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Strange things happen o a desktop PC. It works well and without problems, but when plugged off the grid and then again plugged in, it does not start. Pushing the start button gives no reaction.

It must stay off for a roughly an hour in order to be started again. Once it is plugged in, it is possible to turn on and off without problems.

I was thinking about the CMOS battery but i'm not sure. Any ideas?

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migrated from serverfault.com Jul 25 '11 at 14:39

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Depending on the model and/or make of your PC, you'll probably want to contact the vendor if it's still under a support agreement. Most likely this is a motherboard or power supply issue. –  Nixphoe Jul 25 '11 at 14:37

3 Answers 3

up vote 4 down vote accepted

From your short description it sounds like a faulty power supply.

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Thanks, i thought about it and it seems logical to me. I guess i have to find another power supply and test it. –  ma55 Jul 25 '11 at 14:49

CMOS wouldn't do that, it'd just reset your BIOS. I'm inclined to agree with David, probably your power supply. Waiting an hour might indicate an over-temperature problem; however, that wouldn't make sense if it only happened when you unplugged/plugged it in again.

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If it is a laptop, you could coax a bit more life out of it by removing the battery, disconnecting the power cord, and holding the power button down for a couple minutes. Yes, nothing will appear to happen.

After 2 or so minutes, replace the battery and connect the power and power the unit up.

I'm not sure what this process does but I've observed it to allow recalcitrant systems to work properly for a few more months before problems occur again.

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