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Hello and thanks for taking the time to read my post 
I have a VERY annoying problem: Most of the time when i try to start my computer, it refuses to do anything.
Just now it took me 30 minutes of "turn on -> wait -> turn off -> repeat", to get it actually running. Maybe every 5th or so time, the red light on my mouse will light, but nothing else happens.
Whenever it does start, it runs perfectly. It's not the best hardware out there, but considering what's under the hood, it runs well when it does indeed run.
I am in need of some upgrades eventually (fps drops when maxed armies meet T_T), but unfortunately, money is an issue, so i really need to solve this by making as small adjustments as possible 
Does anyone have a good guess of what it's likely to be? I'm thinking it's either the power supply thingie, or the motherboard most likely, but it could (i guess) also be like the ram or cpu.
My hardware:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 @ 1.86GHz
RAM: 2,00 GB Single-Channel DDR2 @ 265MHz (5-5-5-15)
Motherboard: Abit AB9/AB9RPO(Intel965+ICH8) (Socket 775)
Graphics: L90D+ D-SUB (1280x1024@60Hz)
1024MB GeForce GTX 460 (Gigabyte)
Hard Drives: 36.2GB Western Digital WDC (SATA)
Thanks in advance for any help!
<3
p.s. I saw that there are similar threads, but they seem to go in directions that aren't the problem in my case (i.e. poorly mounted cpu-cooler) d.s.
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Most likely PSU, then motherboard. Could be almost anything else too, but those are the vast majority of cases.
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Thanks for your replay
Do you know if there's some way I can figure out which one it is? If I buy a new motherboard, I probably need new cpu and ram, which I'm not sure I can afford
A psu tho shoud be within my budget and then I could solve the problem real quick!
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There's no absolute way to confirm that this sort of problem is a PSU fault other than changing the PSU. Even if you open the PSU up[1] and there's electrolyte leaking out of the capacitors (quite common), it doesn't necessarily mean that it's the cause of the problem, although that does make it a lot more likely. Measuring the 12V and 5V with a multimeter on a molex with the machine in its boot-fail state may suggest a PSU fault or may be inconclusive. 12V & 5V voltages at load in HWMonitor are unlikely to tell you anything with this sort of fault.
[1]Don't do that, even with the power off. The filter capacitors can hold enough charge to be dangerous.
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there's a problem in the boot sequence, that the computer's getting hung up on
someone like jinglehell would probably be able to give you the specific order of parts to test while going through the booting process, I can't remember the order of parts to remove to test whats working and whats not working
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Well:
If it starts consistently without the graphics card (can usually tell by the disk light), it's probably either a graphics card fault or a PSU fault. If it doesn't, it's less likely to be a PSU fault.
If it starts consistently without one or more drives, it's probably either a drive short or a PSU fault. If it doesn't, it's less likely to be a PSU fault.
If it beeps consistently with the RAM removed, it's probably not a short and more likely to be a motherboard fault.
You get a lot more certainty when you have components to swap.
Something I forgot - do be sure to test with all USB devices removed and check that all USB ports are undamaged.
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I had this issue with a computer before. Honestly?
Make sure everything is seated properly as that was what was wrong with mine.
And when it did turn on? It loved to sound like a jet engine.
Then I just resat everything in the slots and no more problem.
Other that as others said it is most likely a GPU issue (What was causing it for my comp to be specific, it just got loose in the slot)
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Yeah, what he said about reseating. Thought that the OP had already gone through that for some reason. Do all the power cables, the GPU and the RAM at least.
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Wow, a lot of replies :D Thanks a lot!
I have to go to school now, but I'll get going as soon as I come home. Results posted in hopefully 6h.
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I tried reseating the graphics card, and the ram and unplugged everything that's not needed for the boot itself. (Basically kept ram cpu and gpu on the mb)
This made the computer boot more consistently, like 80% of the time.
Then I plugged back in, a keyboard (ps2), my monitor and my hdd.
Now my computer still boots like 80% of the time, but it refuses to detect my harddrive! T_T
A new symptom has turned up aswell: after I switch the power switch on the back off, and back on, and then turn on the computer normally, it will now start for 5 sec, turn itself off for a few seconds, and then reboot normally.
All of this pissed me off, so now I'm heading out to find a new PSU down town, hoping that's the cause of the problem :D
If there's a place still open, I'll post my results in 1h!
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Another simple thing to try is to reset your BIOS (either by removing the battery or via the bios reset pins). I had a problem with a computer a few month ago where it would keep turning itself on and off when I tried starting it. I replaced both the PSU and GPU and had no luck. I then did a simple BIOS reset and this solved the problem.
Edit: I found this page pretty helpful in the past: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbysymptom/tp/computer-wont-turn-on.htm
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Sounds like a PSU issue. I had the same thing happen a couple years back where everything essentially started to slow down and then my computer would turn on but refuse to POST (pretty much not put anything to the monitor). After debugging, determined it was a bad PSU. I confirmed by using Best Buy's gracious return policy to "rent" a PSU and voila my comp magically worked like new. It makes sense, if the PSU is blown then it won't provide enough power to start the graphics card. Sounds very similar to what you're experiencing. The random reboots is the system losing power.
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...surprising as it may seems, it could be a malfunctioning optical drive (cd/dvd burner etc) that is causing your problem. Your system seems old enough to warrant a quick test: just unplug the optical drive power/connections and reboot. Good luck.
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I just installed a brand new 600w Corsair PSU, to no avail..
Tried resetting my bios, and rebooting with minimal hw, still no go.
Is the next step to buy new mb and hope that works, or does anyone have a better idea?
Thanks for all the help so far ppl!
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So do all the symptoms in your previous post still apply? Boots 80% of the time but no HDD detected? Sometimes restarting after five seconds?
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Well.. I can't tell really, since I no longer get any output to the mnitor..
I THINK however, that it's booting about 80% of the time but stopping when the os is supposed to take over. This is judging by wierd sounds that my computer makes, but it's not more than a good guess.
I guess I'm saying I'm pretty sure nothing changed exept for the visual bit.
Wish I could post something more useful... T_T
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I managed to "fix" the problem!
I took my computer apart completely (cpu, ram, everything), and then reassembled it again, while changing sata cables. Now I it will boot often enough (50%-ish, given I power off on the back between tries) WITH video output AND harddrive :D
Back to where I was a month ago in other words, and hopefully it'll stay like this until I can finance a change of parts!
Thanks everyone who helped and gave feedback, wouldn't have tried reseating stuff if it wasnt for you
<3
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EPT
