firefly2442 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 (edited) I have an older Alienware desktop system that I still use from time to time. I went to power it on the other day and nothing happens. I push the power button again multiple times... nothing. Then, I get up and walk away to make a snack. When I come back, the computer is on. So I shut it off and try to start it up again but again it doesn't start. I've opened it up and checked the cables and they all seem OK. There's almost no dust inside the case so I don't think that's an issue. I've checked the back power supply and both the 120 volt switch and the switch for enabling the power supply are on. It's not the cable because I tried different cables as well as different outlets (with and without surge protectors). I have plenty of power where I live and I haven't tripped my breaker or anything. I checked the BIOS and everything seems fine. When it does start and I get it running the system appears to be functioning normally. The other weird thing is that if it's plugged in, it seems to just start up randomly. I went into the BIOS and turned off startup after power failure, hopefully this will help that. Any other ideas? My only other thought is maybe the button to turn the power on is broken or not making contact. Do standard power on buttons just complete a circuit to power the computer on? I'm kinda running out of ideas here... Thanks. Edited February 18, 2010 by firefly2442 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly2442 Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 OK... now it's working. I'm so confused.... I think it's possessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly2442 Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 Still randomly turning on. I had to unplug the power cable to stop it from constantly turning on and off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR6 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I would start by replacing the PSU. Process of elimination ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 newegg power supplies Corsair has rebates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyHaired Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 cmos battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROCO*AFZ* Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 cmos battery? If the cmos battery was bad, the time and date would get reset everytime they powered off. i haven't ever seen it prevent turning on although i suppose it could be possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly2442 Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 I'll probably try yanking the power supply from another machine and try it to see if it can power on. Ugh... I hate hardware failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly2442 Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 (edited) Finally got around to trying another power supply and I can confirm that this is the problem. I started shopping around newegg this evening. Besides Antec, are there any other brands that have decent quality? I don't need anything too fancy or expensive but I don't want to go really cheap. I'm thinking like 600 or 700 watts max. Edited March 24, 2010 by firefly2442 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightCrawler Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I've had good luck with Thermaltake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRP 56 Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Never had any of my Enermax units fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteKnight77 Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 PC Power & Cooling but they are more expensive than Antec, but well worth it. They are really beefy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoQuarter Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I've had good luck with Thermaltake.+1. I've put together two systems (one my own) using Toughpower Modular series quad-rail units (>750W) and haven't had a single problem... 3 years and counting. Good thing, seeing as their CS -for an unrelated item- is suspect/non-existent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Seasonic/Corsair with flat detachable cables are sweet! Silverstone are solid too but watch the decibel ratings 600-800W rating btw is the case a LianLi Tower frame for Alienware? coz there may be a cable lenght issue... well then the newer PSU r longer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly2442 Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 Nope, not that kind of case. It's one of the older models where the front black intakes for air swoop around the sides a little. Thanks for the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR6 Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I usually use Antec and ThermalTake. I had one Antec and one Enermax unit fail on me but that can happen to any brand. I had a friend who got an Antec PSU with detachable cables and had problems because of 1-2 poor connections, so since then I have shied away from detachable cables (you can usually hide the extra cables away pretty well if you are using a mid-size case and above) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly2442 Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Ended up getting this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016 Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 Modular Active PFC Power Supply Seems to be working OK so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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