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My self built computer is about 1 year old. This morning I hit the power button and nothing happened (first time this occurred). My mother board is an MSI K8N Neo4 platunum and my power supply is an ANTEC smartpower 550 wts. Any ideas on how I can trouble shoot this problem? I unplugged everything except just the power cord and still no start up. thanks alot in advance.
You need to try figure out where the problem lies by a process of elimination.
The probable culprits are:
Bad outlet.
Bad power cord.
The PSU itself.
The motherboard.
The power button.You can be fairly extrapolate this precise cause from the above. First, you rule out the outlet, same thing with the power cord by swapping cords.
Sometimes it may even be "fluke" and toggling the voltage selectore back and forth about five times and resetting it back on 115V will do the trick.
Try the above and let's know how far that helps.
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thanks for the help, a very off problem. I switched wall outlets, then changed the power cord. I tried that toggle thing you suggested, I even pulled out all theplkugs from the case that go to the MBO, then reseated them. Still no power. I think the MBO and power supply is OK since they are fairly new. I remember reading something about using a screwdriver as a jumper (this would indicate a bad pwer button). How do i do this? I rested a screwdriver on the 2 prongs of the power switch and the power led switch on the front panel connector JFP1, nothing happened.
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I also noticed that there is a small light blinking next to an ethernet port on the I/O board. I don't know if this helps but it at least indicates that somekind of power is running through the MOBO.
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"I think the MBO and power supply is OK since they are fairly new."
Unfortunately, the above are the only two things that has not been ruled out here from all that you've done so far.
There is a crude U-WIRE trick method that you can try on the PSU, it is not a water tight test for every PSU out there, but for now it is something that might help nail the PSU if it is indeed faulty.
Keep us posted.
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hmmmm. interesting trick, I will try that.but, just so that I understand, if I rest a screw driver on the start up power jumper pins (the 2 pronged pins on the MOBO that connect to the the power button) and nothing happens, this means either a faulty MOBO or a faulty PSU, is this correct? thanks
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If you did try the pswitch header shunt with a screwdriver and it did nothing, all that does is pretty much rule out the power button.
By the way, you had the PSU connected to the motherboard and the wall outlet and both in the ON position when you did that right?
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Yes, when I tried to jump it, everything was connected and turned on. I have a 2 prong power switch, a 2 prong power led amd a 3prong power led, I tried all 3 and nothing happended.but yu confused me about something. If I pull the jumper from the power button of the case off of the 2 prong connector on the MOBO (now the power button wires are not connected) and try unsuccessfully the screwdriver jump the the 2 pronged pswitch on the MOBO, how does that rule out the power button since it was not connected when I did this? Also, does that flashy light next to the ethernet plug on the I/O board hold any relevance?
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If you can't get the computer to turn ON with the power button and you weren't successful jumping the power header with a screwdriver, obviously the problem is not with the power button.
Go ahead and try the U-Wire mod and let's know where things stand.
Goodluck!
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That was one of those "DUH" moments, I got it. I tried the paperclip and the fans worked, so this means MOBO problem and not PSU?
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It's fairly down to the motherboard now :-(
I would suggest striping the computer and "benchtesting" the board outside the case, so as to rule out anything shorting the circuits like standoffs or something else.Carefully place the motherboard on a non-conductive surface like a sleeve from cardboard box and plug in just the bare essentials like the PSU, CPU and ram and using your trusty old screwdriver again as a shunt for the power header and see what happens.
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thanks Sabertooth, you have been a big help. I pulled my old receipts and this MOBO is like 10 months old. I will call MSI tomorrow to see if they will replace it. If I am stuck with it then bench testing will be the next step. Thanks again for walking me through this.
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No problem at all.
However, I would assume you'll want to try the benchtest first before even calling MSI, afterall you've got nothing to gain by not trying it or do you? :-)
Secondly, if and when MSI does replace the board, make sure you do benchtest if first before installing it in the case.
Once again, goodluck.
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I guess this is where my ignorance is showing. Since we know that is it a MOBO problem and since it is a fairly new board, do we assume that I am shorting it out some place? If it is shorting out, did I do permanent damage ie pulling everything out and bench testing, it still might be workable? I guess one way to find out....I am off to the bench.
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You really haven't ruled out anything yet. It could be the board, the CPU, or the PSU. The "paperclip" trick doesn't necessarily confirm that the PSU is good...all it tells you for sure is that it's putting out enough juice to turn a couple of fans. You'd need to use a voltmeter to check the voltages of the various rails & even then, you won't know at what amperage the volts are being delivered.
When you use the screwdriver to "jumpstart" the board, just touch the 2 pins momentarily...don't leave the screwdriver in place.
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After bench testing and still nothing with the screwdriver/pswitch connect, I replaced the PSU, benchtested again and everything fired up, put it all bacj together and am as good as new. A big thanks again to Sabertooth and jam( don't worry, no chintzing on the PSU, I got an ANTEC Neo HE 500) so I should be good for awhile.
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