Hi all, A couple of months ago my PC switched off within the first few minutes of playing Portal. It wouldn't turn back on again so I figured I'd replace the power supply - the PC is now a few years old so I didn't think too much of it. This morning it happened again, so now I'm a little puzzled. I opened the case, and the components were warm but not blisteringly hot; however the power supply was. The unit is fairly well ventilated, but has survived being in its current location for a good six or seven months without any problems. As the PC is not switching on at all, could overheating have permanently damaged the power supply? Thanks Shaun
So replacing the PSU first time, fixed the problem? Is it permanently damaged, quite possibly! Its always an good idea to give the computer quick clean every couple or so months to avoid dust build-up etc! I'd recommend trying another PSU to confirm.
Well, I've replaced the PSU, but now I seem to have another issue where the unit is powering up and either not progressing to the POST, or just switching itself off after a few seconds. I thought it might be the motherboard so I replaced it but the same thing happened. I took out the possible offending components, ie RAM, video card, unplugged all the drives etc, but still nothing changed. It wasn't until last night that I noticed that it seems be mimicking what happens when I hold the reset button - in my case, the hard drive light stays on and and I get a "no signal" message on the monitor. It seems that replacing the PSU has resolved the initial power issue, but now I'm thinking that - and bear in mind I have very little electrical or electronic expertise - maybe there's an issue with the power/reset switches on the case or that something somewhere has shorted out?
