How to Power On Desktop Computer - Self PC Troubleshooting

Unable to Turn on your PC? There are several reasons that your computer won't power on so it's very important that you read complete troubleshooting procedure below.

Important: If you can see your computer is in fact receiving power (see lights on the computer cabinet, fans are running, etc.).

 

Lets Check one by one:

1. Trust me it or not, the number one reason why a computer won't turn on is because it wasn't turned on!

Before we start consuming troubleshooting process, make sure you've turned on every power switch and power button on your computer:

• Check Power button/switch on the front of the computer
• Check Power switch on the back of the computer
• Check Power switch on the power strip, surge protector, or UPS (if you have one)

2. Check that the power supply voltage switch is set correctly. If the input voltage for the power supply does not match the correct setting for your country (120 volt or 220 volt or according to your country standards), your computer may not power on at all.

3. Check for disconnected computer power cable connections. May be loose or unplugged power cable is one of the main reasons why a computer doesn't turn on.

4. Now replace the computer's power cable. This power cable that runs between the computer cabinet and the power source.

A faulty or bad power cable is not a common cause of a computer not receiving power but it does happen and is very easy to test for. You can use that one that's powering your monitor (as long as it seems to be getting power), check one from another computer, or a new one.

5. Now try to perform a "lamp test" to verify power is being provided from the wall. Your computer isn't going to turn on if it's not getting power so you need to make sure that the power source is working properly.

You can check anything which runs from electricity.

6. Now its time to test your power supply. At this point in your troubleshooting, it's possible that the power supply unit (PSU) or SMPS in your computer is no longer working and should be replaced if found dead. You should however test it just to be sure. There's no reason to replace a working piece of hardware when testing it.

Exception: An ozone smell or very high pitched noise, combined with no power at all in the computer, is an almost certain indication that the power supply is bad. Unplug your computer immediately and skip the testing.

Replace your power supply if it fails your testing or you experience the symptoms I just described.

Important: In the majority of cases when a computer isn't receiving power, a nonworking power supply is to blame. I bring this up again to help stress that this troubleshooting step should not be skipped. The next few causes to consider aren't nearly as common.

7. Test the power button on the front of your computer's case. It's not a very common point of failure but your computer might not be receiving power because the power button on the front of your PC is damaged and is not actually turning your computer on.

Replace the power button if it fails your testing. Depending on how your computer's case is designed, you may be able to use the reset button in the meantime.

Tip: Some motherboards have tiny power buttons built in to the boards themselves, providing an easier way to test the case's power button. If your motherboard has this, and it works to power on your computer, replace the case power button.

8. Its time for the last but not the least Motherboard, Replace your motherboard. If you're confident that your wall power, power supply, and power button are working, it's likely that there is a problem with your PC's motherboard and it should be replaced.

Note: I highly recommend that you test your computer with a Power On Self Test card to confirm that the motherboard is the cause of your computer not turning on at all.

Request >> If i miss any troubleshooting step that helped you (or might help someone else) fix a computer that's not showing any sign of power? Let me know and I'd be happy to include the information here.