Question Problem-prone PC could not start after shutdown. Then it did. Would like to avoid same problem in the future.

[Terracota]

Hello,

This is a Windows 7 own-build dating back 2015. It has been misbehaving considerably on a system level (I think) for many months.

During the last weeks, I avoided shutting it down, because previous experience suggested to me major system problems might reappear if I did. During the last days, the sleep and hibernate commands started not to work. The monitor would go dark, then immediately go on again.

A few days ago, I could not resist and shut the PC down, using the Windows command. Next morning, it would not switch on again. Pressing the physical button would do nothing. Fans would not move. Only a LED on the motherboard flicked on and off.

I suspected the CMOS battery might be at fault. So I changed it. I also gave the innards a lengthy dust-off with a compressed air can. The PC still would not switch on.

Then I waited for a day or two. Then the same LED on the motherboard switched permanently on again. And pressing the switch started the computer.

Now the sleep mode works again, and the computer feels rather more reactive (but strange things remain on a Windows level). I have taken care not to shut it down again.

My question is : what should I do to make sure I can switch it on again after shutdown ? What might have been the cause ? I suspect it's a hardware problem : what do you think ?

On top of this, I had repeated, important Windows problems in the past, which almost prevented PC use. I restored the system several times from an image. It would work, but only for a while. People on a Windows 7 forum, after reading pages of detailed reports of what happened, advised me to attempt a repair install (which I have yet to do).

Thank you for any ideas.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Back up all your important files onto a portable external HDD, or NAS unit (if you have one).

Buy a cheaper large SATA SSD (1TB for $35 these days @ Newegg or Amazon).

Download a Win10 Media Creation Tool
USB to a fresh 8-16GB USB drive.

Unplug the internal drive (while system is shut down), connect new SATA SSD. Boot Win10 USB installer.

Fresh-install Win10, using the product key from Win7, if possible.

Restore data files from portable external HDD, re-install programs.

Enjoy your newly-upgraded Win10 system!

If you have further issues, with system powering on, check capacitors, check PSU, re-seat and test RAM.

Maybe you need a new rig.

 

[Shmee]

It could very well be a power supply issue. That said, could you list the full specs of the PC? So we know what and about how old each part is.

As for the software issues, I am agreeing with Larry there, Windows 7 is more susceptable to problems these days due to being unsupported, so is more vulnerable to malware.

 

[Terracota]

Back up all your important files onto a portable external HDD, or NAS unit (if you have one).

Buy a cheaper large SATA SSD (1TB for $35 these days @ Newegg or Amazon).

Download a Win10 Media Creation Tool
USB to a fresh 8-16GB USB drive.

Unplug the internal drive (while system is shut down), connect new SATA SSD. Boot Win10 USB installer.

Fresh-install Win10, using the product key from Win7, if possible.

Restore data files from portable external HDD, re-install programs.

Enjoy your newly-upgraded Win10 system!

If you have further issues, with system powering on, check capacitors, check PSU, re-seat and test RAM.

Maybe you need a new rig.

Thank you, but not yet. I was contemplating upgrading to W 10, but I'm not even sure my PC is compatible.

In any case, I want to separate problems, and restore a reasonably stable machine before (possibly) going there. This takes some thinking over.

• Checking PSU : is it necessary, since the PC restarted ? If so, how does one do it ?
• Re-seating and testing RAM : I know how to do that.
• Checking capacitors : how does one do that ?

 

[Terracota]

It could very well be a power supply issue. That said, could you list the full specs of the PC? So we know what and about how old each part is.

As for the software issues, I am agreeing with Larry there, Windows 7 is more susceptable to problems these days due to being unsupported, so is more vulnerable to malware.

Could you tell me how to register my configuration, please ? I searched in the account features, but could not find the appropriate place.

 

[Shmee]

Could you tell me how to register my configuration, please ? I searched in the account features, but could not find the appropriate place.

You could just list them in a post here, or put them in your signature. The nice thing about having your rig in sig, is anyone replying to a help thread at any point has an idea what is being worked with.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Is this a gaming / HPC PC? Or more of a browser/office PC? Does it have a GPU?

Anyone want to take a bet on whether he has a case PSU that originally came with the build?

 

[Terracota]

Is this a gaming / HPC PC? Or more of a browser/office PC? Does it have a GPU?

Anyone want to take a bet on whether he has a case PSU that originally came with the build?

• Browser/office PC.
• No separate GPU card.
• Power supply is a Corsair bought separately from the case (will post my full specs).

 

[Terracota]

It could very well be a power supply issue. That said, could you list the full specs of the PC? So we know what and about how old each part is.

As for the software issues, I am agreeing with Larry there, Windows 7 is more susceptable to problems these days due to being unsupported, so is more vulnerable to malware.

I'm sorry, I cannot find any "Signature" field in my account. I have "About you". I put something in and it does not show when answering. Could you provide precise instructions to add signature please ?

Here are my specs :

• Computer type: PC/Desktop Computer
• Manufacturer/Model Number: Custom build
• OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (OEM)
• CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 640 (3 GHz, 4 cores)
• Motherboard: Asus M4A 89 GTD Pro/USB3
• Memory: Patriot 16Gb DDR3 1600 (2 kits of 2)
• Graphics Card(s): ATI Radeon HD 4290 (integrated)
• Sound Card: AMD + Realtek HD Audio (integrated)
• Monitor(s) Displays: Hewlett-Packard ZR2440w (24")Screen Resolution:1920 x 1200
• Hard Drives: Internal : Samsung SSD 860 EVO 250 Gb (system), Seagate Barrcuda 1 Tb (data), Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 Gb (archives). External (USB) : 2 x 1 Tb 2,5" Seagate Barracuda (backups).
• PSU: Corsair VX 450 W
• Case: Antec Solo
• Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus, 2 Nexus Real Silent Case fans
• Keyboard: Cherry KC 1000
• Mouse: Logitech M 90
• Internet Speed: Fiber, 300 Mbit/s down, 200 Mbit/s up
• Antivirus: Microsoft Security Essentials
• Browser: Vivaldi, Tor
• Other Info: BIOS Date: 07/18/11 Ver: 08.00.15.
• Modem-router : provided by ISP

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yeah, chances are the PSU needs replacing. Check mobo caps for swelling too. I wouldn't migrate that rig to Win10.

 

[JackMDS]

Download this Free portable App.

Search results - The Portable Freeware Collection

www.portablefreeware.com

Run it and will list you what you have in.

Use this portable freeware to create boot Win10/11 USB from ISO and will make current Windows work even on a 10-12 years old computer.

Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way

Rufus: Create bootable USB drives the easy way

rufus.ie

 

[Terracota]

Download this Free portable App.

Search results - The Portable Freeware Collection

www.portablefreeware.com

Run it and will list you what you have in.

Use this portable freeware to create boot Win10/11 USB from ISO and will make current Windows work even on a 10-12 years old computer.

Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way

Rufus: Create bootable USB drives the easy way

rufus.ie

Thank you. Keeping this for later. As I said, I'm not migrating to W 10 for the time being.

 

[Terracota]

Yeah, chances are the PSU needs replacing. Check mobo caps for swelling too. I wouldn't migrate that rig to Win10.

What makes you say that about the PSU ? Is there a way to test it ?

Why wouldn't you migrate that PC to W 10 ?

 

[Shmee]

What makes you say that about the PSU ? Is there a way to test it ?

Why wouldn't you migrate that PC to W 10 ?

There are ways to test a PSU, including a cheap PSU tester, but that doesn't tell the full story. Sometimes testing the PSU involves swapping it with a known good one and seeing what happens.

The issue with your PC, is that it is a fairly old system, and even for that, the CPU isn't a particularly strong one these days. The motherboard could very well have issues along with the PSU, or it could be one and not the other. As mentioned, the motherboard could be checked for bulged or leaking capacitors. If the motherboard is problematic, at that point, I would recommend a major rebuild of the computer, or a whole new one.

 

[WilliamM2]

What makes you say that about the PSU ? Is there a way to test it ?

Why wouldn't you migrate that PC to W 10 ?

You built a 2010 system in 2015? The last bios update was in 2012. I'd build a new system. The issue could be PS, aging motherboard, etc.

 

[bba-tcg]

What makes you say that about the PSU ? Is there a way to test it ?

Why wouldn't you migrate that PC to W 10 ?

On an Asus board, that flickering light is the 5 VSB indicator. If it's flickering instead of staying on, either the rail from the power supply isn't providing a constant voltage, or could be capacitors on the mb like VL mentioned. The 5 VSB rail is necessary in order to power on the machine.

 

[Terracota]

Is there a chance that a weak CMOS battery may have been the cause of the PC not switching on ?

Is there a chance that a thorough cleaning with a can of compressed gas may have contributed to the fact ?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Is there a chance that a weak CMOS battery may have been the cause of the PC not switching on ?

That can happen, especially with older-generation gear, "Core2 era".

Is there a chance that a thorough cleaning with a can of compressed gas may have contributed to the fact ?

Unlikely.

 

[WilliamM2]

Is there a chance that a weak CMOS battery may have been the cause of the PC not switching on ?

No, a dead cmos battery will not keep it from powering on. It will lose all bios settings, but it will still power on.

 

[VirtualLarry]

No, a dead cmos battery will not keep it from powering on. It will lose all bios settings, but it will still power on.

For relatively modern systems, that is true. But there was an era of rigs around the Core2 era or so, in which they needed a functional CMOS battery to effectively POST correctly. There was someone here on AT forums that I personally helped with this issue. They couldn't believe it either.

 

[WilliamM2]

For relatively modern systems, that is true. But there was an era of rigs around the Core2 era or so, in which they needed a functional CMOS battery to effectively POST correctly. There was someone here on AT forums that I personally helped with this issue. They couldn't believe it either.

I haven't seen it. Been building PC's and working in IT for well over 25 years. There may be some outlier.
How would a dead cmost battery stop it from even posting? The board doesn't use that power when it's plugged in, wether it's on or off. Most won't even lose the tme unless unplugged.

 

[Terracota]

Is there something to be done apart from changing the CMOS battery when that becomes necessary ? I seem to remember you needed to do something with jumpers. I did not do anything apart from changing the battery. Was that a mistake ?

Could it have explained the fact that I could not switch on at first, and I managed to do it after one or two days ?

Is the on-off switch itself a possible point of failure ? This thing looks awfully flimsy, and it does get pressed on at least twice a day. Can it be replaced ?

 

[Terracota]

On an Asus board, that flickering light is the 5 VSB indicator. If it's flickering instead of staying on, either the rail from the power supply isn't providing a constant voltage, or could be capacitors on the mb like VL mentioned. The 5 VSB rail is necessary in order to power on the machine.

Interesting, thank you.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Is the on-off switch itself a possible point of failure ? This thing looks awfully flimsy, and it does get pressed on at least twice a day. Can it be replaced ?

A recent Corey Holtzman video on YT showed him diagnosing a PC that would randomly reboot. Turned out to be a bad reset switch on the case. So if they are worn after 8 years of service, it absolutely could be the switch(es).

The flickering +5V Sb rail does point to the PSU, however.

 

[Terracota]

You built a 2010 system in 2015? The last bios update was in 2012. I'd build a new system. The issue could be PS, aging motherboard, etc.

I'd be grateful if I could be spared judgements about whether the PC I built 8 years ago was able to impress people at that time. I'm not into pissing contests.

What I'm after are diagnostic elements about my current mishap (if it's possible to say, naturally). Thank you.