I finally learned to check the power supply first after a weird boot loop in a Denver office

I was at a small law firm downtown last month, trying to fix a desktop that would power on for two seconds then die. The user said it just started happening. I spent like an hour reseating RAM, checking connections, even swapped the CMOS battery. I was about to pull the motherboard when I noticed the power supply fan wasn't spinning at all during those two seconds. I mean, it was a Corsair CX650, not some no-name junk. I had a spare unit in my kit, popped it in, and the thing booted right up. I felt so dumb for not testing that from the start. It's the most basic thing, but you get focused on the harder stuff and miss the simple fix. Has anyone else wasted a bunch of time on a problem that turned out to be just a bad PSU?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan401mo ago

Used to skip that step, now I check it first.

jana_hill271mo ago

Used to skip that step" is the story of my life. I guess we all learn the hard way after something blows up in our face. Now you're one of the smart ones who checks.