PC refuses to power off

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by testcy, Jan 4, 2019.

  1. testcy

    testcy Guest

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    When I try to shut down my PC by pressing the power on/off button on the computer case (without booting Windows), it powers off, but after a few seconds it powers on again. Windows shut down normally (even by pressing the power off button). I am using a Corsair CX430 PSU which otherwise works fine. Related bios settings have default values. Any clues what might be the problem?
     
  2. Valken

    Valken Ancient Guru

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    Your PSU or your MB is going out. Happened to me before my PSU blew out.

    Press and HOLD your power off button to force the PC to turn off.

    If that does not work, you can flick the switch on the back of the PSU if you have one.

    Also, if your PSU is older than say 4 years, it may be the capacitors going out or the FAN or dust making it overheat, thus wearing out the internal capacitors. Those are the usual suspects. IF you OC a lot, or have bad wiring, that can screw up your PSU over time as well.

    Personally, I have seen more PSU issues that exhibit itself as PC issues. Try to borrow a friend's or a loaner PSU that is know good and test it on your PC. If your PC is perfect with the new PSU then you have narrowed down the problem.
     
  3. testcy

    testcy Guest

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    Holding the power off button for several seconds does turn off the PC. Does this mean anything? I don't OC and wires are fine. The PSU or motherboard has not shown any other signs of dying.
     
  4. sverek

    sverek Guest

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    This is how it usually works. Just pressing the button might act the same as "hard-reboot".
     

  5. Valken

    Valken Ancient Guru

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    I'm just advising from my experience.

    • Had a Corsair 450, worked over 10 years. Still works!
    • Had a Corsair 850 HX, worked over 6-7 years but started to crash my PC or would not turn OFF via windows. I had to either HOLD the button for a few seconds or flick the switch on the back of the PSU.

    • Or it would eventually TRY TO turn itself back on for no reason. MB reported error code 10 which was RAM or 12 which was boot HDD/SDD I think. But that was wrong. I swapped in my old PSU and NO problems.

    I had it replaced eventually with a Corsair RM1000 through warranty (10 years FTW) but that eventually crapped out by the 10th year. IT could have been a refurb but Corsair said the RM would cover the balance of the warranty. Prophetic...

    Back then I had AMD 6950 Crossfired and we all know how much power those things can pull at peak usage.

    So I bought a new HX1000 - 10 year warranty again! (I use HALF the power to maximize the longevity of the PSU) and have none of the problems you said now. So it is MOSTLY a sign the PSU is starting to going out especially if old.

    If your home or office gets hot during the summer and you are gaming, that can wear out some of the components of PSU as well.

    Other than that, check the internals of your PC for humidity - its winter here but flipping humid so it feels a LOT colder than it is and with the dehumidifier on, the home is now actually comfortable despite being cold outside.

    Keep the room where the PC and electronics are relatively dry ~ 25-30% max and you should be OK. If its TOO dry, static charge will build up and that's bad too.

    Lastly, you can do a cpu or gpu test to see where any power shorting may be occurring. Just run those CPU or GPU testing apps in a window - Prime95 for cpu, or opengl benchmark and listen to your PSU fan spin up. If your PC crashes during either of the test, or dare I say BOTH tests at the same time, you know your system is not stable and is either a PSU or MB issue if it WAS stable in the past.

    The MB also has capacitors and power circuits that CAN go bad but the PSU Capacitor and FANS usually wears out faster due to all the heat it has to push out.
     
  6. testcy

    testcy Guest

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    Most of the PSU units I had over the years were cheap ones, but I never had one that completely failed. I think 1-2 times the fan inside the PSU failed and I replaced it, but other than that, no problems. The Corsair I have now is probably 4-5 years old, but I would be very surprised if it fails. I don't game, but it does get hot here in the summer.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2019
  7. sverek

    sverek Guest

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    You have any issues when in windows or not?
     
  8. testcy

    testcy Guest

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    No issues in windows.
     
  9. sverek

    sverek Guest

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    then you fine.
     
  10. sverek

    sverek Guest

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    people tell to buy Corsair PSU and fail to realize other chinese PSUs come from the same factory, just with different label.
     

  11. testcy

    testcy Guest

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    I tried booting to DOS using a USB memory stick and powering off the system and it worked fine (system remained off). Is there a chance that it's a BIOS/Windows combination issue?
     
  12. RealNC

    RealNC Ancient Guru

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    Maybe your power button is configured in Windows to put the PC to sleep or suspend rather than power off. That means it will wake up when moving the mouse or something.

    Check the power settings and see how the power button is configured.
     
  13. testcy

    testcy Guest

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    The power button is configured in Windows to shut down. I also tried a different PSU and still the problem remains the same. I find it difficult to believe it's the motherboard as I noticed no other problems.
     
  14. mbk1969

    mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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    If you are on Win10 1809 you probably experience the same kind of problem as some gurus here with this version and shutdown.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2019
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  15. testcy

    testcy Guest

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    I am using Windows 7!
     
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  16. carnivore

    carnivore Member

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    Does it stays powered down if you turn it off in software way like start>shut down?
    Could be faulty power button in case. You can test by removing pwr on connection on your mobo and turn PC on and off using screwdriver. Just be very carefuly so you don't short circuit something. Best set your case on side.
     
  17. testcy

    testcy Guest

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    Yes, it stays powered down if turned off from Windows. It could be the power button as it happened to me before, but this is a new case. And it's a little difficult to use a screwdriver, because of lack of space inside the case.
     
  18. Caesar

    Caesar Ancient Guru

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    Last edited: Mar 1, 2019

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