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Computer Problem
Thursday, April 11, 2013 by DaveBax | Discussion: Personal Computing
My Daughter has a computer start up problem. She has to push the start button two to five times before it starts. Other than that it's working fine and can be on for hours with no problem. Told her just to leave it on all the time but ever since a friend of hers had a house fire that was determined to have started from the computer she won't leave it on when she isn't there.
Maybe it's as simple as just replacing the start button but wanted to hear from the experts on here which I am not. Thank you, Dave
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Reply #22 Friday, April 12, 2013 9:46 PM
Ever since being Admin here I have left my computer running 24/7 [minus about one week a year] 375 ....and that's over 10 years.
Only conditional though I would add....if it's a CRT monitor....turn that off. [They have been linked to fires]...
Reply #23 Saturday, April 13, 2013 9:11 AM
Quoting yrag, reply 21Tell her to leave it running. A computer in itself, cannot start a house fire.
Ever since being Admin here I have left my computer running 24/7 [minus about one week a year] 375 ....and that's over 10 years.
Only conditional though I would add....if it's a CRT monitor....turn that off. [They have been linked to fires]...
Goodness! Who still uses CRT monitors? 
Reply #25 Saturday, April 13, 2013 11:05 AM
It's not a CTR monitor.
I did more taking to her and she has confirmed that when she pushes the start button the light does come on. She leves it alone at that poinr and it starts in 20 to 30 minutes. Maybe she has something that is taking a long time to start in the background but I won't be to she her for a few weeks. No snese in me trying to tell her how to check for that. Maybe a reformat may help at this point so I guess dad is going to have to buy her a external drive so she can have her stuff backed up.
Even in their 40's they always seem to need you. Guess they figure it out once we are gone.
Reply #28 Saturday, April 13, 2013 12:34 PM
Goodness! Who still uses CRT monitors?
Those old 21" Monitors were going for ~$1200 at one point. So I could understand some people's reluctance to pitch them, as they really should. At the shop we generally refer to them as "Boat Anchors"
Reply #29 Saturday, April 13, 2013 5:32 PM
Quoting DaveBax,
reply 25
and it starts in 20 to 30 minutes.
Think.....'virus' ...
Jafo she ran a full scan with her virus program and nothing found. It was the first thing I did. Also ran a full scan with Malwarebytes and ccleaner.
anything else I can run?
Reply #30 Saturday, April 13, 2013 6:21 PM
davebax, the only other one to try BUT it is more for when you know that there IS a virus, but can NOT remove it is combofix from www.bleepingcomputer.com,
the age of the computer suggests to me that it could be the powersupply having reached the end of life (they seem to average about 10% of capacity loss per year) and I typically have to replace them about every 3 to 4 years for my customers, but I did get one to 7 years (a thermaltake 430w on a duron 900 file server for a network) and several capacitors in the supply were ready to pop.
harpo
Reply #31 Saturday, April 13, 2013 6:51 PM
Online malware scanners:
http://www.technobuzz.net/10-best-free-online-virus-and-malware-scanners/
And.... they're free. 
Reply #33 Saturday, April 13, 2013 9:19 PM
Dave...if it's simply taking 20-30 mins to boot...but booting all the same...just check there's not something set to 'do' "on boot" ...eg defrag/scandisk/etc.
It's not unknown that a LCD screen won't show VGA info you might otherwise see saying 'scandisk 15% completed/whatever. Instead it all looks blank save for the drive light flickering....for ages...
Reply #34 Sunday, April 14, 2013 12:07 AM
Un-plug anything USB. Throw a 'read only' disc in the optical drive and cold boot it.
Reply #36 Sunday, April 14, 2013 8:54 AM
Wait a sec here, Dave, after she presses the power button, how long does it take until shes sees anything at all on the screen? When she turns it on, do the fans and everything kick in and you can hear them and see other lights flicker, then 20-30 minutes later you get video? Or is it 20-30 minutes later that you hear fans and stuff and it then boots?
Reply #37 Sunday, April 14, 2013 9:09 AM
Hopefully it's not that.....that'd be just plain spooky.
Pretty sure it's the former ...and that's bound to be 'something' trying to DO something....eventually finishing...or error-ing out and finishing...
Reply #38 Sunday, April 14, 2013 9:10 AM
Tom, I didn't ask that question. Will aks today as soon as I can get ahold of her and will post later.
Reply #39 Sunday, April 14, 2013 9:14 AM
Maybe it's that famous BIOS error code I often quote.....
Keyboard not found. Press F1 to continue.
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Reply #21 Friday, April 12, 2013 2:10 PM
Tell her to leave it running. A computer in itself, cannot start a house fire.
Odds are it's not the start button. A likelier culprit is the plug connection on the front panel in the lower right side of MB.