cj_reha wrote:

My Win98 gaming build is suddenly showing problems I don't like the look of at all :neutral: […]
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My Win98 gaming build is suddenly showing problems I don't like the look of at all 😐

So, the problem basically is you have to repeatedly press the power button and it will sometimes jump to life. I'm not talking once or twice, I mean like a good 10 times before it will fire up. Is this just the case's power button going bad, or the PSU?

PSU is RaidMax RX-500S. I don't think it's a good power supply and the closest replacement on hand here is a 300 watt one. Should I replace it? The current one only has this giant fan that doesn't move air well at all, and the little bit of air escaping from the back is pretty warm. Like it warms the area. I feel like it will overheat someday just from inadequate cooling.

Hoping someone can resolve this problem.

Uh, Yea replace the PSU...

I am assuming it's an ATX system, in which case it's probably not the power supply. If you want you can test it by hooking up a few drives (For load) and shorting out the ATX power pins (Be careful). If it turns on fine, try shorting the jumper on the board, if this works too, the button is broke. If the board doesn't power on by shorting the jumper, it's the board not connecting the jumpers to the ATX connector. You can wire a button directly to the ATX connector and power on the board like an old AT style system. If the power supply absolutely refuses to power on AND you have connected something like a couple hard drives to give it load, it's the PSU.

It could be the button, it could be the board, and it could be the PSU.

JESUS LORD IN HEAVEN I'M SCARED

Replaced PSU with 300 watt one and the power button was still messed up. I got it to power up for about a half a second and a cap exploded somewhere with a loud POP.

No smoke, and the board seems to be okay..

This is what I get for trusting thrift store PSUs

Well, okay then 🤣

Wonder if it's worth recapping...

unless is a special snowflake power supply its worthless.

its cheaper, easier, and better for your old equipment to use a new quality supply.

My favorites are the corsair builder series.

Easy way to check the power button: simply unplug and plug the reset instead. I assume you went straight for the PSU without doing a simple verification...

While your at it, check for shorts everywhere around the motherboard, above and below.

This could be the cause, and why the PSU fried.

This is a very strange problem. I can't say I have seen very many problems with power buttons. It would almost have to be the power button, the PSU, or the motherboard. What kind of motherboard is it? Can you steal the power button from another ATX case? They are pretty easy to remove and that would help eliminate the botton as a possible problem?

Rhuwyn wrote:

This is a very strange problem. I can't say I have seen very many problems with power buttons. It would almost have to be the power button, the PSU, or the motherboard. What kind of motherboard is it? Can you steal the power button from another ATX case? They are pretty easy to remove and that would help eliminate the botton as a possible problem?

More importantly, did you follow my troubleshooting steps? There are ways to solve the problem.

First, check for shorts, make sure nothing is there that isn't supposed to be, and that there are no loose leads touching.

Test the PSU by putting drives on for load, and shorting the ATX power on connector. If it boots up no problem, it's not the PSU.

Now connect it to the Motherboard, try to use a screwdriver (VERY VERY CAREFULLY) to short the power jumper. If it boots up fine, it's probably the button.

If the PSU doesn't turn on, it's probably the PSU. If it does turn on, but the board can't turn it on, even when jumping the power jumper, the board is probably foobar, I suggest to not use it anymore or risk other parts popping.