Keep having to press power up button.

[timo]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has seen this problem before. The PC is a Gateway Performance 500 and is 4 years old. Going well up to now, two weeks ago I noticed when I pressed the ON button, it made the usual whirring noise to power up and lights came on but then just went dead. Pressed the ON button again and it powered on ok. Since then, the problem has worsened. Now when you press ON, it whirrs to power up but then goes dead, when I press ON again, same thing happens then goes dead - I can be pressing and pressing the on button 20 times before it powers up ok. When you are doing this, once you hear the hard-drive turning over, you know it is going to power up ok. Incidently, this problem seemed to coincide with me up grading to Windows XP - but I cannot see this having anything to do with it- I downgraded to Win 98 anyhow but still the same.
I dont want to buy a new PSU unless I am sure it is at fault. I know there are feedback signals from the motherboard such as powergood etc which could be faulty?? Any ideas??

[Budfred]

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif

First thing I would do is open the case and blow it out real well with canned air, especially aroung the switch and pins to connect the switch on the motherboard. Unless you have cleaned it out periodically, it is probably caked with dust and that could account for your problem.

If that doesn't do it, the power supply could be a problem, but there are other possibilities as well. It could simply be that your power switch is going bad....

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Where'd you go Timo?

It sounds like a heat issue to me and would clean all fans well esp. the CPU fan.

The switch on an ATX pc is merely a momentary contact switch. In other words it is making contact and shorting the 2 wires together ONLY while you press it. If the fans start, it's done it's job. If they then shut off, that's another matter in itself. But it has nothing to do with the switch.

On the other hand, if it an AT motherboard, the switch is a 'press on/ press off' type and is directly connected to the power supply NOT the motherboard. But judging by the '4 years old' you state, it is unlikely to be an AT mobo.

Any luck fixing it yet?