10 Year Old Desktop Computer

[lionking]

I have an issue with my 10 Year Old Desktop.

It seems that when I boot it up after a minute or two it shuts down.

This take up to 3x before I get a window that tries to do a maintenance on my computer.

There is no way of using the mouse or keyboard on this window that has come up.

I then have to hold the power button down to shut it down then power up to reboot again.

I have windows 10 on my computer.

I was thinking that most likely because I have done all the tests including the ram memory test and they all passed so I have come to the conclusion that it must be the PSU (power supply unit) that is slowly failing.

Anyone who knows and is computer savvy could please let me know if it is worth to replace the PSU if you also think that it could be that piece of hardware that is causing the boot up issues.

Also if it is not worth it maybe just to purchase either a new desktop or laptop computer.

Thanks in advance.

[auggie]

How much stuff is plugged in while it's trying to boot (usb,external, etc.) unplug anything
not needed for boot, and see if that works, try and get to safe mode. Can be a # of things going (Mobo,video,cpu,Psu)
more than 10yrs. would suggest to upgrade.

[scooby8888]

I bought a pc off of kijiji the kid was having problems with it like this all i did was bring it home and give it a good cleaning inside with a can of air and vacuum it i think the main problem you'll find is the cpu will need to be cleaned up with alcohol and qtip then apply some thermal paste on it and put it all back together i'm betting you'll be good to go.

[dogdayz]

I bought a pc off of kijiji the kid was having problems with it like this all i did was bring it home and give it a good cleaning inside with a can of air and vacuum it i think the main problem you'll find is the cpu will need to be cleaned up with alcohol and qtip then apply some thermal paste on it and put it all back together i'm betting you'll be good to go.

I agree with you. I had an old laptop with the same problem. Opened it up and cleaned out all the dust and dog hair and now it powers up reliably.

[Terryl]

My suspicions would be, first the power supply, second the hard drive. third the mother board.

Power supply's are cheap, (30 to 50 bucks) if you try to replace it make sure it's rated the same as or better then the old one.

If the hard drive is going then the only way to test it would be an external test bed, this would be a second computer with a USB to IDE/SATA interface, if you can read the info on the hard drive it's OK.

Next check the mother board for any electrolytic caps that may be bad,(little metal cans) the thing to look for would be some that have a domed or bulged up top, these are the bad ones, if this is the problem then the mother board would need replacing, get the same type and model as the old one, this will prevent any MB driver problems.

And the last thing to do would look at the Walmart site they have some great deals on PC's right now, you could then take to old hard drive and install it into the new computer, this way you can get to the data (but not the programs) on the old drive.

And yes I agree with Scooby and Dog, heat dust and dirt is the slow death of most computers, you would not beleave how many a year I have saved by cleaning them up, (I repair computers as a side line) most of the time the heat-sink fins on the CPU get plugged up with dust, a quick cleaning may help.

[Gates07]

well for one thing you have a computer probably built for win xp, you let it upgrade to win 10, probably will not work very good, should have used a program called "never 10" to stop the upgrade, dust is a killer, and the paste on the main processor has dried out and needs to be replaced, its getting to hot, start in the safe mode, run "ccleaner" (free) and you may have to go back to an earlier time to get rid of what is else is causing your problem, take the cover off and see if all your fans are running, see if the fan on the power supply is blowing, the power supply may be full of dust also, but when power supply's go bad then nothing works, a lot of time the ruin the mother board

[lacoster7]

1 first of all, clean and blow of all dust from the inside of the comp and power supply as well.
2. Check for capacitors bulged in the power supply and on the mobo. Replace bad ones.

Usually first thing goes bad is :
a. power supply
b. capacitors.

Go to the
hxxp://getintopc.com/softwares/operating-systems/
and download red vortex win xp. It is best xp ever build, and got plenty of fantastic utilities you ever need.
No other utilities you ever need.

[lionking]

Yes I did do a thorough cleaning with an air duster.

Also I did a through motherboard, HDD, SDD and processor tests they all have passed

Last time did a cleaning I looked at the Motherboard and there did not look like burnt out capacitors etc.

I did buy a PSU tester, but have not used it yet and I will very soon to see if all the green lights come on.

This is the same PSU tester that the computer pros use to see if this device has to be replaced or not.

When I bought this computer it had Vista on it....then did a new format with Windows 7....new format wipe the main HDD everytime before installing a new OS on it.....Window 8...Window 8.1 then finally Windows 10.

I did install a new SDD because the computer only had one HDD at the time maybe 460 watts PSU could not handle it.

It was able to boot up once the first time.

If I find the PSU tester shows that the PSU is gone I will replace it with a Corsair semi-modular 550 watts.

As to be expected I will not purchase a new desktop computer at this time and if replacing the PSU would be the final upgrade of this computer.

Please give more feedback on this if you can.

Thanks.

[Terryl]

I would go with an ANTEC power supply, I use them exclusively and have never had one go bad.


http://store.antec.com/power-supply/ and the bigger the better, less strain on the PSU.

[Terryl]

But first check out the PSU by removing it from the PC and opening it up (disconnected from the wall socket first) check for dust buildup there and bad caps.

If everything looks good (no bad stuff) then a good cleaning can help.

[lionking]

But first check out the PSU by removing it from the PC and opening it up (disconnected from the wall socket first) check for dust buildup there and bad caps.

If everything looks good (no bad stuff) then a good cleaning can help.

If there is a lot of dust buildup and I use my air duster chances are that I could put the PSU back again and able to boot up the first time....right?

Now as you said if there are bad caps then to replace the PSU.

I also would like to know is it safe to use this PSU checker that I have received from amazon because according to the instructions I have to just turn on the PSU except there is not separate switch on the PSU that was originally built into the computer.

Is this worth it or not....if not then I can alway send it back for a full refund.

Please let me know about that part.

If I do have to go with a PSU replacement I will go with the Antec you have told me I have used that manufacture PSU in the past.

I am also using a apc backup power bar that would handle up to 810 watts that is why I would not go any higher than 650 watts because plugging in a monitor 25 watts plus a modem up to 20 watts.

This PSU would have to be fully compatible with the motherboard I have in my computer too which shows a list for it.

It makes it more difficult for me to get an antec 550 to 650 watts because I am up in Canada but I will see after I remove the CPU and clean it up.

One step at a time then I will let everyone know what I have found or to be replaced.

[Terryl]

If there is a lot of dust buildup and I use my air duster chances are that I could put the PSU back again and able to boot up the first time....right?

Now as you said if there are bad caps then to replace the PSU.

I also would like to know is it safe to use this PSU checker that I have received from amazon because according to the instructions I have to just turn on the PSU except there is not separate switch on the PSU that was originally built into the computer.

Is this worth it or not....if not then I can alway send it back for a full refund.

Please let me know about that part.

If I do have to go with a PSU replacement I will go with the Antec you have told me I have used that manufacture PSU in the past.

I am also using a apc backup power bar that would handle up to 810 watts that is why I would not go any higher than 650 watts because plugging in a monitor 25 watts plus a modem up to 20 watts.

This PSU would have to be fully compatible with the motherboard I have in my computer too which shows a list for it.

It makes it more difficult for me to get an antec 550 to 650 watts because I am up in Canada but I will see after I remove the CPU and clean it up.

One step at a time then I will let everyone know what I have found or to be replaced.
Safe to use the PSU checker, you will have to unplug and plug it back into the wall outlet to power it up. What one did you get?

If the PSU was full of dust it could affect the unit, a good cleaning could help.

[lionking]

I have done a google search for cleaning a PC PSU found the website then print up the instructions.

I will try to clean the PSU first then after it has been cleaned put it together connect it back to the PC plug it in and hope it boots up the first time.

The power supply tester I bought is called.... Insten 20/24-pin Power Supply Tester for ATX/SATA / HDD, Black.

I will keep you posted on what I have found.

Thanks.

Update: Today I was able to boot up my computer the first time.

The time I didn't say I tried a hard reset by unplugging the power cord from the computer and then holding the power button down for 10 seconds.

It did not work right away because I still had to boot up up to 3x then hard boot to power down then boot up again yesterday.

Maybe by chance it worked the hard reset or just a fluke.

However if I have to reboot many times again another day I will unplug and take out PSU to clean it out.

I will repost again on what happens.