How to Troubleshoot a Computer Start Problem
When you hit the power button your computer you expect the screen to come on and the operating system to start loading. If you hit the power button and absolutely nothing happens you can quickly get a sinking feeling in your stomach. Even though it doesn't look like anything is happening all is not lost, there are a few steps you can take to try to resolve the problem.
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Instructions
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Check the power everywhere. Make sure the outlet where your computer is plugged in is getting power by plugging something else in there. Try plugging the computer in another outlet. If you are using a power strip try replacing the strip with a different one that you know is good.
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Test the connections on your computer. Something could be loose. Open the case and make sure all of the cards are tightly in place and the RAM and CPU are tightly in place. These pieces would likely only be loose if you have changed them recently. This can cause your computer not to start though.
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Replace the power supply. If everything else works the most likely cause of your problem is a bad power supply. Open the computer by removing the side door. Disconnect the power cable. Unscrew the power supply from the case and disconnect all of the connections on the inside. Put in a new power supply to see if this resolves the problem.
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Start the computer and listen. If the power supply is not bad and everything is connected correctly you will hear some noise out of the computer. If you hear beeps and fans starting up it could be that your video card is bad. You'll have try to replace the video card and if that doesn't work you'll have to try replacing the Ram, Motherboard and CPU. It's probably best to take your computer to a repair shop if the problem is this serious and you don't have experience fixing computers.
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