you've
described it so far. It could also be a complete failure of the motherboard, but
check the power supply first by replacing it. If you're uncomfortable doing this
yourself, take the PC to someone who can do this for you safely.

There are not many options to "diagnose a problem" with a power supply: One way
is to replace it with a good one, and the other is to use a multimeter to test
the line voltages, but that won't work unless the power supply is working in the
first place because voltages don't appear unless there is current through the
lines.


Patrick