After a winter storm, we had a power outage that lasted almost 20 hours. Not good in an apartment with only electric heat. No lights, no heat, can’t go online to complain to anyone. 🙂
I previously wrote about someone’s computer not turning on after a power outage. The fix was to unplug the computer, hold down the power button for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and turn it on. They called again after the latest outage. That procedure wasn’t working anymore, and their computer would not power up.
Desktop Doesn’t Power Up After Outage
I tried different cords and power outlets. I have a bunch of old power supplies and found one that was compatible with this system. Without removing the old power supply from the case, I removed the plugins from the motherboard and plugged in this possible replacement.
The system powered up, so I removed the non-working unit and replaced it with the working one. Their computer is up and running again.
I have an older Gateway tower that I use for backup purposes, and when I went to turn it on, it wouldn’t power up.
I thought I would have to replace this one as well until I remembered what happened. Some power supplies have little switches on them. The one in my client’s computer didn’t have a switch, but my Gateway does, and I remember now turning it off on purpose. Before the power outage, the power started blinking on and off until it eventually stayed off.
Even though I didn’t have my Gateway on at the time, every time the power came on, the computer would power up. I was concerned about possible damage to the system, and it was getting annoying. I flipped the switch.
Now that the power has been restored, I have one more thing to do. I’m going into the BIOS and changing that automatic power-on setting.
I went into the BIOS settings by pressing the “delete” key during the boot up. Went into the “Power” setting and found the “Restore On AC Power Loss”.
It was set to “Last State”. I changed it to “Off”.
Remember to “Save & Exit Setup” or “F10” and confirm, “Yes”. Hopefully, that will do it.
One final note: As I was writing this, the power blinked off yet again, despite the relatively decent weather outside. The good news is that my Gateway didn’t come on. Neither did my CyberPowerPC, but my Asus did. Anyway….
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Please tell me Terry that you have your PC attached via the mains at the very least with a surge protector ?
I have all my PCs powered via UPS – which contains both surge protection, battery backup and software to shut the PCs down gracefully in the event of a relatively rare power loss even in bad weather even though I live in in an electrically stable power supply area with minimal outages. Given that yours seems like a very flaky power service, maybe a UPS should be “must-have” cheap insurance ?
Cheers
Reg
Well said Reg. All electronic units must be shielded from power glitches. My power company recommends that clients should unplug electronic devices when not in use, especially during thunder storms. Safer than asking them to have surge protection or use a UPS. It is a small investment but so is piece of mind, Mindblower!