Two questions for ya

[bengance]

Finicky On/Off switch

Sorry, needed to edit this:

My computer doesn't like to wake up. Who does? But it's getting a little old and pretty frustrating for my wife.

The Dilema:
Computer won't turn on normally. Sometimes it will turn on when the PSU is turned off for 3-5 seconds (lights on mainboard go out), PSU turned back on and the on/off switch on the front is hit immediately afterward. Weird.

The Specs:
AMD Athlon XP 2000+ Palomino
512 MB DDR-SDRAM 133 Mhz
Windows XP SP2
GeForce 4 MMX
Abit NF72 Ultra 400

The Possible Perpetrators:
1. Failing PSU
2. Loose cables
3. Failing on/off switch

The Answer:
?

 

[bengance]

There was a moment after we moved that it was working proberly. It hadn't been used in a week and had been jostled around quite a bit.

 

[jolancer]

does nothing happen when you press the powerbutton? or does some of the computer turn on? like the fans or anything? or is it totally dead usually?

EDIT: you can unplug your PSU from the mobo and HDD, and use a paper clip to test it, by jumping pins 13/14... look here... http://www.rosewill.com/faq/view.aspx?FaqId=53

 

[bengance]

Well, the power light on the Mobo is on, so I know that some power is coming through. It only seems to work when I disconnect completely from power, then turn on both switches at the same time.

Thanks for your suggestion though. I've just tried reseating all the power pins and such. Maybe it's just a loose wire.

 

[jolancer]

jumping the 2 pins on the PSU is not dangerous... just take the usual simple precautions when disconnecting it from the computer.

turn the switch on the PSU to Off, once you jump the 2 pins in the instructions i linked to and then turn the switch on the PSU to On, the fan should turn on and anything else connected to the unit, (such as case fans)

(the wires you need to jump are actually the only Green and Black wires that are next to each other on the ATX power cored)

If after you jump those pins.... If it turns on every time without insident (try it a few times).... then it must be your motherboard at fault.