HELP!! I have to hotwire my mobo on cold boot

[JonathanJace]

Hey guys, i have a dfi nf4-d motherboard and an antec 550 psu trueseries i believe.
Problem:
When/if my computer shuts down, to turn it back on i have to hotwire the 24 pin mobo cable to get it to turn on. Mobo power and reset button does not turn on, Case power and reset do not turn on. They used to work but not after this happened... Here's the story:

My computer was running straight for about 2 months i believe and before break i turned it off and went home for a week, i come back and my computer wont turn on. I open the case and unplug mostly everything from the motherboard = hard drives, video card, ram, cables.... no go. I then start to slant half the 24 pin cable out of the socket of the mobo and i noticed that it kept turning on off, on off, on off, on off... after a while of fiddling around and tilting the cable in and out of the 24pin socket, it seems the mobo finally catches power and turns on.

What is going on???

 

[kedlav]

First, check the obvious connectors from the case to the motherboard, as these enable you to use the reset and power on buttons.
If these are in, try another PSU and see if that's it. If not, then its probably an issue with the motherboard. I'm thinking its probably a defective power supply myself.

 

[JonathanJace]

everything is exactly the same as when it was working, and i did check those buttons... Not even the mobo power button works... I thought it was a defective power supply but it works. I am using the computer that has the problem.

 

[JonathanJace]

bump.. i am using the computer w/ the problem ----- But, the issue is still there and it is only on a cold boot.

 

[o1die]

I had a similar situation, so I took the case apart, and found a loose reset switch inside the case housing. I suggest you do the same. Probably a shorted wire somewhere.

 

[JonathanJace]

A lose reset switch? could you explain a little more..

 

[o1die]

I have an old enlight desktop case that the front bezel clips on to the frame. The reset switch housing is behind the button. It came loose, causing a no post situation when the reset switch lead was attatched to the motherboard. It took awhile to figure out. Given the flimsy wiring on some cases, you might want to remove the bezel and check out all connections. I would also remount the motherboard.

 

[JonathanJace]

lol, guys i dont know if i wrote it but i will try again... The motherboard has onboard power and reset switches and those dont work, until i "hotwire" the mobo

 

[slpaulson]

My bet is your motherboard and power supply have a bad connection, and you are just lucky that the pin that isn't connecting very well happens to be the power on/off signal.

 

[JonathanJace]

could you explain that? as a side note, the computer was working for 5 months before that, probably shut down and turned on about 10 times within that period, and then this happens.

 

[JonathanJace]

bump

 

[Captante]

Its possible that there was a serious power spike/surge caused by a blackout or somthing similar while you were on break ... this can damage a PC even if its turned off without proper surge-protection (and somtimes even WITH it!) however I think its more likely to be a problem in the PSU 24 pin plug as well ... the other thing to consider is that you may have done additional damage while bending the power plug while still connected to the AC.