New tech question

Tue Mar 02, 2004 9:13 pm by Stinger

Okay, I've seen many things in my life but never something like this one.

My main computer is doing this (swear to god). If I shut it down via the OS (you know, start / shut down) I can not restart the machine until I flip the little switch on the backside of the box and leave it like that for a minimum of 15 minutes. No amount of checking wires will help.

Any ideas out there?

Keep in mind if I wait the 15 minutes and turn it back on, everything is fine.

Power supply? (why is it intermittent?) RAM? Doubt it. Heat, if I leave it off but don't turn the switch off on the case for 5 hours it will not come back on until I flip the switch for 15 minutes then turn it back on. Power switch going out? Maybe but why does it work if I switch the box off and leave it for 15 minutes? I mean if it's dead it is dead right.

I can't wait to here the crew's responses on this one.

Rob "Stinger" Lordier
Moderator - Lancers Reactor
Creator Privateer FAQ
no good deed will ever go unpunished

Tue Mar 02, 2004 10:35 pm by mustang

Can't say for sure at this stage but I would say the power supply in some way shape or form is your most likely culprit. Obviously something is resetting itself when you hit the switch on the power supply or at least cooling itself down to useable temperatures. I wouldn't be suprised if it's a dud resisitor in the PSU or something along those lines.

Wed Mar 03, 2004 1:18 am by Esquilax

It could be something as simple as a loose cable; I've had this problem before. Damn! I wish I could remember what I did... While I try to remember tell me, how many Watts is your PSU, and how many peripherals do you have connected to it?

Wed Mar 03, 2004 1:45 am by Tawakalna

more seriously, it could be one of the power rails on the m'board itself. I get this a lot at work, so change PSU first like the boys say to, and if that dont work its a m'board transplant. Bit nasty, dude, but that's the way it goes sometimes

Wed Mar 03, 2004 2:36 am by mustang

Actually now that Eskie mentions it, I do remember having a funny power problem due to a semi-loose IDE cable. It would start up, hit the BIOS, crap out and cut the power. So i'd surely be checking that all your connections are tight before laying out bills for a new PSU.

Wed Mar 03, 2004 4:36 am by Stinger

I've pulled the side off, and examined every electrical wire from beginning to end and everything is snug and re-secured. I know PSU's have fuses in them, but they either work or they don't.

Now a power rail on the mobo.....hmmm.

EVen the computer gurus I always visit didn't have a clue on this one. PSU is fairly cheap. If I have to go the route of replacing the mobo then like they always say "I've been wairing for a reason to upgrade."

300W PSU by the way. 2 CD ROM's, one hdd, sound card, ehternet card, ATA controller card, 2 internal fans, floppy drive, USB, AGP vid card...nothing has chnaged in many moons though. 300 is plenty to run all this. If I upgrade or have to swap PSU, then certainly I'll up that wattage.

Edited by - Stinger on 3/3/2004 9:05:05 PM

Wed Mar 03, 2004 10:38 am by Tawakalna

it's either the 5v or 12v rail on the mobo, honestly i get it all the time with work stuff, just changing the PSU won't make a jot of difference. Motherboard, Rob. You can't even fix it unless you can diagnose down to capacitor/transistor level. What's the mobo, btw?

Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:47 pm by Setsuna

I think it might be the inductive coil in the transformer part of the PSU. I've seen this on a pair of old speakers... They were "lazy", meaning that when you turn them off after a few hours, they wont play until some 15 mins - half an hour passes... As it turned out, a coil on the cut-off switcher was "loose". After a "rewind" (unwind the copper wire, than wint it back on), it worked fine...
I could be wrong, tho.

Careful what you wish... You just might get it.

Wed Mar 03, 2004 4:56 pm by Tawakalna

surely the test is to change the psu? i thought Rob had done that. It can only be the psu OR the motherboard and its a five minute job to whip out the psu and slap a new one in. if it works, fine. if it does the same, the mobo's fooked. Doesn't matter exactly what it is then, it's not worth even thinking about repairing, believe me.

Wed Mar 03, 2004 5:09 pm by H.Q. Victor

Curiosity, Do you have a multi meter with ohms capability? If you do, leave the case open and recreate the situation so that you have to shut it down. When you do, test the switch it'self. I have run accross standard wall switchs at work that had shorted at the contact points and would heat up a little and "Warp". After a bit, they would work again until left on too long again. A possiblity.

Finalday

Habaq Mot / Aspazomai Thanatos / Capere Obitus... /Keith Green\ (1953-1983)

Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:20 pm by Stinger

Changed PSU, same result. Might be time for the upgrade.

This one is 3 years old. (I've upgraded along the way)

EDIT: mobo is a Asus A7V Pro

Edited by - Stinger on 3/3/2004 9:04:50 PM

Wed Mar 03, 2004 9:04 pm by Stinger

Screw it. I'm taking the workhorse in and it frickin upgrade time.

I'll be off-line for a couple of days. This is my main beta testing machine and it's killing me.

Take care of the forums while I'm gone.

Edited by - Stinger on 3/3/2004 9:05:39 PM

Wed Mar 03, 2004 9:37 pm by Esquilax

We'll try, Stinger

. Too bad he's gone, I would have advised using the BIOS and/or MB Monitoring tool to see how stable the +5V and +12V lines are. If there are rapid (and large) fluctuations then it's upgrade time!

Mustang - I was wondering how long it would take for someone to go from "Esqy" to "Eskie"

. Now that's Australian humour for you Yanks (and Brits)!

Thu Mar 04, 2004 1:32 am by mustang

If the rig is over the 3 year mark he's well due for an upgrade anyway. Probably was a power rail as Taw said, sounded so much like a PSU problem though.

Mustang - I was wondering how long it would take for someone to go from "Esqy" to "Eskie"

An Australian had to break the barrier on that one, considering half our lives consists of going to the Eskie to grab a cold one.

Thu Mar 04, 2004 1:51 am by Tawakalna

what's the other half filled with?

Important Message

You are browsing the archived Lancers Reactor forums. You cannot register or login.
The content may be outdated and links may not be functional.

To get the latest in Freelancer news, mods, modding and downloads, go to
The-Starport