Power Out of Supply

Q: I bought an E-machine four years ago. It has had heavy use, but it has worked fine. The problem is that the computer was turned off, and now it doesn’t work. It doesn’t even turn on. There is a little green light on the rear of the computer that briefly flashes on when the power cord is plugged into the wall outlet. The light on the computer monitor is on, but the screen is blank. Other than the flash of the green light there is no sign of the computer working. How can I fix the computer?
John M.
A: Your problem clearly seems to be a power issue. I like to work from the outside in. The first thing that we are going to do is to make sure the power cord for the computer is securely connected to the computer and into the power outlet. This may seem like a no brainer, but quite often there are simple solutions to problems that seem severe. Next, we should eliminate the outlet as the source of the problem. To do this you can either try to start your computer from another outlet or try to use the same outlet to power another item. If the computer did not start when you tried it on an outlet that you know to be good, then we can try switching out power cords. If the computer does not power up with the different cord, then we know that it is not the power cord. Also, make sure that the red voltage selector switch is set to 110-115 and not 220-230. You should see the selector on the rear of the computer.
The next progression in our attempt to resolve your problem will require a screw driver. You will need to remove the computers’ case. Before you remove the case please unplug the computer from any power source like a wall outlet. I would hate for you to go from the tech column to the obituary column in the same week. Once the case is removed, what you want to do is make sure that the connectors from the power supply are seated properly on the motherboard. It should be easy to identify because it is where the power cord connects. You should see a bunch of multi-colored wires that emerge from the box. These wires have connectors and these connectors connect to the motherboard and the computers’ drives. You want to make sure that these connectors are pushed in and not loose. If this doesn’t solve your problem then you may need to replace your power supply. You should see a label on the side of the power supply that has the model number and manufacturer’s number. You can use these numbers to check on line or at local computer stores to find the replacement part to install. If this sounds like a little too much for you, then you may want to have a someone else do it for you.