Why would a computer not turn on. And yes it's plugged in.?

Question

Nothing to add. It just plain won't turn on. It's only about 4 years old. It did give a message before my mother-law shut it down. Something about a power cord or something about power.

Answer 1

the power supply has a high failure rate and 4 years is good life for one, but before buying anything have it tested first

Answer 2

Most of the time its a power supply problem.

First check the outlet you are plugging it into. plug a radio or clock something else to make sure there is power at that outlet.
Look at the back of the computer CPU and see if the fan is clogged with dust. Do you smell anything like burnt plastic back there?
Plug the cord in to the back of the CPU and then push the power button. Look and listen for the fan to turn on.
a) if nothing happen
1)then first try to barrow another cord from another computer to see if your cord is bad. (IT HAPPENS). if that works get a new cord and your done.
2)Second you may have a bad power supply. the supplies run $30-50 for standard and upwards of 100 for custom ones. Its not to hard to replace yourself but if your not comfy then take it to a shop.
b) if the fan came on but still nothing happening
1)then there may be a problem with the motherboard. Take it to a shop.

OH yea if you can try to disconnect the hard drive(s) and remove the installed RAM they could also cause crashing on boot up.
Some times you can find local High Schools that will work on PCs for a small fee sometimes free.

Answer 3

Most modern power supplies have protection circuitry and the power supplies trip due to surges or overpower usage. Unplug it and leave it for 10minutes or so and then plug it back in.

If that doesn't work, the PSU could still be ok. First try a new lead or check the lead on another computer.

If the PC is 4 years old it may just have a loose connection. Disconnect the system from the mains, then open it up and remake all the connections (pull them on and put them back again). Sometimes just wobbling one is enough. While you're in their, clean out all the dust and muck and hoover out the PSU through the fan holes.

If it's still not working, it could be a PSU or a motherboard problem. Easiest solution is to replace the PSU, they're cheap enough and are all standard sizes. just put in one with a bigger power capacity than the one already in just in case it's underspecced and that's what's caused the problem.

If that doesn't work, suspect the motherboard but it then gets difficult to diagnose without equipment so if the machine is 4 years old it probably owes you nothing and new ones are so much more exciting! Let it go to computer heaven.

Answer 4

If it's that old, it's entirely possible, if the AC cord has been plugged in for around 2 years, that there has been some hot-cold expansion in the plug and it's just not making a clean connection. That or there may be a tiny amount of corrosion preventing a clean connection. I've had this happen on a computer that's been plugged in for ages. What will fix it is unplugging the cord from the computer and the surge protector and plugging them back in.

If that doesn't work, you'll want to check the power supply switch in the back, making sure it's set to the "|" and not the "O." If that doesn't work, you might want to check your PSU connections inside the computer (reseat the main motherboard 20-pin connection). If that doesn't work, try another AC cord for your computer. If that doesn't work, your PSU might be shot.

Answer 5

Check the Switch mode power supply. It is the router sort of thing which regulates the power supply to the processor & other vital parts like Hard drives , mother board etc. Any fault in SMPS can switch off the power supply of Computer & it wont turn on. If ther's an internal damage , it has to be corrected by an engineer. Check the switch , if present, at the back of SMPS

Answer 6

It could be because you haven't flipped the power switch on, at the back of the power supply. It could also mean a blown power supply or a blown board.

If the computer actually gave you a message saying that the power cord is not plugged in, then someone is playing a joke on you, maybe even using a nasty virus.

Answer 7

Did you check the actual outlet the computer is plugged into? You may have blown a fuse. Or it could be the power supply like everyone else has said. Could a cable have somehow come loose inside the case? If you know anything about electronics you could take it apart and clean it or if you don't know about computers you could get a can of compressed air and blow out the dust from inside the case. Make sure to read the directions on using it though. improper use could get frozen propellant on your computer. If it's really dusty don't use your household or shop vacuum. you could fry your computer with static electricity. You would have to use a special antistatic electronics vacuum. Or could the enviornment have anything to do with it? Is the room the computer is in exposed to excessive heat, cold, moisture, humidity? These could cause a computer to fail.

Answer 8

It could be anything on why your pc would not come on. If it is a power cord, then may be it is broken or bad. Another possibility is your power supply is dead. You need to test the power cord to see if any power is going into the pc and if it is, then is the power supply working and the fan running? Try these first and see.

Answer 9

the power supply could be bad.. is the button on the back of the computer (where the power cord attaches) in the "on" position. if you are pushing the power button and nothing at all happens you need a new power supply

Answer 10

Your power box might be broken. Or the off/on button might be damaged. There is a lot of possibilites really, but you might want to consider replacing the power box. It's usually not too expensive, for most computer.

Answer 11

Some computers have a master switch in the back and a power switch in front. Be sure that the master switch is set to '1' or 'on' in back before pressing the power switch in front.