computer issues

Sounds like it could be your power supply if its a desktop.

indeed. If it does absolutely nothing at all, not even so much as a fan spins up for 1 second, gotta be the PSU. Under extreme circumstances it can also be the motherboard.

so how can i confirm that its definitely the power supply? and then how do i fix it / replace it?

you can take it to a pc shop and ask them if they have a psu tester.

If it's a laptop one thing that you should try before doing any of that though is unplugging the power cord/battery and pushing the power button in like 10 times and then hold it in on the last time for 10 seconds or so which will clear all the static out. I've had that fix many laptops that just wouldn't turn on.

On December 13 2009 22:56 rS.Wisdom[9] wrote: so how can i confirm that its definitely the power supply? and then how do i fix it / replace it?

it's like 99% your psu, just buy a new power supply for 30-50 bucks or whatever, unscrew the 4 screws on the back that hold it up and unplug your cords from the board/cdrom and shit.

plug the new one in and mount it back with the 4 screws, like a 10 minute job total.

On December 13 2009 23:03 CrownRoyal wrote: Show nested quote + On December 13 2009 22:56 rS.Wisdom[9] wrote: so how can i confirm that its definitely the power supply? and then how do i fix it / replace it? it's like 99% your psu, just buy a new power supply for 30-50 bucks or whatever, unscrew the 4 screws on the back that hold it up and unplug your cords from the board/cdrom and shit. plug the new one in and mount it back with the 4 screws, like a 10 minute job total.

Though you probably want to buy a better power supply than 30-50 bux. Quality matters with those things. Try for one of the good names such as Antec, Corsair, Thermaltake, Cooler Master.

ok thanks guys i'll try this out and see how it works

i had a problem like this earlier in the year. i tried replacing the psu, but that didn't fix it. the problem happened to be the motherboard. so if the psu doesnt work for u, it could be your motherboard

The first thing you need to do is just try resetting your BIOS. If you don't know which pins reset it just take the battery out and unplug the computer for awhile and then plug it back in and try to turn it on.
Possibility is that the little wire that hooks up to the pins on your motherboard to trigger power was pulled off and when you press the power button it's not actually doing anything. I'd check that, because you'd feel pretty silly if you took it to get repaired and they charge you $65 to hook that back up in 10 seconds.
Second, unplug all your hard drives and take out your ram. If somehow (very unlikely) one of your drives was screwed up usually by removing a hard drive with the computer on the computer won't even turn on. Bad ram can also prevent boot.
If these things don't work, then it's most likely your power supply. On the back of it you should notice a little switch with a voltage number on it. Try switching that pressing the power button on your computer, and then switching it back and trying again.
Hopefully one of these things solves your issue, because otherwise you probably have to switch out your PSU, and if your issue still isn't fixed then it's probably your motherboard.

Had the same problem last year, power supply, cost me less than $100 to have replaced.

If you order a PSU and need help installing it, I can help you out.

awesome. i'm a super computer building noob so i really appreciate all the advice everybody!